An inverted, or "flipped," classroom reverses the paradigm of traditional lecture courses by delivering lectures outside of class -- by means such as videos or screencasts -- and using class meeting time for instructor-mediated active learning. This format has the potential to transform science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education by increasing student time spent with the most effective teaching techniques (i.e., varieties of active learning) without sacrificing material coverage or educational scaffolding. Many educators are beginning to flip their classrooms, but limited data on learning gains are currently available. With the rising popularity of teaching via online videos, there is an urgent need to assess the effectiveness of approaches that incorporate this technology.
The investigators are rigorously examining the impact of four instructors inverting three STEM courses, in chemistry, engineering, and mathematics, by measuring student learning gains. The hypothesis is that increased student learning will arise primarily because of the additional time that students will have with instructors actively working on meaningful tasks in class. If this hypothesis proves true, it will have implications for institutions that are seeking to push more instruction online, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), where instructor-student interaction is limited. In addition, because this study involves three different disciplines, the results should be applicable across STEM fields and institutions.
The strength of the study design is threefold: (1) the use of direct assessment measures specific to each of the three courses/disciplines, in addition to indirect assessment measures; (2) comparison of control and experimental sections offered simultaneously (to reduce student demographic variability) using the same instructor (to limit instructor bias); and (3) direct assessment of learning gains and application both within the course and in downstream courses to determine whether learning gains persist.
By elucidating the role of classroom inversion in STEM education, this study is aiding other STEM instructors in course design. By rigorously examining the effectiveness of the flipped classroom across three STEM fields and four instructors, the study is providing evidence-based recommendations to STEM educators via publications in peer-reviewed literature, online communities, and presentations at relevant conferences.
The project is also offering two workshops to train faculty on how to achieve the most effective aspects of the flipped-classroom experience. A detailed website with examples, study results, and tips for STEM educators on flipping the classroom enables a wide audience to benefit from this work.
