Humanizing Online Learning: The Power of Flexibility

There is a growing movement to humanize online learning experiences to address students' diverse needs and preferences and create a more supportive learning environment. While structure helps guide students through online learning, it can also cause stress or feel mechanical. Educators who embrace flexibility create more humane and effective learning environments. This shift requires a willingness to experiment, to listen to student feedback, and to adapt to changing circumstances. Ultimately, the goal is to empower students, foster their intellectual growth, and prepare them for success in the 21st century.

The Benefits of Flexibility

• Reduced Stress and Anxiety: Rigid deadlines and inflexible structures can contribute to significant stress and anxiety among students.  Offering flexible deadlines or a certain number of exceptions allows students to manage their workload more effectively.

• Enhanced Student Engagement: When students have the autonomy to choose how they complete their assignments, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. This can lead to deeper learning and increased satisfaction with the course.

• Improved Academic Performance: Studies have shown that flexible learning environments can positively impact student performance. By providing students with the flexibility to work at their own pace and in their preferred learning style, educators can help them achieve their academic goals.

• Greater Retention: Flexibility can also help to create a more supportive learning environment for students with disabilities, working students, and those with family commitments. By accommodating different needs and circumstances, educators can ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

How to Implement Flexibility in Your Online Course

Here are some practical strategies for incorporating flexibility into your teaching:

Flexible Deadlines

Flexible deadlines give students the option to submit assignments within a set timeframe, maintaining structure to prevent procrastination while accommodating individual needs. For example, a student with 10-hour weekend shifts might benefit from a Monday evening deadline instead of the standard Sunday, helping them balance work and coursework. Making an arrangement with that student could help them be successful. You could also survey the whole class to see if they prefer this weekly due date.

Flexible Exception Policies

A Late Work policy gives students a clear understanding of whether you will allow them to turn content in after a deadline. There are many ways that you can structure your Late Work policy based on the structure of your course and the dependence of one topic on the next.

You can help students manage their workload using Academic Tokens, a clever system where students are given a limited number of “tokens” to extend a deadline, drop, or resubmit an assignment.  

Choice-Based Assignments

Consider offering students various assignment options, such as essays, presentations, or creative projects. This allows students to choose the path that engages them in the learning process. This is an aspect of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - an educational framework that aims to create inclusive learning environments for all students, regardless of their abilities or learning backgrounds. By providing flexible options, you can create more equitable and effective learning experiences. Contract Grading or Specifications Grading can also be designed to allow students to choose how they demonstrate their learning.

Related Information

• Academic Currency: How Tokens Took (Some) Anxiety Out of Late Work, by Steven Volk

• Specifications Grading, by Linda Nilson 

• Grading Policies that Hurt or Helped my Students, by Jayme Dyer

• Ungrading, by Jesse Stommel