Examining the effects of student-centered flipped classroom in physiology education

Abstract

Background The flipped classroom approach has gained increasing popularity in medical education. Physiology is a basic medical course that studies the phenomena and laws of human life activities, and is a crucial link course connecting preclinical courses and clinical courses. However, there is a paucity of data showing the effectiveness of the flipped classroom model for the entirety of physiology course in medical undergraduate students. Method 131 sophomore students with clinical medicine major at Harbin Medical University were recruited and they were randomly allocated into two groups: the control group which was subjected to traditional lecture teaching (n = 69), and the experimental group which was subjected to flipped classroom teaching (n = 62). To assess the effect of flipped teaching, the usual performance and final exam scores were used to evaluate the physiology learning effectiveness of students. The correlation between the usual performance and final exam scores by Pearson method was also conducted in the two teaching groups. After course completion, an anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted among the subjects of flipped classroom group to assess students’ opinion regarding the flipped classroom teaching. Results Our results showed that the usual performance and final exam scores of students in the flipped classroom were both significantly higher than that in the traditional teaching class (P < 0.05). Moreover, our results also showed that the usual performance of students was significantly correlated with the final exam scores in the flipped classroom (r = 0.3945, P < 0.01), but not in the traditional teaching group (r = 0.1522, P = 0.2119). The results of questionnaire survey showed that 77.58% of the students believed flipped classroom teaching improved their knowledge acquisition. 70%~86% of students perceived that flipped classroom enhanced their learning abilities, including self-study ability, collaborative learning and problem-solving skills, and clinical thinking ability. In addition, about 60% of students acknowledged the teaching design and teaching environment, more students’ engagement and presentation of group learning in the flipped classroom. Conclusion The flipped classroom teaching significantly improved students’ learning effectiveness in physiology course, as indicated by final exam score and usual performance. It also promoted higher-order ability-set acquisition and allowed a rationalized formative evaluation system.

Аналіз Підходів Та Методів У Навчанні Фізіології Студентів Медичних Університетів Різних Країн Світу

“…Проте дані щодо ефективності впливу цього методу на знання та навички дещо суперечливі -від негативних до позитивних, хоча сприйняття його студентами було переважно позитивним [41; 42]. У дослiдженнi Харбінського медичного університету студенти, що працювали за методом FC, отримуючи доступ до навчального матеріалу (відео, текст або презентація Power Point) до проведення аудиторного заняття, продемонстрували вищу успішність та кращу кореляцію поточних результатів з іспитовими оцінками, ніж студенти, які слухали звичайні лекції з фізіології, а потім отримували домашнє завдання, і вже не взаємодіяли з викладачем чи колегами [43]. Аналогічні результати були отримані під час порівняння успішності при вивченні різних тем або традиційним дидактичним, або перевернутим методом [44], так само як під час повного викладання курсу [45].…”

Flipped Classrooms in Medical Education: Improving Learning Outcomes and Engaging Students in Critical Thinking Skills

“…Teacher-student interaction and questionnaires were used to assess the students, and it found that the FC model improved student performance. Six studies [ 7 , 8 , 13 , 15 , 19 , 21 ] assessed students based on final exam scores. In each study, students were divided into two groups: one group was subjected to traditional teaching, while for the other group, various methods were used including videos and resource materials [ 7 , 8 , 19 , 21 ], self-study [ 13 ], and PowerPoint [ 15 ].…”

“…Six studies [ 7 , 8 , 13 , 15 , 19 , 21 ] assessed students based on final exam scores. In each study, students were divided into two groups: one group was subjected to traditional teaching, while for the other group, various methods were used including videos and resource materials [ 7 , 8 , 19 , 21 ], self-study [ 13 ], and PowerPoint [ 15 ]. Five studies [ 7 , 8 , 13 , 19 , 21 ] observed that FC is an effective tool for improving students' performance, while one study [ 15 ] did not observe any change in the students' performance.…”

The landscape of flipped classroom research: a bibliometrics analysis

“…A randomized controlled trial conducted by American scholars (Paul et al, 2023) showed that the flipped classroom significantly improves the clinical skills of medical students compared to online-only learning. A study from China (Lu et al, 2023) suggests that flipped classrooms improve students' course learning and promote higher-order ability-set acquisition; the researchers concluded that flipped classrooms allow a rationalized formative evaluation system. Wang (2017) summarized several lessons to promote flipped classrooms, including enhancing teachers' understanding of the merits of flipped classroom approach, establishing peer mentoring mechanisms, and effective teacher capacity building.…”