Flex-education, also known as blended learning, offers a variety of learning models that help students better prepare themselves for today’s workforce. 

Sounds great, but what does “flex-education” mean?  The traditional learning model of sitting in a classroom 5 days a week, listening to an instructor lecture about subjects is being replaced in many educational institutions by a new flex-education model. 

While there is still classroom time which includes instruction, group work, face-to-face interaction, etc.,  there is a large component of digital learning.  In today’s technology driven society, this combination of human-interaction learning and digital/online schooling helps students not only learn the content of the courses, but also how to apply themselves and utilize online tools. 

Here are some benefits of flex-education:

• Not confined in a classroom 5 days a week-students have the flexibility to learn on their own time and structure their own schedule without having to sit in a classroom every day.
• Two types of communication skills learned- The classroom component allows for interaction and clarification with the face-to-face while the work online allows students to learn how to communicate through digital tools, how to write their communications in a professional manner.
• Online section offers flexibility to create study schedule—studying can be more flexible as assignments may not be due on specific days, but within a wider time frame, allowing students to manage their time rather than having it managed for them by tight assignment deadlines.
• Provides self-accountability—By having a portion of the classroom experience in an online environment, students have to push themselves and become more self-directed which is also critical in the workplace.  This helps provide student independence and confidence which will carry over into careers.