Flexible Education Zone Flyer

Over the next four years, the Flexible Education Zone Team will be working on the meaning and impact of making education more flexible. They will explore possibilities, challenges and questions based on four student pathways. Each pathway comes with its own set of challenges, as described below.

At your own pace

What does it mean to complete your studies within the set time frame, and what are the criteria for good education if everyone is able to study at their own pace? Is the distinction between full-time and part-time programmes still relevant? Or should there be a sliding scale? What does ‘at your own pace’ mean in relation to the need for learning communities where learning takes place in a cooperative context?

Off the beaten track

What are the restrictions on expanding the existing leeway in study programmes? How does an examination board provide assurances of the quality of a diploma if a student defines all or a substantial part of their learning outside the boundaries of the study programme? How can the associated administrative activities be simplified?

MyDiploma

If courses and extracurricular activities can be freely combined to obtain a diploma, what are the minimum requirements? How does an examination board provide assurances of the quality of a diploma if there is no predefined study programme content? Is training still the guiding principle for the provision of education, or are there more effective ways to define it? What forms of substantive and process-based support are needed to help students put together a good degree programme?

Modular learning

If obtaining a diploma is no longer the goal of the learning process, education could be organised in smaller, independent units. This would create scope for partnerships with professionals who are looking for continuing education in specific areas as part of their lifelong learning process. Can small, independent educational units or modules be effectively certified? Can these certificates be bundled towards earning a degree? Can knowledge and skills acquired elsewhere be recognised and counted towards a study programme?