This page offers you a starting point for understanding how to design flipped learning. Here we will explore the relationship between flipped learning and blended education. We will look at how flipped learning, as a subset of blended learning, can reshape traditional instruction, fostering flexibility and learner-centered engagement for a more student-centered educational experience. (Baig and Yadegaridehkordi 2023)

What is flipped learning?

Flipping the classroom is a form of blended learning, sometimes described as a subset of blended learning. The flipped classroom reverses the traditional classroom. Students are given online content and activities to work with prior to class, mostly in asynchronous forms, without online mediation from the instructor. The instructor uses the learning platform to monitor the students progress and check that tasks are completed before meeting in-person.

According to Robert Talbert, the author of Flipped Learning, cited Noah (2023), Flipped Learning often involves students initially engaging with new concepts individually rather than in a group setting. Consequently, class time is then utilized for collaborative, advanced activities, enabling students to leverage peer and instructor support effectively. Often these individual activities are offered in the form of videos with accompanying questions.

Flipped classroom for active learning design

The basis of the flipped classroom is that it promotes active learning and student engagement in the synchronous sessions with the instructor as the facilitator providing expert knowledge when needed. Implementing a flipped classroom places different demands on faculty and students requiring both to reconsider the role of the instructor as a designer of the learning experience. It also requires clear learning design, in the learning platform, to ensure that students know what is required of them and when it is required. A systematic review of the flipped classroom in nursing education concluded that student engagement in the flipped classroom model was dependent on academics informing and rationalizing the purpose of the flipped classroom model for students (Betihavas et al. 2016). Students are accountable for their learning but you, as the instructor provide the roadmap. Research shows that flipped learning will fail if students are not held accountable or if they are not given tasks to complete in the self-directed asynchronous phase of flipped learning. (Bois. C. 2016).

Holding students accountable with Canvas tools

This is where your expertise on using Canvas comes into play. Canvas gives you the tools to monitor that students have completed assignments in the asynchronous phase of the flipped learning activity. You can hold students accountable with module requirements and assignment scores. Both you and your students have a clear checklist of what is required of them and will motivate students to complete the task.

What is flipped learning

In this video (5.39 min) Chris Tuffnell provides an acronym which will help you to implement flipped learning and to guide your learning design in the flipped classroom.

F = Flexible environment: Here we mean flexibility for both the student and the teacher. Student is provided with options for when and how to engage with the content whereas the teacher can dive deeper into a subject when they meet students for synchronous sessions.
L = Learning Culture: Here we refer to the shift in learning culture for both students and teachers. Students participate in the active learning activities synchronously and must transition from the traditional model of the instructor as the expert dispensing the knowledge. The teacher's role is to facilitate the lesson and plan for the activities that take place in the live sessions.
I = Intentional Content: planning your content to align with learning outcomes. Designing a learning experiences to help to meet the learning outcomes. Often it is best to scaffold the lower order outcomes for the pre-class activity and use the sessions live for the higher order outcomes.
P = Professional Educator- See yourself as a professional educator ie teacher and not the person delivering content delivery. You have an important role as a facilitator but you are still content matter expert when needed.

Your choice

If you prefer to read the transcript for this video you can open it in preview mode or download the Word file below.

M2.5 Transcript What is flipped learning.docx

Tip: If you open the ReadSpeaker TextAid link in the "Module" view you will be able to Annotate the file as well as download an audio version of the file to listen to on-the-go (one page at the time)!

Reflect: Ask yourself

Which topics, in your teaching sessions, lend themselves better to self-directed learning, where students can explore independently, and which topics would be more effective for in-class activities and discussions? Document your thoughts in your reflection log.

Dig deeper

For descriptions of the four stages of this planning model go to Course design: planning a flipped class. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo, (Links to an external site.Creative Commons).
You may also want to refer to this quick start guide provides guidance on selecting activities to flip: A quick start guide to flipping your learning from Faculty Innovation Center, University of Texas at Austin Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReaderLinks to an external site.

Reference

Baig, M.I., Yadegaridehkordi, E. Flipped classroom in higher education: a systematic literature review and research challenges. Int J Educ Technol High Educ 20, 61 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00430-5

Betihavas, V., Bridgman, H., Kornhaber, R., Cross M., (2016). The evidence for 'flipping out': A systematic review of the flipped classroom in nursing education. Nurse Education Today. 38:15-21. https://doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2015.12.010.

Bois.Carina Blended learning in medical education – some recent evidence of advantage from KI 2016. KI Blog post.

Noah, T. (2023, July 06). Enhancing Flipped Learning With Microlectures. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/flipped-learning-with-microlectures

On this page:

What is flipped learning?﻿