It’s done! Welcome to the new flexible learning website—your go-to place to learn about what UBC is doing to expand learning options; to engage in debate about what we should be doing; and to explore innovation in the world of post-secondary education.
I admit there’s more to building a web site than I realized. It was a fascinating learning process: thinking about who might visit these pages, how material could best be organized to serve them, and how to encourage discussion and idea-sharing. It all helped me to better understand the scope and impact of flexible learning at UBC.
Here you’ll find news about our approach to flexible learning and how you can get involved. You’ll discover some of the many exciting projects underway, as well as funding opportunities, education research, and new learning opportunities for our students—whether they’re joining us as recent high school graduates or mid-career learners.
Thinking about the evolution of universities is one of the most exciting aspects of flexible learning. It was just over two years ago that we started examining how the changes in the external environment—changing demographics, rapidly evolving technologies, funding pressures and employer expectations—would impact UBC. You can read more about the issues facing universities in my recent op-ed in the Vancouver Sun.
We have since developed a comprehensive flexible learning strategy to take advantage of those changes, with a six-pillared approach that will ensure UBC continues to provide great students with the best possible learning opportunities—while still remaining financially sustainable.
We hope this website will provide food for thought for everyone with an interest in teaching and learning in higher education—both within UBC and further afield. To that end, the Digital Learning Blog will feature guest contributors who can provide new insight into emerging areas in education.
We will continue to feature Flexibytes, a compendium of links to the most important news stories, viewpoints, and analyses related to teaching, learning and technology in the post-secondary landscape. We will also feature news and events related to flexible learning at UBC, as well as case studies that highlight stories from instructors who are changing their teaching practices.
Please join us in this thoughtful and thought-provoking conversation. Visit our Get involved page or email blog editor, Gregor Kiczales, if you would like to contribute to our blog. We want to hear from many voices!
This is an exciting time for those of us who are passionate about education. I look forward to working with you on the many groundbreaking projects and initiatives that will emerge in the flexible learning arena in the coming years.
Angela Redish is Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Enrolment and Academic Facilities and chair of the Flexible Learning Implementation Team.