Case Study: Flexible and Adaptive Learning Environment

Flexible Learning and the Architecture of Learning Places (2008) by Peter Goodyear

The point of departure for this chapter is the idea that learning activity is becoming less constrained by
time,space, and the organizational requirements of educational providers. As people take more control over their
learning activity, there is a multiplication of the possible influences of time and space on their learning.If learning
can take place anywhere, then we need to know more about the pedagogical affordances of the various wheres in
which it is situated.

The focus on learning places reflects a growing acknowledgment of the importance of the physical environment in
influencing how people learn and what they learn.

The spatial dimension of flexible learning refers to learning that takes place at locations that suit the learner.
Flexible learning should minimize the disruption to the learner’s other activities (at work, at home,etc.). Learning
that involves the learner’s absence from work or home may have the advantage of allowing the learner to
concentrate fully on their learning activity, but it can also disadvantage those who are tied to the home or
workplace and can be expensive for both the learner and their employer. Equally,enabling learners to study from
their workplaces can help contextualize learning and dissolve unhelpful boundaries between work and learning

Much conventional learn-ing activity is strongly shaped by the existence andnature of assessment systems or by
the goals of teach-ers and educational institutions. Flexible learning maybe relatively free from such influences.

Flexible use of space (mobile learning) means thatplace cannot be used to delimit the social practices of learning:
If one can learn anywhere, what does it meanto be a learner? Probing at this question reveals someinteresting
answers—not least, that most of the socialpractices we associate with learning are subtly influ-enced by place.

Technological change allows a shift in the expecta-tions, practices and discourse around the location of activity in
time and space. Although flexible learning,mobile learning, and their analogs are sometimes heldto have
conquered time and space, paradoxically theyrender time and space more important.

Flexible Learning Environments: Leveraging the Affordances of Flexible Delivery and Flexible Learning (2006) by
Janette Hill

A core principle underlying flexible delivery and flexible learning is the notion of learner-centered instruction
. As described by Pataray-Ching and Kavanaugh-Anderson (1999), anemphasis is placed on learner choice and
learner decision making when learning is learner-centered. Learners are empowered to make their own decisions.
Learners are also activelyinvolved in decisions made by the instructor or others involved in the creation of the
learning experience.Another core principle is facilitation of learning. As a facilitator, the instructor takesmore of a
guiding role in the process versus a commanding role (Hannafin, Hill, & Land,1997). The instructor works
collaboratively with the learner to develop an understanding of the key competencies to be learned.Yet another
core principle is negotiation. While some decisions may have been made prior to the learner becoming involved in
the course or workshop, some, if not all, of thedecisions should be open for discussion. As a part of the discussion,
both the learner andthe instructor should be flexible in allowing for changes and/or modifications to meet
individual needs. Research has indicated that negotiation can help empower learners andenable multiple forms of
learning interactions to occur (Anton, 1999).