Flipped Classroom

What is a “flipped classroom” and why would I use this strategy in a course?

This resource will help you become familiar with the term ‘flipped classroom’ and consider how to use it as an instructional strategy in your class.

Flipped classrooms are a pedagogical approach in which the classroom lecture time is replaced by learning activities. It is based on the premise that “students are willing and capable of making substantial preparation before coming to class [or] lab in order to maximize efficiency of student-instructor contact time” (Paredes et al., 2010, p. 186).

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Why consider the flipped classroom approach?

The flipped classroom is a pedagogical approach in which all or some of the classroom lecture time is replaced by learning activities. It is based on the premise that students are willing and capable of making substantial preparation before coming to class or lab in order to maximize efficiency of student-instructor contact time. So how is it different? The focus and timing of activities in the flipped classroom change for the students and instructor. For example, students can read, search the internet, watch videos, make notes, or do online quizzes outside of class. Instructors can check quiz results, prepare discussion questions, introduce activities, provide feedback, or identify content to clarify further in class. This way, students are actively engaged with their course content, peers, and instructors during class time. Class time is spent doing and participating. More personalized work, such as reading and note-taking, happens out of class.

This approach is not new. Many of the instructional strategies you currently use employ the flipped approach to some extent. Let’s look at a few examples. In an English course, students read the novel out of class and participate in discussions during class. In an economics course, students work as a group on a case study. Class time is then spent answering questions and clarifying concepts through a mini lecture. In a chemistry course, the instructor uploads videos. Outside of class, students fill in worksheets while watching the videos and completing an online quiz to check their understanding.

So how does Flipping help? It provides opportunity for you to:

Identify what students know
Consider how best to use in-class time and to engage with your students.

In short, the flipped classroom is an active classroom.

Contact an instructional designer today to learn more about the flipped classroom approach.

Roles of Instructor and Students

Think about what your students will do prior to, during, and after the virtual class session; as well as what you will be doing to facilitate learning.

	Student Role	Instructor Role
Synchronous	Increased responsibility for learning Doing, observing, and reflecting Monitoring and evaluating their progress	Facilitator and mentor Introducing content and helping students make sense of it Assessing learning and providing feedback
Asynchronous	Preparing for synchronous session Completing individual and group work activities assessments Summarizing concepts Reflecting on learning, thinking about what they’re doing	Establishing approaches to introduce topics and concepts prior to synchronous sessions Designing opportunities for students to continue applying and reflecting on what they are doing Facilitating and assessing student understanding

What are the additional benefits of a flipped classroom?

You may ask yourself, “What are the benefits of a flipped classroom?” Flipped classrooms:

shift to students taking greater responsibility for learning and instructor becomes more of a facilitator and mentor
see the instructor as still being key as they’re needed to clarify material, guide students, facilitate in-class activities, and assess student learning
maximize efficiency of student-instructor contact time
provide opportunities for instructor to identify what students know and decide how best to use in-class time; clarify material, guide students, facilitate in-class activities, and assess student learning
involve ‘Active Learning’ wherein students “do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing” (Butt, p. 34) and receive feedback on performance in these activities
help instructors identify what students know and decide if the pace can be accelerated
lead to a deeper approach of learning wherein the course is student-centered (Marton & Säljö, 1976, in Butt, p. 34)
shift the relationship among students themselves (Neshyba, 2013, p. 11, A Guide to the Flipped Classroom)
provide an incentive for students to prepare for class and be more active learners
provide students with positive learning experiences (Bishop & Verleger, 2013, in Butt, p. 35)
make it possible to do hands-on projects for which the course previously never had time (Mangan, 2013, p. 9, A Guide to the Flipped Classroom)
create opportunities for problem-solving and personalized interaction
accommodate multiple learning styles
allow time for reflection
provide greater gains in conceptual understanding
involve a form of mastery learning, like in a Community of Practice (CoP)

How to Get Started

Enter the process slowly, maybe one class period per week or per module; or simply continue with lecture but stop intermittently to quiz and give feedback on students’ understanding of the concept. Whatever method used, you still need to start by defining the underlying concepts to be taught, the learning outcomes and their associated assessments. Just remember to plan how the learning time is to be used. Contact an Instructional Designer to discuss further.