Flip Your Class!Strategies and Student Reactions to a Flipped Classroom

Kelly B. Butzler, Faculty, Pennsylvania College of Technology

Problem that Led to the Flip

• Only 2.5 hours face-to-face• Had to encourage students to come

prepared– Selected a excellent “readable” textbook– Implemented “reading quizzes”

Problems continued…

• Still had difficulties focusing on problems only

• Technology used– Podcast/Smartboard (classroom capture)– Camtasia recordings in office (lecture capture)– Started vodcasting using MediaSite

(classroom capture)

Pilot Study

• Two sections of Organic Chemistry– MWF (50 min) traditional lecture– T/Th (1 hr. 15 min) flipped

Survey Results from a Flipped Classroom Pilot Study in Organic Chemistry I

Participants

• 14 students in traditional – 12 students responded

• 16 indicated inverted class

Flipped class increase comfort at problem solving

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree0

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Outside lecture, In class homework affective?

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Affective

Affective

Take another Flipped class?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree0

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35

Student Resistance to Flipped Classroom

Initially, many students did not like this approach.

Makes them accountable for their learning

and take a more active role in the classroom.

Cannot sleep or daydream in class.

They make statements like “the teacher doesn’t teach” or “I shouldn’t have to learn this on my own”.

Remind students that a credit hour = 1 hour “in class” time and 2 hours “outside” class time.

Once they realize that they are actually learning the material, students change their tune.

Test 1

• Structure/Bonding, Acids/bases, Functional groups

• Lecture: 78.47%– 3 As, 3 Bs, 7 Cs, 2 Ds

• Flipped: 75.80% – 5 As, 2 Bs, 2 Cs, 3 Ds, 2 Fs

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Test 1

Test 2

• Alkanes, Stereochemistry, Overview of Organic reactions

• Lecture: 77.90%– 5 As, 3 Bs, 2 Cs, 2 Ds, 3Fs

• Flipped: 77.75% – 4 As, 4 Bs, 2 Cs, 1 Ds, 3 Fs

Test 2

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Test 3• Substitution rxns, Elimination rxns, Rxns of

alcohols, ethers and epoxides • Lecture: 55.23%

– 1 As, 3 Bs, 2 Cs, 0 Ds, 9 Fs• Flipped: 65.5%

– 0 As, 3 Bs, 5 Cs, 2 Ds, 4 Fs• By test 3, 1 W from lecture, 2 W from

flipped

Test 3

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Final Exam• Cumulative: add Alkenes, Alkynes and

Retrosynthesis– 70 MC, 55 pts from mechanisms, retros,

complete the rxn, explain theory• Lecture: 72.47%

– 2 As, 5 Bs, 3 Cs, 1 Ds, 4 Fs • Flipped: 75.80%

– 3As, 3 Bs, 3 Cs, 1 Ds, 4 Fs• By the final, 2 W from Lecture, 3 W from flipped

Final Exam

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Overall Grades

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Comment on your experience with flipped classroom.

“Being in an inverted classroom has helped me understand how to work through a problem. If I did not understand how to do a problem my professor was there to help me get through it”.

“I think that this was a very difficult way for me to learn. I would have preferred time at the beginning of class for the material to be explained then the problems to be worked out at the end of class and on our own”.

“The inverted classroom was more beneficial for being able to work the problems with the help of the instructor instead of having to struggle to teach yourself how to work the problems on your own time. I'd prefer to spend the time to watch the lectures on my own time and spend half the time working on problems. For example, you watch the hour lecture and then spend an hour or so working on problems productively, or you could spend two hours attempting to figure out how to do the problems on your own and only get about 1/3 of the problems done that you would have accomplished in an hour doing it with the inverted classroom”.

“This was the first time I had the experience of the inverted classroom. I loved it. I learned so much by doing problems in class. I liked the fact that Professor Butzler interacted with us the entire class and we could ask so many questions to help with completing the chemistry problems. I loved having the ability to access the lectures anytime I wanted which gave me alot of flexibility with my family. I went back and watched the videos usually 2 times at least to help me become more comfortable with the topics and also used them to review for quizzes and exams”.

Change in study habits?“Basically it was like spending time to save time. I would spend time before class to learn the concepts through the reading assignment and listening to the lectures and when I got to class I was able to participate because I understood what was went over or I had questions already prepared for anything that I didn't understand. Sometimes questions don't come up until you are actually applying the concepts to work out problems and by then it may be too late to ask for help. So I was better prepared for class because I had the repetition of seeing, hearing then applying the concepts”.

Additional Comments

“I have to study way more for this class than any of my others because i feel like i have to learn all the material on my own”.

“I had to do a lot of self teaching”.

“I had to use my time more wisely. I spent less time doing problems, to ensure that i had enough time to watch the lectures”.

“I didn’t like the inverted classroom, and i think my grade showed that”.

Complete Comments

Visit my Wiki for all comments

Suggestions• Baby steps• To start, do not flip a “gateway” course• Explain flipped classroom to students (in class or

as a podcast!)• Get admin buy-in• Show students how to interact with vodcast• Let students choose which methods for

knowledge acquisition (vodcast, reading, etc)– Autonomy support

Suggestions Continued• Begin with “mini-lecture”• Assess students out-of-class

comprehension (PI, JiTT, reading quiz, online quiz, etc)

• Be flexible- your in-class lesson may need to be adjusted

• Continually ask for feedback (minute papers, casual discussion, etc)

Great SitesAdd to your PLN!

Flipped Class Networkhttp://vodcasting.ning.com/

Turn to Your Neighbor (Julie Schell/Mazur Group

http://blog.peerinstruction.net/

References

• Bergmann, J. & Sams, A. (2011). How the Flipped Classroom Is Radically Transforming Learning. The Daily Riff. Retrieved from http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/how-the-flipped-classroom-is-radically-transforming-learning-536.php

• Gannod, G. (2007). WIP: Using Podcasting in an Inverted Classroom. Retrieved from http://gannodss.csamu.org/diesel/images/e/e3/Fie07.pdf

• Hackemann, S. (2010). Keeping 'em down on the farm: Retention best practices for hybrid/blended courses at the community college level. (Capella University)

• Held, C. (2009). The perspective of the online student: Emerging technologies that warrant use in online learning at a community college. (Northcentral University)

References continued

• Talbert, R. (2010). Flip that Class! Adventures in the Inverted Classroom. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/2uskfembh5ar/flip-that-class-adventures-in-the-inverted-classroom/

• Young, J. (2009). When Computers Leave Classrooms, So Does Boredom. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Teach-Naked-Effort-Strips/47398/

• Nie, M., Armellini, A., Harrington, S., Barklamb, K., & Randall, R. (2010). The role of podcasting in effective curriculum renewal. ALT-J, Research in Learning Technology, 18(2), 105-118.