"Thinking Inside the Square"
Redefining the Boundaries of
Flexibility at OTEN-DE

Margot McNeill, Open Training and Education Network - DE, 51 Wentworth Road, Strathfield NSW 2135. Email: margot.mcneill@tafensw.edu.au

Louise Turnbull , Open Training and Education Network - DE, 51 Wentworth Road, Strathfield NSW 2135. Email: louise.turnbull@tafensw.edu.au

Website, http://www.oten.edu.au/oten/

Keywords

distance education, flexible delivery, online, student support, learning environment, online support, structured learning, appropriate technologies

Abstract

Technology, effectively used, can significantly enhance distance delivery and make it a more accessible, dynamic, supportive and interactive experience for students and teachers. Utilising all the advantages of asynchronous and constructivist learning, learning can be "just in time" and "just for me", and the supporting administrative systems can enable students to begin and end their studies whenever they choose, possibly with 24x7 access to learning, help and guidance. However, can education providers be tempted to take flexibility too far - to a point beyond the optimum for both students and teachers? If so, what is the ultimate aim of flexibility and who determines whether particular initiatives are indeed flexible?

The Open Training and Education Network (OTEN-DE) is one of the largest providers of distance education in Australia with close to 35,000 students enrolling in 250 courses in 2001. Flexible delivery and the use of appropriate technologies have been key components in meeting the needs of these students and overcoming some of the traditional barriers to distance education. Flexibility has been applied not only to the design and delivery of courses but also to the administrative systems and processes that support delivery.

This paper examines a move to re-define the boundaries of OTEN-DE's flexibility. Significant changes in the available technologies and the opportunities afforded by them have influenced this re-definition, as well as research that indicates there are some areas where students and teachers could benefit from more structure.