During the 1990’s, flexible delivery was relatively new. Since then the idea has become an integral part of our teaching and learning practices but some people don’t like to talk about flexible “delivery”. They feel this draws attention away from the learner. Their preferred term is flexible “learning”.

A growing collection of related terms have emerged over the years including blended learning, e-learning, online delivery, negotiated options, etc. Rather than become embroiled in semantics, this article will attempt to provide a simple explanation of the intent of flexibility.

Two core themes underpin flexible learning. One is that learning should be available in ways that are based on the needs of the “clients” rather than the interests of the providers. I highlight the word “clients” because this is an important term. Although the learner is ultimately the subject of attention, their learning is not always for their benefit alone. Sometimes the employer or industry in general has a vested interest in the learner’s achievement. A typical example would be an apprentice or trainee. Hence, sometimes providers offer learning to suit the actual learner and other times to suit the employer. It depends on who is the actual client.

The other core theme is that the client should have as much control as possible over what, when, where and how the learning occurs. The key words in this are “as much as possible”. Some things just can’t be done without sending the provider broke. For example, having one-to-one training for each trainee in a large organisation is not financially practical unless the client is willing to pay a high fee for the service.

Most people agree that flexibility is about having options. However, just what those options are is where the differences emerge. Flexibility can be in terms of any one or more of the following.

What is learnt - many clients need to complete a full course to gain a qualification or license. However, others are more interested in achieving only one or more competencies directly related to their work at that time. There are also clients who’ve developed their own ‘enterprise standards’ and want the training provider to help their employees achieve the competencies in these. So, it is both possible and at times preferable, to provide choice about what is learnt.

When the learning occurs - attending sessions on campus according to a pre-agreed timetable suits a great many learners but not all. Individuals may have commitments that prevent attendance at regular sessions. Organisations may want to time the learning around work activities. Some clients may need learning to be “just in time” - in other words, to occur when it’s needed rather than according to a schedule. So, being flexible about when the learning occurs can benefit many clients.

Where the learning takes place - it would be wonderful if every learner lived or worked conveniently close to a training provider. The reality of course, is very different. This is why having options about where the learning takes place is a desirable form of flexibility. Such options might include learning at home, at work or  online - ie in a virtual location.

How the learning occurs - not everyone learns in the same way. Some people need to talk with others and think of learning as a group activity. Others prefer to be more independent and learn through their own investigations. There are so many different ways people can learn and to some extent these depend on what they’re learning and why. So, if a training provider only offers one way of learning, it’s a good bet that while some learners will thrive using that method others may find it uncomfortable or even inhibiting. Clearly, choice in how the learning occurs is a useful form of flexibility.

There are many definitions of flexible learning - some very similar and others emphasising particular features. Here’s one that captures the two themes mentioned previously.

Flexible learning describes the situation where a training provider and client have negotiated a range of options regarding what, where, when and how learning occurs. These options are based on the needs of the client and the capacity of the provider to provide mutual benefit.