Distance and Flexible Learning in the Twenty-First Century

Curriculum flexibility in a blended curriculum

“…However, it is a widespread misconception that digital technologies provide flexibility in themselves. Flexibility is primarily connected to pedagogies (Nikolov, Lai, Sendova, & Jonker, 2018). In particular, blended education seems to fit well with student-centred learning approaches (cf.…”

“…With regard to the teacher, challenges arise in relation to course development and lesson enactment. Two challenges can be recognised: there is a lack of a clear focus on pedagogies and learning theories that are suitable for a flexible educational context, and teachers who do not hold a student-centered view need to be supported to align their pedagogical beliefs and practices with an approach that supports learners in their learning process (Nikolov et al, 2018). Teachers coming from a f2f context need to rethink their assumptions about teaching and learning when online teaching is required (Baran et al, 2011;Gerbic, 2011).…”

Why flipping the classroom is not enough: Digital curriculum making after the pandemic

“…In the educational system, digitality is no longer a new cultural skill, and digital media are only "new" technologies to a limited extent; their significance and that of their possible and necessary applications, however, has shifted significantly amid preventive measures in the context of the Covid-19 crisis. Even in the medium and long term, in the post-pandemic phase, models of distance learning and homeschooling will continue to be part of everyday school life (Nikolov et al 2018). Accordingly, physical classrooms, artifacts, and configurations are primarily aimed neither at infection control nor at open -teaching concepts or alternative teaching-learning arrangements (Röhl 2016), which have thus far had to be adapted and improvised in teaching scenarios.…”