Universalists, butterflies and changelings: learners' roles and strategies for using flexible online resources

Learner-centred flexible learning allows learners to make choices about what they study. This idea is at the heart of an activity-focused design for the Teaching Qualification (Further Education) programme. Learners can study resources in any order and the same online resources are used flexibly for independent study, collaborative learning and tutor-led workshops. This paper outlines the activity-focused design and presents findings from an investigation into learners’ experiences of flexibility offered by the programme. A diversity of responses has emerged, although the majority of learners see flexibility as a positive element. Study strategies adopted reflect the different roles taken by learners and include doing everything (universalists) and ‘dipping in and out’ (butterflies). Some learners also changed their strategy significantly (changelings). The implications of these findings for learners and facilitators are outlined and a set of questions for further research identified.