Practitioners Advises Careful Design of Flipped Classroom for Better Implementation

8 Dec 2017, Fri

Dr. Nanda Dimitrov and Ms. Aisha Haque from Western University

Effective implementation of flipped classroom approach requires a careful design of course arrangement and learning activities, suggested the speakers of the Flipped Classroom Approach Forum 2017 today.

Teachers need to be “super careful” in selecting the topics for online delivery and face-to-face tutorial in a flipped environment, according to Dr. Nanda Dimitrov and Ms. Aisha Haque from teaching support units at Western University in Canada. After taking the students’ learning ability into consideration, their course organizers put basic and cognitive content online while arranging discussions for topics that are more advanced or affective in classrooms.

Dr. Caroline Steel, a Senior Strategic Educational Consultant with Blackboard, reminded e-learning practitioners that a flipped classroom could flop when learners have no idea on the content, arrangement and the usefulness of the course, together with the lack of instructors’ engagement. She suggested teachers to make things about the course clear and keep present in the class through workshops and provide feedback.

Dr. Caroline Steel explaining why a flipped classroom flops

Mr. Brian O'Dwyer, an Adjunct Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Asia in Singapore, suggested applying team-based learning to leverage classroom flipping. In his approach, pre-class self-study is followed by an individual test, a team test where learners group together to solve the problems together and a peer evaluation. The effect of this approach is supported by higher team scores than individual scores.

The forum is held by the Centre of Learning Enhancement and Assessment (CLEAR) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Around fifty teaching staffs and support units from local universities participated and exchanged ideas and experiences in flipping their classrooms.