Enhancing the Student Learning Experience Through Lecture Flipping

Jon Green (Biosciences) & Natalie Rowley (Chemistry)

HEA STEM 2014

What is lecture flipping?

Also known as “lecturing without lectures” or “inverting the classroom”

interactive teaching delivery approach which inverts traditional lectures, often using technology-enhanced learning and teaching

In advance of the face-to-face sessions

Content is delivered pre-lectures usually through screencasts or directed reading

Short online quizzes to assess students’ knowledge prior to lectures (“Just-in-Time Teaching” approach*)

* “Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning and Web Technology” G.M. Novak, E.T. Patterson, A.D. Gavrin and W. Christian, Prentice–Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1999

During the face-to-face sessions Face-to-face time used for focussing on areas

which students have identified as being difficult

Interactive problem solving e.g. clicker questions (using “Peer Instruction”* approach) and practice questions

* “Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual” E. Mazur, Prentice–Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1997

Peer Instruction

Brief lecture

Concept Test:Students vote

Correct Answer< 30%

Correct Answer30 - 70%

Correct Answer> 70%

Go over concept again

Peer Instruction

Students vote again

Move on to next topic

Peer Instruction

Brief lecture

Concept Test:Students vote

Correct Answer< 30%

Correct Answer30 - 70%

Correct Answer> 70%

Go over concept again

Peer Instruction

Students vote again

Move on to next topic

Flipped lectures in Biology

Flipped course for 80 second year Biochemistry/Biology/Human Biology students

Flipped 6 out of 8 lectures

Interactive sessions timetabled one per week

Flipped lectures in Biology 2-3 screencasts (15 min each) onto iVLE four days before

interactive session

MCQ quiz (5 questions) also on iVLE

Opportunity for students to ask questions or raise issues before the interactive session

Interactive sessions - quizzes, data interpretation, essay plans

What type of microscopy?

A. B. C. D.

25% 25%25%25%

A. Bright field microscopy

B. Scanning microscopy

C. Transmission microscopy

D. Fluorescence microscopy

Data Interpretation

Students write a paragraph describing and interpreting the results

They then compare notes in small groups

This is followed by a class discussion

Essay plan

Topic based on pre-lecture material Students work individually on the essay

plan Followed by discussion in small groups Followed by class discussion

Results of “Peer Instruction”

% correct answers-before % correct answers-after

55 90

65 85

MCQ test results - before & after the lecture flipping

%

% of students who improved

90

Mean mark (start) 35.6+7.5

Mean mark (final) 78.6+10.8

Student feedback %

Did you generally watch the videos? 81

Do you think the ‘flipped’ approach helped your understanding of the subject?

90

Do you prefer the ‘flipped’ style of teaching compared with non-interactive lectures?

86

Student perspective ‘You can go through content at own pace by

pausing the videos’

‘Short videos allowed your attention to remain focussed’

‘Able to take more accurate and detailed notes’

‘Videos will help me as a dyslexic student’

Student perspective ‘I liked the interactive sessions as they

consolidated my learning’

‘Peer instruction worked well’

‘Some videos I didn’t watch before the lecture because I had other assignments’

‘Lecture flipping generally unhelpful and irritating, almost patronising’

Staff perspective Felt as though delivering personalised

teaching sessions (“Just-in-Time” teaching)

Totally interactive so students engaged -– “class tutorial”

Many more thought-provoking questions asked

“Peer Instruction” worked well

Staff perspective Felt as though delivering personalised

teaching sessions (“Just-in-Time” teaching)

Totally interactive so students engaged -– “class tutorial”

Many more thought-provoking questions asked

“Peer Instruction” worked well

Conclusions

Technically not difficult to set up but requires particular skills in the interactive sessions

The ‘time’ factor

Engaging students in the approach

Would recommend a ‘mixed’ approach to lecture delivery

Acknowledgements University of Birmingham Centre for Learning

and Academic Development for funding (2012-13)

University of Birmingham STEM Education Centre for funding (2013-14)