Flipping Class

Faculty recorded lectures for students to view outside of class to prepare for in-class discussion or problem solving.

About

For several disciplines, flipping has been eye-opening in that class came to be seen as a place for guided practice, and concept introduction and clarification came to be something done outside of class. It does not get rid of lecture as a method of delivering information, but rather moves it outside of the class, and then uses the class tine to test how well the students understood the material covered in the lecture. The benefit of guided practice is that the instructor is available as a resource, unlike when a student does their homework alone in their room. The addition of a social element to the learning also makes it more human, connected, and pleasant for the students. However, for faculty who have relied upon their lecturing, flipping requires that they invest a significant amount of time in moving that material online, and the returns may not be worth the investment. Other disciplines that have assigned readings and then held class discussion feel that they have been flipping all along, and resent the ideas that this is a new technique. Regardless, the low adoption rates, despite the clear benefits, clearly suggest that there are barriers to entry for this activity.

The original study's data and analysis for "Flipping Class" can be found on this link.

What Faculty Have To Say

Strengths (10)

  • Makes students responsible for getting prepared for class
  • Allows class time for learning together:
  • Classroom guidance and clarification from an expert
  • Material can be shared as videos, narrated slides, moodle quizzes, readings, etc.
  • Can read (and re-read), and view (and re-view) material at their own pace
  • Students work harder together
  • Live problem solving is more active, so they are more engaged
  • Hands-on learning and teaching
  • Can use more complex problems with faculty there to help
  • Has the weight of tradition: this is how literature has always been taught

Weaknesses (4)

  • Students feel they are not being “taught” since faculty are not lecturing
  • If students don’t do the preparation, they will not get the benefit of the class learning
  • Students will still try to skim or cram (pop-quizzes help)
  • Can’t always be sure what they got outside of class, so not always sure what needs to be reinforced

Pedagogy Usage

Bucknell faculty was asked their best estimate for how often in the semester they used Flipping Class and the average class time it took.

Average Duration: N/A

Remote Suggestions

Traditional flipped classes put the lectures onto video and use the class time for homework or diuscussion. This could still work even if students are attending in a mixed manner, as students can be working on their assignments in class while the instructor circulates through the room, and students attending remotely can get feedback through the chat. This can also be emulated in Zoom breakout rooms, or in a Hybrid model.

Resources for Additional Learning

Articles & Books
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