With diminishing resources combined with greater numbers of students in higher & further education, hard-pressed teaching staff are increasingly turning to open & flexible learning to deliver selected parts of the curriculum. Desktop publishing allows rapid production of open learning materials but there is nothing that provides practical, immediate & accessible help to the wide range of people involved in designing, supporting & delivering open learning. This book aims to fill that gap & will help people involved in designing, supporting & delivering open learning.

The purpose of this article is to explore the key features of flexible learning environments (FLEs). Key principles associated with FLEs are explained. Underlying tenets and support mechanisms necessary for the implementation of FLEs are described. Similarities and differences in traditional learning and FLEs are explored. Finally, strategies and techniques for becoming a successful learner and facilitator in FLEs are presented. (Author's abstract)

Flexible learning is the catch cry of the moment. Is it a clearly articulated educational strategy or no more than the repackaging of strategies to attract fee-paying adult learners? The paper lists eight principles that underlie the philosophy of flexible learning and discusses their implications for a university. The principles are: flexible access, recognition of prior learning, flexible content, flexible participation, flexible teaching and learning methods, flexible resources, flexible assessment and ongoing evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR].

This paper is a case study of the impact of ICT on the teaching and learning environment at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, where the convergence of distance and campus-based education is changing the teaching environment in ways impossible prior to the development of ICT. Specifically, the paper will explore issues which have arisen from the implementation of a new flexible unit model which focuses on student access to rather than delivery of unit materials. The issues identified in a pilot of the new approach include: rethinking how students access learning resources; streamlining print materials provided to students; implementing an online lecture recording and streaming solution; and providing assessment which is equivalent whether taken on-campus or online. These issues are not unique to Murdoch, but the integrated approach to resolving them offers a financially attractive means to achieve both reform and improved quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR].

The number of distance education providers and learning options has increased rapidly in recent years with the emerging flexible learning technologies. The main challenge facing Australian and other universities aiming to deliver distance education programmes nationally or internationally is to find economical ways to encourage and enable effective learning at a distance and at the student's own pace. It will be discussed in this paper that this challenge cannot be met by computer technology alone, but rather by integrating this technology within flexible learning approaches based on the universality of learning processes and teaching and learning approaches that encourage deep learning. The article focuses on the question of quality in distance education and how quality relates to student learning and flexible learning technologies used for this purpose. A particular student-centred model for flexible learning that is based on this paradigm of quality is presented. The implementation of this model is discussed in greater detail using the experiences of the RMIT Mechanical Engineering distance education programme offered in Singapore and Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR].

This paper describes the M-E adaptive architecture designed to blend mobile and e-learning
in a single integrated computer-based infrastructure. A prototype application has been
developed that consists of three main components namely the web-based interface, the
mobile access interface, and the adaptation mechanism that is used to provide just-in-time
tailored content according to students’ individual preferences. The prototype application is
currently restricted to the design of multiple-choice questions that can be answered by
students either using a web-interface or by downloading on their mobile phones. Their
progress is then synchronised with the main web database for pedagogical followup by their
respective teachers. The blending of the pedagogical approach to support mobile learners
adds more flexibility to the learning process. However, it is clear that m-learning would not
be suitable for reading large files but rather it should be used to support carefully chosen and
well-fitted pedagogical scenarios that will potentially improve the teaching and learning
process. (Authors' abstract)