Flip

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The "flipped classroom" model is a teaching style where the lecture component of the material is transferred to an out of class setting while the synchronous, in-classroom time is used for non-lecture based learning components that can be grouped together under the category of active learning.

Interest in the flipped classroom has grown recently and is likely due from a synergy between two recent trends. The first is the growing availability of resources such as recorded lectures available with textbooks, on publicly available web sites, and in MOOCS, as well as easy do-it-yourself methods of recording pre-class material. The second, pedagogically more important trend, is the increasing understanding that lecture is not the best way of sharing information and that active, inquiry-based, and cooperative learning lead to better learning outcomes in the short run as well as to better long run retention.

Background

Much of the literature in active learning was developed in teaching physics. Eric Mazur was an innovator in this area and his research showed that learning gains nearly triple when content is transferred from a traditional lecture approach to student-based interactive learning (Science 2, January 2009: Vol. 323 no. 5910, pp. 50-51 [1]). For an inspirational introduction to this area, see his video. These early results have since been confirmed in medicine, pharmacology and science. A nice summary of the literature can be found at the Vanderbilt University’s Center of Teaching [2] and through the web site on Team Based Learning [3] Evidence from introductory physics courses shows that interactive engagement helps reduce the gender gap (M. Lorenzo, C. H. Crouch, E. Mazur, Am. J. Phys. 74, 118 (2006)).

How to Flip a Classroom

Typically, flipping involves three critical steps:

  1. Students learn basic concepts before the class meeting that will be using those concepts.
    • The first step can be satisfied by encouraging old style use of the textbook. Consider assigning a chapter to be read ahead of class and starting off each class meeting with a short fact or definition based quiz that check whether students have read the assigned material; mastery is not required or expected at this stage.
    • Another option is to record short lecture segments and make them available to the students to use ahead of lecture. The advantage of this strategy is that you can tailor the contents and level to your specific audience. Design these segments to be stand alone and short (the suggestion is about 5-8 minutes per segment), so that students can watch them one by one and use them to review as needed. The disadvantage is that this is the most demanding preparation, though of course you need only develop this resource once and can reuse it over many semesters. Some lecturers record their in-class lecture one semester and then use these recordings in a flipped classroom the following semester . Note that in this case the recordings will not be the suggested stand alone short format and their length and quality may reduce students’ attentiveness at this stage of learning.
    • Alternatively, you can use lectures that others have recorded, which are increasingly available online. Many of the new iterations of textbooks include video supplements. You can also look at the resources listed below. These videos are often high quality segments formulated to be watched online and have the right mix of clarity, brevity and entertainment. On the other hand, the videos may not contain the precise level, terminology, examples, or inclusiveness you desire. Watch a lot of videos to find the best ones for your students. You can mix and match across lecturers and sources to introduce students to multiple points of view and to facilitate in-class debate.
    • Remember, though, that the pre-classroom lecture is just the first step in the learning process and should only be an introduction. Your in-class activities will complement, enhance, and fill in gaps in these recordings. You may prefer to assign non-encyclopedic coverage so that class activities can easily build on them and provide the opportunities for reflection, application, and analysis.
  2. Instructors quiz students on these concepts right before class.
    • This step is necessary both to motivate the students to prepare for class and to assess their level of understanding before the active learning is initiated.
  3. Instructors and students spend class time using the concepts in problems and analyses.
    • The last step is the most important phase of this pedagogical approach. There are many ways of structuring class time for problem-solving, analysis, and exploration. The first three suggestions in the following list are closest to a standard flipped classroom model in that traditional homework is brought into the classroom, thereby achieving a flipping of in and out of classroom time. The latter examples use larger projects to enhance student engagement and learning and encourage students to reach the cognitive level of creating new knowledge. Of course, you may choose to combine a few of these techniques over the semester.
      1. Small group activities
      2. Think-pair-share
      3. In class experiments, simulations and models
      4. Debates
      5. Service learning
      6. Research papers

Accessibility

Your assigned videos should include ADA compliant captions. Captions ensure equal access to opportunities and benefits for students with disabilities. Check with your institution for resources and legal guidance.

Video sources

  • Here are a few easy to use apps for recording, annotating and editing material that you can then post for your students:
    • Educreations [4] is an easy-to-use iPad app that allows you to do a whiteboard solution to a problem as you narrate it. It has a built-in voice recorder.
    • Explain Everything [5] is not free, but can be more flexibly used in terms of the different types of media and files to import into it and export out of it. It also has good video and audio editing capabilities.
    • Another very simple screencapture utility is screencast-o-matic [6]

Evidence

  • Evidence from introductory physics courses shows that interactive engagement helps reduce the gender gap (M.Lorenzo, C.H.Crouch, E.Mazur, Am.J.Phys. 74, 118 (2006)).
  • Dr. Jose J. Vazquez Cognet (Clinical Professor, Department of Economics, and Coordinator of E-Learning, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is "currently running two studies on Flipping the Classroom; one field experiment using my large principles of economics course; and also a clinical study (randomized control trial study)." He is trying to replicate some of the findings from Physics courses.
  • In Evaluating the Flipped Classroom: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Wozny, Balser, and Ives (Journal of Economic Education 2018) find that a flipped introductory undergraduate econometrics classroom "increases scores on medium-term, high-stakes assessments by 0.16 standard deviation, with similar long-term effects for high-performing students. Estimated impacts are robust to alternative specifications accounting for possible spillover effects arising from the experimental design."
  • In Effects of the Flipped Classroom: Evidence from a Randomized Trial, Elizabeth Setren, Kyle Greenberg, Oliver Moore, and Michael Yankovich report the results of a randomized controlled trial at West Point, finding that "the flipped classroom produced short term gains in Math and no effect in Economics, but that the flipped model broadened the achievement gap: effects are driven by white, male, and higher achieving students...[T]he exacerbation of the achievement gap,the effect fade-out, and the null effects in Economics suggest that educators should exercise caution when considering [and implementing] the model."

Examples


Thanks to Dr. Rebecca M. Stein, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Microeconomic Principles Program at the University of Pennsylvania, for her major contributions to this page.