Evaluating Flipped Classrooms with respect to Threshold Concepts Learning in Undergraduate Engineering

This paper reports on the initial findings from a two year (2015-2016) investigation of the impact of the flipped classroom on student learning of threshold concepts (TCs) in a large introductory undergraduate engineering course at a New Zealand university. As part of the flipped class intervention trialed over a threeweek period, a series of short themed video lectures were developed as a replacement for the traditional weekly lectures. The weekly practical lab session were redesigned to incorporate small-group problem solving tasks and assessment. Data from student surveys, interviews, class observations, and video analytics were collected and analyzed. Findings revealed that students were familiar with online videos as a learning resource; they had positive past experiences with using them and were willing to participate in a flipped classroom. However, most students did not watch all assigned weekly videos, including ones crucial to their TC learning. There is indication they thought learning strategies involving interactions with real persons to be more useful to their learning. This suggests that current strategies for motivating students to access and engage with the prepared videos need to be revised to maximize students’ learning opportunities

Flipped Classrooms in the Humanities: Findings from a Quasi-Experimental Study

This quasi-experimental study explored the effects of flipping the classroom on perceptions of students in humanities settings. This control-matched study examined the effects of the flipped classroom on seven subscales from a satisfaction inventory. Out of 130 students, n = 62 (47.7%) completed the study. Flipped classes reported a more ideal classroom environment on Innovation and Individualization (p \u3c .001). Additionally, flipping provides instructors more time to focus on deeper learning strategies than traditional courses

Comparing Three Instructional Modes for an Engineering Economy Course

This study compares three instructional modes in an “Engineering Economy” course: online, face-to-face (FtF), and flipped. Engineering Economy is a core course in this study and incorporates students with diverse backgrounds from different engineering majors. To discern the relation between student characteristics and teaching modality, an online questionnaire was designed for each mode and distributed over a two-year period. Data was collected and several statistical analyses were conducted to study the relationship between pedagogical delivery modes and various student-based factors such as gender, age, course load, living distance from campus, computer skills, work status, and first language. Students’ performance, persistence, and knowledge self-evaluation were also compared in different modes. The statistical analyses of data at 95% confidence level show that among all the factors, only the ratio of native English speakers, course load and work category differ significantly in different instructional modes. No statistically significant difference was observed between different modes for other factors

Learning threshold concepts in an undergraduate engineering flipped classroom

Given that the current goals for tertiary education is to better prepare students to apply their disciplinary knowledge in the real world and novel situations, it is imperative that students master the necessary disciplinary threshold concepts and competencies. Building on the findings of our pilot study of a partly-flipped undergraduate electronic engineering course, a version of a fully flipped is implemented in an intensive six-week version of the course involving in-class collaborative problem solving and continuous assessment. Data collected from the 32 students enrolled in the course include student surveys, video analytics, weekly student assessments, class observations and a focus group interview. Although data collection is still underway, the emerging findings indicate that students are watching the recommended weekly videos prior to coming to class and are solving online tutorials problems much more diligently, resulting in higher levels of in-class student collaboration compared to the pilot study. The results are discussed in regard to the effects of the fully flipped class model and the continuous assessment on students’ learning of threshold concepts and competencies

A Flipped Classroom Approach in Undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology: A Mixed Methods Study Evaluating Learning Environment and Student Outcomes

Anatomy and physiology courses are considered a cornerstone of biomedical education. However, many feel they are not adequately preparing students for clinical coursework. One potential solution is the implementation of a flipped classroom approach. Flipped classrooms, however, create an entirely new learning paradigm for the student. The purpose of this explanatory, sequential, mixed-methods study is to explore how the flipped classroom format impacts the attitudes, perceptions, and learning outcomes of undergraduate anatomy and physiology students

Flipped Learning in Engineering Education

Flipped learning is a developing concept in higher education and a new methodology ready for exploration. It is a new educational strategy that changes the traditional lecturing by flipping the classroom in the sense of listening the lectures at home and doing dynamic, group-based problem-solving activities in the classroom. This will engage the students in active learning, critical thinking and developing new studying skills. This paper will address the current state of knowledge and practice in the flipped learning approach in engineering education by critically evaluating the existing researches and summarizing the findings. The search for empirical articles included electronic databases for engineering education in the Web of Science. Most studies reported high student satisfaction and increased performance in a flipped classroom environment. This paper will also serve as a guide for future studies and reflect the major achievements of flipped learning models over the traditional lecture-exercises model in engineering education to support and advance the student learning process

Nurse Educators\u27 Transition to Flipped Classroom: An Interpretive Description Study

To meet learning needs of current undergraduate nursing students, and respond to mandates for bettered prepared graduates, nurse educators must restructure curricula and teaching strategies. One strategy garnering increased attention is the flipped classroom model (FCM). This form of instruction requires students to have access to and be accountable for lecture material on their own time, and then use face-to-face classroom time for interactive learning that can include discussion, case study analysis, or application of pre-class lecture content. Although the FCM has gained popularity, few researchers have fully studied this strategy or considered experiences of faculty who implement the model. Nurse educators, in particular, do not have enough evidence-based information to support use of the FCM. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe undergraduate nurse educators’ experiences associated with the FCM and to elucidate factors which enhance and hinder its implementation. With the analytical approach of interpretive description (ID), the researcher sought to highlight what it is like for educators to teach undergraduate nursing students using the FCM and to offer interpretation of what occurs with transition from traditional lecture to this strategy. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: 1) What We Are Doing Is Not Working: “There’s a Big Disconnect”, 2) Charting a Different Course: Experimenting with the FCM, and 3) Reflections of the Journey thus Far. These themes revealed participants’ motivation for transition to the FCM, their patterns of thinking as they restructured coursework, roles and relationships, and considerations regarding use of this model. Results from this study offer implications for future research and provide undergraduate educators footing for continued evidence-based teaching practice

Why do student perceptions of academic performance improve? The influence of acquired competences and formative assessment in a flipped classroom environment

The university system must be able to respond to the growing demand for graduates with certain skills that guarantee their employability. A key requirement of this goal is the use of different teaching-learning methods, such as the flipped classroom methodology. However, although some studies have shown the advantages of this model, more research is needed to identify the reasons for these positive effects and the contexts in which it works best. In this paper, we analyse the perceptions of students of six undergraduate subjects at the University of Jaén (Spain) concerning their acquired competences and the formative assessment received in a flipped classroom environment. In addition, we analyse whether these two variables influence these student perceptions of achieving better academic outcomes. The results show that both aspects explain student perceptions of better performance and are key elements in the provision of a better learning environment. In this way, these results contribute to the literature concerning the positive effects of a flipped classroom on the teaching-learning process in higher education.Proyecto de Innovación Docente de la Universidad de Jaén titulado ‘Aulas invertidas (Flipped Classroom): Una nueva forma de enseñar y aprender’, Financiado por la Universidad de Jaén (España) como parte del ‘Plan de Innovación y Mejora Docente’ (PIMED-UJA 2019