THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM Why flip the classroom Inexperienced

THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM

Why flip the classroom? • Inexperienced students are not able (willing? ) to decipher and extend technical material on their own • Time in classroom is limited • Building blocks of problem solving (definitions, principles, formulas) can be delivered effectively in many different ways • Development of a student’s experience and confidence in applying the tools, and especially their ability to extend it to novel settings, is not easy to “deliver” to a student • One Solution: Allow class time for hands-on supervision to reduce frustration of struggling alone with homework

Does it work? • Currently faddish • Learning theory suggests it should • It is hard to do serious studies of whether or not it works because of the difficulty in randomizing students to treatments • Observational studies are the best we can do • My colleagues and I are trying one of these this term and will know more in at the end of the term

Do students like it? • Dear [Chairman]: As I hope you are aware, this semester, Professor Stokes has decided to try the "flipped-classroom model. " This involves the students practically teaching all the class material to themselves through the text reading, online "You-Tube" videos, etc. This also includes us (the students) being quizzed via online evaluations on the material before it is even mentioned in class. … • Sincerely, [Disgruntled Student]

Why? • For many students (and faculty) Teaching = lecturing • Students (like most of us) don’t like having their schedules dictated to them • Aren’t aware of the supportive literature on learning

Relationship to our topic today • Expensive university’s competitive advantage is no longer in their stable of lecturers (e. g. , TED talks) • In the lower level courses, it is also not in content So what is it? • Helping students develop deeper understanding of the material by requiring that they extend themselves, with a faculty “coach” present. • Constantly updating teaching materials

How do we prove it? • Student visibility, via research and other outlets • Assessment must be real • Must try to measure our value-added learning