In higher education, flexible teaching practices are increasingly being applied, such as choice in modules or assessment forms. In this article, Peter Verkoeijen (ESSB) discusses what flexibility in education exactly entails and highlights some important challenges and conditions.
Flexibility in higher education
Flexible educational practices are increasingly being applied in higher education, both at universities and universities of applied sciences (hbo). Flexibility is not a new phenomenon in itself, but has undergone significant expansion in recent years, partly due to the corona period, both conceptually and in practice. "Traditionally, we already know a certain degree of flexibility in higher education. What is changing now is that there is more and more freedom of choice for students. For example, students at Avans University of Applied Sciences are already allowed to compose up to 25% of their program themselves," says Peter Verkoeijen, professor of Brain and Learning at Avans University of Applied Sciences and endowed professor of Educational Psychology at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB).
But what exactly does flexibility in education entail? Flexible education refers to education that adapts to the needs and preferences of students and offers them a high degree of agency. These types of educational practices can offer benefits in a society and educational context where there is more attention to the diversity of student characteristics, their personal situations, and mental well-being. In general, flexibility is described based on four aspects of the learning environment:
- Time: when they want to study;
- Place: where they want to study;
- Content: what they want to study;
- Didactics: how they want to study.
Flexibility can therefore be implemented in many different ways in education. This versatility can also lead to challenging situations. "Sometimes I hear teachers say they are against flexibility. However, that is a difficult position because flexibility comes in so many different forms. It is important to clarify which dimension you are talking about and why you are against it," Peter emphasises.
Flexibility and motivation
Flexible education offers various benefits, such as helping students combine different responsibilities and better tailoring of education to the individual. Moreover, research indicates that flexibility, in addition to practical and pedagogical-didactic advantages, can also have psychological effects, particularly on student motivation. "When you offer flexibility, students can make choices based on interest, personal value, or utility," says Peter. Additionally, flexibility can lead to better alignment with students' basic needs (autonomy, connectedness, and competence). "From this perspective, flexibility has clear potential for promoting autonomous motivation." Since (autonomous) motivation is an important starting point of the learning process, well-designed and clearly visible flexibility can indirectly contribute to both the quantity and quality of student learning.
Some challenges
While flexible educational practices can have clear psychological and pedagogical benefits, there are naturally also a number of challenges and considerations. Students vary greatly in the degree of flexibility they want or need. Moreover, what students wish for does not always align with what they actually need for effective learning. "Sometimes the ideas students have about what good learning is differ from what we as teachers consider to be good learning," Peter notes. "Additionally, the answer to the question of what is 'good' naturally also depends on the goal."
Additionally, a high degree of freedom of choice can lead to choice overload. Especially for students who feel less competent or come from more collectivist backgrounds, flexibility is not always perceived positively. "You see that when there are too many choices, decision-making becomes less profound. Moreover, it can be stressful because students fear they might overlook important choices or elements," Peter adds.
Looking ahead and research agenda
Higher education is becoming increasingly flexible, and this trend seems set to continue in the coming years. Flexibility offers clear opportunities and promises but also comes with challenges. Implementing flexible education therefore requires a careful consideration of costs and benefits, with context always remaining crucial. An important prerequisite is that students actually experience the flexibility offered. "Sometimes you think you've set up a very flexible learning environment and expect all sorts of positive effects from it," Peter explains. "But students don't always experience that flexibility. And if students don't experience flexibility, it can never be effective."
The national SELFLEX consortium, funded by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek (NRO), and led by Peter Verkoeijen (ESSB) and Anique de Bruin (Maastricht University), focuses on these themes. Central to their work is the research question: "How can we support students in self-regulated learning in flexible learning environments?" This question serves as the starting point for future research into flexibility in higher education, with evidence-informed research as a guiding principle.
This article is based on a CLI Lunch&Learn presentation on this topic. For more information about educational innovation and research at EUR and beyond, we invite you to visit this page. Hopefully, we'll see you at one of the upcoming CLI Lunch&Learns.
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