Flexible delivery versus face to face delivery of a pre-service mathematics education curriculum unit

The first issue is the various interpretations of the term "flexible delivery" and the associated assumptions. While flexible delivery may be argued to provide students with greater choice of study options, and to capitalise on technology, these ideals can be difficult to accommodate within a university bureaucracy. Hence, the various sectors of a university including lecturing staff, library staff and open learning staff may hold diverse viewpoints on flexible delivery, which may be difficult to reconcile. Thus, in the operationalisation of flexible delivery its philosophy can be undermined. Such differences can be accommodated by considering flexible delivery as a continuum in which flexibility is achieved over time.

The second issue is related to the students. While student demand and benefit are part of the justification for flexible delivery, there are a number of areas of concern. While flexible delivery is argued to provide students with options, many students have no choice but to enrol in flexible delivered units as part of a specific course even though on campus face to face classes are available. A further concern is that flexible delivery provides limited opportunities for collaborative learning. While technology can facilitate student and staff interaction, disparities in students' levels of technological access and expertise cannot be overlooked. Additionally, there is limited guidance as to how staff can successfully foster computer based interactions. In this unit, technology is an integral component of the unit and interactions within the broader community are encouraged.

The third issue is associated with mathematics education. The goal of mathematics education is to produce a mathematically literate populace. However worldwide there is concern with the teaching and learning of mathematics. As there has been considerable change in conceptions of mathematics and effective teaching practices in mathematics over the past few decades, it is important that students develop an understanding of contemporary practices. During face to face interactions, students' teaching efficacy can be enhanced by the modelling of these practices and through students successfully trialling these practices. Flexible delivery generally does not provide for similar learning experiences, and hence, there is a need to identify alternatives that achieve similar outcomes for teaching practice. In this unit, students are introduced to contemporary practices through professional literature, guided reflection and classroom videos.

Although flexible delivery has much to offer, it would be fallacious to assume that there will necessarily be high quality outcomes from a flexibly delivered mathematics unit. However ongoing reflection and refinement of units, and research on computer based practices that enhance learning would seem to be crucial to producing high quality teacher education graduates. This paper concludes with a series of recommendations that address planning, implementing, and resourcing flexibly delivered mathematics curriculum units.