The impact of the flipped classroom in a principles of microeconomics course: evidence from a quasi-experiment with two flipped classroom designs

Abstract

This study uses a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent group design to analyze the outcomes in terms of students' learning and satisfaction of the redesign of a first-year, principles of microeconomics course from a lecture-based course using active learning techniques in 2013 to a partial flipped classroom in 2014 and a full flipped classroom in 2015. Students perceived a higher degree of achievement of the learning goals in both flipped courses compared to the non-flipped active learning course. Moreover, participating in the partial or full flipped classroom decreased the odds of a D or F grade or of withdraw. However, only the partial flip was associated with overall better learning outcomes in the final exam, while there was no statistically significant difference between the non-flipped active learning course and the full flip. Age was negatively associated with learning outcomes and increased the odds of a D or F grade or of withdraw. Gender had no statistically significant impact on learning outcomes. Students were least satisfied with the full flip and equally satisfied with the non-flipped active learning course and the partial flip. Lower satisfaction appears to be due to increased workload, which students evaluated to be highest in the full flip, as well as to elements of group work design. In the flipped classroom design, the pre-class multiple choice tests on Moodle emerged as a clear favorite in students' teaching evaluations.

The use of flipped classroom as an active learning approach improves academic performance in social work: A randomized trial in a university

“…The satisfaction and positive feelings towards this teaching methodology and against LB have been demonstrated in several research studies [19, 35–37], but there are also studies in which student satisfaction does not differ between both teaching strategies [38–39].…”

Collaborative Learning by Teaching: A Pedagogy between Learner-Centered and Learner-Driven

“…[3][4][5]. Both learner-centered and learner-driven learning approaches are based on constructivist learning theory, which was proposed by Jean Piaget for whom learning was an active process where learners must actively construct their knowledge through prior knowledge and experiences [3,6].…”

“A little flip goes a long way” The impact of a ‘partial’-flipped classroom design on student performance and engagement in a first year undergraduate economics classroom

“…In the UK higher education system, a student who gets an overall grade below 40% fails the course. Following, Lombardini et al [8], I employed a binary logit regression model. In this model, the dependent variable was coded as 1 if the student's overall grade was below 40% and 0 otherwise.…”

“…Studies have revealed that a significant proportion of undergraduate students only acquire conceptual knowledge of the subject in a traditional classroom format. They are not able to adequately develop critical thinking, data analysis and reasoning skills, which are thought to be at the core of the curriculum [8]. Employers also reveal that many Business school graduates are not good at applying economic and finance principles to real world issues [2].…”

“…However, some studies have reported that students in a 'flipped' classroom model perform only moderately better than a traditional lecture based format [14,15,16,17]. Other studies have shown contradictory results and revealed that the students in the flipped classroom performed poorly, as compared to a traditional lecture based format [18,8].…”