Reflection on Experiences of First-Year Engineering Students with Blended Flipped Classroom Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of the Mathematics Course in the Extended Curriculum Program

Abstract

The shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique challenge for higher education in developing countries such as South Africa, where resources are distributed unevenly. The Department of Chemical Engineering at a South African university of technology used a flipped classroom blended online learning approach in an engineering mathematics course. This study describes the transition of first-year engineering students from face-to-face learning to flipped classroom blended online learning. The Laurillard conversational framework for teaching learning was used to develop the five components of blended learning pedagogy, this allows students to discover, learn, practice, collaborate, and assess (DLPCA). The chosen assessment strategies made use of adaptive learning technology via the WebAssign platform to provide formative and summative assessments as well as timely feedback to each student. The authors examined the remote teaching and learning approach using three indicators: (i) learning—students’ learning experiences; (ii) assessment—students’ academic performance and integrity; and (iii) students’ challenges. The findings had a positive impact on students’ learning and performance in the mathematics course. The limitation to the study was that the data were collected only from one university of technology and were not compared with other universities in the country. The overall findings of this study indicate that students require time to adjust to online pedagogy to ensure a smooth transition.

Blended Learning and Flipped Classroom in Higher Engineering Education: Case Study and Students’ Perception in the Post-COVID-19 Period

“…Importantly, their participation in online meetings was activestudents asked questions, discussed, and answered short interactive tests and surveys during lectures (tools Slido, Socrative, Poll Everywhere). However, it should be borne in mind that such results may be of a varied nature, depending on the stage of education -first and second cycle studies and the expectations and requirements of students [59,69].…”

“…F: Flexible Environment: flexibility in terms of assessment as well as selecting the suitable time to learn [69,70];…”

Machine learning for the improvement of adaptive learning in university education

“…También, se utiliza el machine learning en el aprendizaje adaptativo para identificar patrones, dificultades y fortalezas de los estudiantes. (32,33,34,35) Estos patrones permiten ajustar el contenido educativo y las estrategias de enseñanza en tiempo real para satisfacer las necesidades específicas de cada estudiante. En cuanto a los sistemas de recomendación, se utiliza el machine learning en el diseño de un sistema de educación inteligente asistido por IA, que proporciona materiales de aprendizaje confiables y ofrece retroalimentación personalizada a los estudiantes.…”

Enhancing Thai student-teacher problem-solving skills and academic achievement through a blended problem-based learning approach in online flipped classrooms

“…To fortify the novelty of this study, it is imperative to identify research gaps by reviewing existing literature [ [63] , [64] , [65] , [66] , [67] , [68] , [69] , [70] , [71] , [72] , [73] , [74] , [75] , [76] , [77] , [78] ]. While numerous studies have explored the impact of online learning and innovative pedagogies, there remains a gap in understanding the nuanced challenges faced in specific contexts, particularly in regions with limited ICT infrastructure [ 4 , 5 ] and ongoing civil strife [ 104 , 105 ], as education is a key component in reducing conflict [ 106 ].…”

“…Flipped learning involves reversing (flipping) the traditional classroom model [ 8 , 63 ]. Normally, this involves the introduction of class material outside the classroom, which is often times achieved by watching video [ 64 , 65 ].…”