Going flexible! the corporate governance initiative - the case of organisational risk management

This paper reports on two approaches to flexible teaching and learning adopted in the development, implementation and presentation of a unit in corporate governance. The unit in organisational risk management was first offered in a traditional format with face to face seminars emphasising discussion supported by technology, and then a technologically flexible unit with a CD Rom and Web Ct as the main medium of instruction. The nature of flexible teaching and learning is initially discussed identifying the characteristics favoured by students in a flexible environment, and barriers to effective study in flexible approaches are addressed. The discussion then moves on to consider the development of organisational risk management as a unit of study, issues of implementation and student perspectives on each of the approaches adopted for presentation of the unit. While students liked many aspects of a technologically flexible approach, in particular the flexibility, they would prefer to see the approach linked to face to face interaction between staff and student, and student and student. This is consistent with the traditional approach in which students indicated that they particularly favoured interaction and discussion as a learning medium. It should be recognised that these are two hybrids of possible approaches to flexible teaching and learning.