Why flexibility is essential for accessible teaching

Students increasingly combine their studies with employment to meet the demands of today’s labour market and rising living costs. Others balance caring responsibilities with their studies, which affects their availability, energy and focus.  

Yet, many courses are designed with the assumption that students can dedicate all their time to their studies. This disconnect between pedagogical design and lived experience can become a barrier to access and, ultimately, lead to students dropping out.  

To make learning accessible, we must acknowledge the structural conditions that limit participation. For example, rigid deadlines and inflexible assessment formats can unintentionally exclude students who work alongside their studies or have caring responsibilities. 

Flexibility is sometimes misunderstood as lowering academic standards. In reality, it is about removing unnecessary barriers while maintaining clear expectations and robust assessment criteria. A flexible course ensures that all students – whether working, caring or with ample time to dedicate to their studies – have an opportunity to succeed.

In this article, I share several ways to offer flexibility without compromising learning.

Learn about the barriers students face

Develop a questionnaire during the first days of class that asks students whether they work, have caring responsibilities and what other factors might hinder their participation or attendance. This information is extremely valuable for providing timely support when needed.  

Don’t make the mistake of assuming a lack of participation reflects uninterest. Explore what may be happening behind the scenes to provide early support to prevent a student from dropping out. 

Set clear expectations

Professors should clearly articulate course policies so that students understand expectations from the outset. For example, let them know your typical email response time, extenuating circumstances procedures and what to expect in terms of flexibility.

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Offer assessment deadline extensions

Offer students a “bonus” assessment extension as a reward. This may be tied to class participation, given as a prize for academic achievement, for example, earning first place in a quiz, or awarded based on other criteria. Ideally, students may receive one or two extensions during the semester and decide how to manage them strategically throughout.

Be flexible with assessment

Offer a submission window of three to five days rather than a single fixed assessment deadline. This allows students to manage their time better, and reduces anxiety.

Consider exams with extended availability. This approach works in both face-to-face and online learning. An exam can remain available for 24 hours, with questions designed to require higher-order thinking rather than simple recall. You can also try tools such as Respondus Monitor, which supports academic integrity by using students’ webcams to record video and audio during online exams.   

Finally, allow students to submit work in multiple formats, such as podcasts, essays, presentations or infographics, focusing evaluation on demonstrated competencies rather than format.  

Fill attendance gaps

If a student cannot attend class, provide convenient ways to catch up. For online courses, give students access to the class recording and create questions for them to answer through a written, audio or video discussion forum. In a face-to-face setting, encourage students to independently explore the topic and share their insights in an online forum before the next class.

Consider milestone-based assessment 

Instead of assigning a single 40 per cent weight to a final project, break it into smaller phases. For example, for an essay, you could offer 10 per cent for contextualisation, 10 per cent for ideation, and so on, mapping them as milestones throughout the term. This way, students can better manage their time and workloads.  

Flexibility in learning requires intentional design from the beginning of a course. Flexibility should be communicated from the first day, and should not reduce academic rigour or compromise learning. This way, we can build both persistence and engagement.  

Today’s students work, commute long distances, care for family members, and fulfil other duties that may be less visible. Course design must help students achieve their academic goals while removing unnecessary barriers. Small changes can have a significant impact on who is able to participate, succeed and ultimately complete their studies.

Academic rigour and equity are not opposing forces; they are allies that work toward a shared goal: authentic and relevant learning design for all students. 

Rocío Elizabeth Cortez Márquez is a teacher and academic coordinator at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico.

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