The flipped classroom stimulates greater learning and is a modern 21st century approach to teaching today's undergraduates

Abstract

Many classrooms in higher education still rely on a transformative approach to teaching where students attend lectures and earn course grades through examination. In the modern age, traditional lectures are argued by some as obsolete and do not address the learning needs of today’s students. An emerging pedagogical approach is the concept of the flipped classroom. The flipped classroom can simply be described as students viewing asynchronous video lectures on their own and then engaging in active learning during scheduled class times. In this study, we examined the flipped classroom teaching environment on student learning gains in an Introduction to Equine Science course. Students (n = 130) were asked to view 7.5 h of recorded lectures divided into 8 learning modules, take online quizzes to enforce lecture viewing, take 3 in-class exams, and prepare to participate in active learning during scheduled class times. Active learning approaches included individual activities, paired activities, informal small groups, and large group activities. When compared to students in the traditional lecture format in earlier years, students in the flipped format scored higher on all 3 exams (P < 0.05), with both formats taught by the same instructor. Analysis of ACT scores demonstrated no intellectual capacity differences between the student populations. To evaluate any gains in critical thinking, flipped format students were asked to take the Cornell Critical Thinking Exam (version X). Scores improved from the pretest (50.8 ± 0.57) to the posttest (54.4 ± 0.58; P < 0.01). In the flipped course, no correlations were found with student performance and interactions with online content. Students were asked in class to evaluate their experiences based on a 5-point Likert scale: 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The flipped classroom was ranked as an enjoyable learning experience with a mean of 4.4 ± 0.10, while students responded positively to other pointed questions. In formal course evaluations, flipped format students ranked the following higher (P < 0.05): instructor availability to assist students; encouragement of independent, creative, and critical thinking; and amount learned. Overall, the flipped classroom proved to be a positive learning experience for students. As the classroom continues to modernize, pedagogical approaches such as the flipped classroom should be considered for many lecture-style courses taught in the animal sciences.

Evaluation of a Flipped Examination Model Implemented in a Final-Year Undergraduate Pharmacotherapeutics Course

“…6 While research on the impact of flipped exams, in particular, is still scarce, current research into the impact of flipped classrooms on students' learning also indicates potential educational gains, beyond surface gains and improvements in grades, but rather pedagogic gains that entail independent learning strategies, deep and active learning, profound knowledge advantage and information retention, and valued opportunities for peer-peer and peer-instructor interactions. 10,[25][26][27] An interesting finding was that the process of developing tactful exam questions improved the students' perceived writing skills and rendered the learning experience even more constructive. Both the students and the workshop facilitators in our study reported an improvement in the quality of the generated MCQs as the semester progressed.…”

An IRS‐facilitated collective issue‐quest approach to enhancing students’ learning achievement, self‐regulation and collective efficacy in flipped classrooms

“…With the help of technologies, new pedagogical modes have been provided to facilitate students’ learning. One of the emerging pedagogical approaches is the flipped classroom, which is receiving attention from instructors and researchers alike (Mortensen & Nicholson, ). In the flipped classroom, students are generally scheduled to watch video lectures outside the class in their own time at their own pace; following that, they then take part in the in‐class learning activities (Nwosisi, Ferreira, Rosenberg, & Walsh, ).…”

Assessing Learning Gains

“…There are multiple learning gains that students can develop in HE, which are linked to the learning outcomes or learning goals of the course: development of the conceptual understanding of the topic [13]; scientific reasoning and confidence in reasoning skills [14]; scientific writing and reading [15]; critical thinking [16]; problem solving, creativity, analytical ability, technical skills and communication [17]; moral reasoning [18]; leadership [19]; interest in political and social environment [20]; well-being [21]; and motivation [22]. Measuring such a variety of learning gains is a challenge in itself and a number of methodologies have been used to assess them.…”