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Revisiting the Definitions and Implementation of Flexible Learning

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Innovations in Open and Flexible Education

Part of the book series: Education Innovation Series ((EDIN))

Abstract

For decades, flexibility has been a focus of attention and efforts in the field of education. Flexibility in learning, which emphasises student choice, has been considered one key to enhancing education quality and satisfying highly diverse student needs. It is often associated with the terms ‘open learning’, ‘distance learning’, and ‘e-learning’. With the increasing application of information and communication technologies in the field of education, flexible learning has been especially closely associated with e-learning and sometimes is considered to be the essence of the term. Since the ambiguity of the term could be counterproductive in discussions of flexible learning, a systematic review of the relevant literature is badly needed to put the meanings of the term in perspective. This paper provides a critical review of the literature relevant to flexible learning. The development of the use of ‘flexible learning’ and the implementation of the term are summarised. In this paper, the term ‘flexible learning’ is redefined with an aim to clarify its relationship with relevant terms and a proposed system of its dimensions. Suggestions for future research are also provided.

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Acknowledgements

The work described in this paper was partially supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (UGC/IDS16/15).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Research Centre, Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Kam Cheong Li & Beryl Yuen Yee Wong

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  1. Kam Cheong Li
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  2. Beryl Yuen Yee Wong
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Correspondence to Kam Cheong Li .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University Research Centre, Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Kam Cheong Li

  2. University Research Centre, Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Kin Sun Yuen

  3. University Research Centre, Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Billy Tak Ming Wong

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Li, K.C., Wong, B.Y.Y. (2018). Revisiting the Definitions and Implementation of Flexible Learning. In: Li, K., Yuen, K., Wong, B. (eds) Innovations in Open and Flexible Education. Education Innovation Series. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7995-5_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7995-5_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-7994-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-7995-5

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