DISCUSSION POINTS

We think that the HEFCE (2011) definition of flexible learning needs updating:

Universities and colleges must ensure that students have the information they need to make informed choices about what, where and how they want to study. We will aim to support a higher education sector with a diverse and flexible range of provision, embracing all academic disciplines and building further on the wide range of qualifications currently available through full- or part-time study and accelerated learning.

We prefer:

Flexible learning concerns institutions constructing and continually evaluating infrastructure, policies and practices that offer the widest possible opportunity for successful engagement and belonging of all stakeholders in higher education.

Our notion of a Community of Practice (CoP) draws on the definition of Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002) who define it as:

Groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an on-going basis.

  • What are your expectations of what a community of practice should look like? Do we need one for FL?

Core principles for our Flexible Learning CoP:

  • To co-ordinate and facilitateopportunities for institutions to contribute to an evolving and inclusive Knowledge Communityfor flexible learning
  • To highlight and capture good practice nationally by encouraging an appreciative and collaborative sharing of flexible learning resources, strategies and tools
  • To develop approaches that encourage the Knowledge Community to transition to a Community of Practice, thereforemoving from reporting evidenced-based practice to one which increasingly creates new pedagogic innovations and insights
  • Do you agree with our core principles? What should be changed and what added?

How we feel it could work:

  • Series of webinars
  • Possible publications
  • Pursuing collaborative bids
  • Networks co-ordination
  • Conferences
  • Thought platforms
  • Knowledge bank of evidence
  • Developing expert reference groups
  • Other?
  • How could it work for you? For example, via webinars, blogs, collaborative bidding fora, etc.?

Perceived benefits:

  • Provides a coherent space in which to capture some excellent practice
  • Capitalises on HEA investment in FL SEP and funded projects
  • Could provide a focal point for sharing some ground-breaking innovations
  • Provides brokerage for ideas exchange, funding partnerships and collaborations
  • Can utilise wider networks to encourage traffic to HEA site
  • Builds on collaborative momentum of 11 HEIs already established as thought leaders in the field
  • Have we defined the right benefits? Anything missed or that you would change?

Ideas for sustainability:

We envisage running the CoP for two years after which we would like to pass the baton to another interested HEI. We assume that this should be straightforward if we can create a sense of shared ownership from the outset.

  • How would you ensure ownership and sustainability across all HEIs?
  • Any other comments?

Thanks for your participation in this discussion. We will collate all comments and feedback to participants. Meanwhile, if you have any further ideas or comments about developing a Flexible Learning Community of Practice, please send these by email to

We hope you will consider joining our CoP quite soon!

Catherine Arnold, Stella Jones-Devitt and Becca Khanna

Sheffield Hallam University