Flexible teaching & learning
At UTAS we aim to use teaching & learning approaches that are student-centred and accessible.
One of the ways of achieving this is through flexible approaches to teaching & learning.
Examples of flexible teaching & learning are available on the Case Studies website.
A printable version of the Flexible Teaching & Learning Statement is available in PDF format.
What is flexible teaching & learning?
Flexible teaching & learning approaches are:
- learner-centred
- about good teaching & learning practices for all students
- less time and place dependent than more traditional forms of teaching
- ones that increase the learner’s responsibility for his or her own learning.
Flexible teaching & learning approaches ARE NOT about:
- getting rid of face-to-face contact
- always using technology
- saving time or money
- leaving students to study everything by themselves.
Moving towards more flexible teaching & learning: guiding statements
- At the University of Tasmania, we are aiming to move all of our teaching to be more flexible.
- ‘Good teaching & learning’ and ‘flexible teaching & learning’ are inseparable.
- All students benefit from increased flexibility in our teaching & learning approaches, not just those wishing to study off-campus.
- Flexible approaches to teaching & learning are not something we add on to existing approaches. They involve choosing the most appropriate combination of teaching methods to suit students and the subject.
- If all of our teaching becomes flexible, we will not have separate approaches for distance education students, for each of our campuses, or for offshore students.
A practical mix of teaching methods
Flexible teaching & learning approaches use a combination of teaching methods to suit students and the subject matter. This may involve combining lectures, tutorials, workshops, group work, problem-based learning, or practical exercises with other approaches such as:
- online delivery using tools such as MyLO (Blackboard Vista) – units using MyLO can be web-supported, web-dependent or fully online
- videoconferencing
- resource-based learning (for example, using print, audio, CD-ROM)
- workplace learning or independent/group projects
- flexible scheduling (for example, summer schools, intensive block teaching).
Advantages of flexible approaches to teaching & learning
The advantages of flexible approaches to teaching & learning are that they:
- cater for a broader range of student learning styles
- develop independent and self-directed learning approaches in our students
- improve access to university study for students who live some distance from the University campuses
- cater for students who have family and work commitments
- broaden options for students on each of our campuses as well as nationally and offshore
- open up our courses to a wider market.
For more information refer to the Flexible Teaching & learning pages.