Flipped Classroom model before and during COVID-19: using technology to develop 21st century skills

Abstract

Purpose The confidence placed in the use of technology and other computing resources is an important support for the deep transformation toward processes of very high quality teaching-learning based on active learning. This paper aims to present and describe a higher education experience with Flipped Learning before and during the transformation of education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the study analyzes the effectiveness perceived by university students of Flipped Learning for the development of competencies for the 21st century. Design/methodology/approach For this study, a quantitative methodology is used in which 376 university students fill out a questionnaire after experiencing several sessions with an inverted classroom under both onsite and online instructions. Findings On average, the results show a high agreement among students on the benefits or effectiveness that learning designs with Flipped Classroom have on the development of skills that will be useful for their personal and professional future. These competencies include character building, collaboration, communication, citizenship, critical thinking and creativity. At the same time, and depending on some control variables such as the modality of teaching (onsite or online), the course, the predisposition to innovate or previous experience with innovation, significant differences are also observed. Originality/value Education and learning have the need to respond to the different educational and training needs for the future. In this sense, the Flipped Classroom methodology allows the development of skills for the 21st century. In turn, this approach also makes it possible to approach blended learning. Experiences such as the one described in this study will characterize the future of education.

Effectiveness of the flipped classroom model on students’ self-reported motivation and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Thus, this new and unexpected situation did not especially affect their interest in the FC model, and they were willing to participate and collaborate to do better in the future. As the comparative research shows (Latorre-Cosculluela et al, 2021), respondents were more willing to actively participate in the FC model than to be passive recipients of the information.…”

“…Chick et al (2020) offer several solutions to mitigate the risk of virus spread, including the FC model, teleconferencing, and online practice, with positive outcomes, as participants were satisfied with the format and were interested in continuing to learn without regularly attending face-to-face lectures. Comparative research was conducted by Latorre-Cosculluela et al (2021), who concluded that participants were inclined to take a more active role in their own learning process by developing 21stcentury skills (e.g., critical thinking or creativity) under the FC model rather than passively listening to direct instruction. In this regard, other studies highlighted the relevance of videos, recorded lectures, and group discussions, among other digital resources, to foster discussions, stimulate student learning and divert attention away from the current disruption caused by the pandemic (Agarwal and Kaushik, 2020;Guraya, 2020).…”

Some Web-Based Experiences from Flipped Classroom Techniques in AEC Modules during the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…In this experience, an alternative to traditional engineering teaching has been implemented, developing activities based on the PBL model and adopting a CRS to improve communication in the classroom. The design of the activities took into consideration some learning difficulties and the related teaching proposals and advice identified by the research on the field [34,[49][50][51][52]. In this regard, noticeable differences resulted in the suitability of web-based methods between undergraduate courses and Master's courses, and between fundamental and technological modules.…”

“…Diverse studies focused on evaluating the readiness of lecturers and the feasibility of LMS [40,41], others on collecting students' perceptions [42][43][44], on analyzing the impact of the online format on studying at home [44,45], on learning achievements [46,47], and on the efficiency of flipped teaching methods [44,[48][49][50][51][52]]. It appears that blended learning methods have suffered less than other teaching approaches during this sudden shift to remote teaching [51].…”

“…It appears that blended learning methods have suffered less than other teaching approaches during this sudden shift to remote teaching [51]. However, lecturers had to harness the best of flipped teaching and adapt it to a completely virtual context [44,[49][50][51][52]. Other studies addressed the social impact of the pandemic crisis on the professional careers [53] and the lecturer's role [54], as well as the relationship between lecturers and learners [55].…”