Lessons Learned from the Flipped Classroom Concept

Motivation

General Questions

• If learning requires practice …
  • … should students learn in class?
    • (What are the goals of class meetings?)
  • … how can teaching support learning?

Agenda

Learning

Brain ≈ Muscle

• Learning involves brain’s long term memory

  “Image” under CC0 1.0; converted from Pixabay

• Long term memory needs repeated retrieval and practice
  • Spaced out over time
  • Effect: Changes in brain’s proteins
• (Learning does not happen [solely] in lectures)

Deliberate Practice

• Characteristics of Deliberate Practice to acquire expert skills ([Eri08], also [EKT93],[SEI14])

  “training” by Nithinan Tatah under CC BY 3.0 US; cropped from the Noun Project

  1. Task with well-defined goal
  2. Individual motivated to improve
  3. Feedback on current performance
  4. Ample opportunities for repetition and gradual refinements

(Traditional lecturing is “teaching by telling”, does not share any characteristic of Deliberate Practice)

Active Learning

Flipped/Inverted Classroom

• In-class and at-home events flipped [LPT00],[BV13]
  • Individual computer-based instruction paired with in-class group activities
    • Individual learning shaped by individual background and preferences
    • Lectures to discuss questions and work on exercises

• Variant: Just-In-Time Teaching [NPG+99],[jittweb]
  • Teaching and learning strategy based on web-based study assignments (self-learning) and active learner classroom
    • [MSN16] demonstrates impact for statistics courses
  • Instructor designs class meeting just-in-time based on students’ submissions
• Benefits
  • Better preparation of in-class meetings
  • Valuable shared time is used more effectively for student-instructor interactions

Feedback Cycles with JiTT

Two Literature Pointers

• [D+19] Actual learning vs feeling of learning

  • “The effort involved in active learning can be misinterpreted as a sign of poor learning. On the other hand, a superstar lecturer can explain things in such a way as to make students feel like they are learning more than they actually are.”
  • Questions regarding statistical rigor
  • One conclusion: Explain approach to students

• [SL17]: Critical view on digital transformation (in German)

Lessons Learned

Motivation and Improvement

• 2016: Classroom response system revealed lack of student understanding in CSOS
  • Yet, no in-class discussions, leaving me frustrated
  • (Students saw no issue: Average grade in end-of-term evaluation was 1.8)
  • Waste of our time

• After introduction of JiTT: Situation improved

Students’ Perception

Sample Feedback

• Misunderstandings
  • “JiTT destroys our freedom!”
  • “JiTT tasks are too difficult/open!”

• Encouragement
  • “JiTT is/was a very good idea and was very helpful to understand the course’s content”
  • “The JiTT-Assignment in combination with the lecture helped to understand the topics a lot!”
  • “Please continue with this type of lecuture!”

Benefits and Challenges

• Benefits
  • Much more fun in meetings with prepared students
    • Sometimes unbelievably good solutions
  • JiTT tasks helped tremendously to identify misunderstandings and improve self-study material
    • From wording to new larger units
• Challenges
  • Regarding students
    • Participation in class and in JiTT assignments
    • Workload expectations
  • Regarding myself
    • Increased awareness of hurdles for students

Bibliography

• [BV13] Bishop & Verleger, The flipped classroom: A survey of the research, in: ASEE National Conference Proceedings, Atlanta, GA, 2013. https://www.asee.org/public/conferences/20/papers/6219/download
• [D+19] Deslauriers, McCarty, Miller, Callaghan & Kestin, Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116(39), 19251-19257 (2019). https://www.pnas.org/content/116/39/19251
• [EKT93] Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer, The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance, Psychological review 100(3), 363 (1993). http://projects.ict.usc.edu/itw/gel/EricssonDeliberatePracticePR93.PDF
• [Eri08] Ericsson, Deliberate practice and acquisition of expert performance: a general overview, Acad Emerg Med 15(11), 988-994 (2008). https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00227.x
• [FEM+14] Freeman, Eddy, McDonough, Smith, Okoroafor, Jordt & Wenderoth, Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111(23), 8410-8415 (2014). https://www.pnas.org/content/111/23/8410
• [jittweb] Novak, What is JiTT?, 2019. https://jittdl.physics.iupui.edu/jitt/what.html
• [LPT00] Lage, Platt & Treglia, Inverting the classroom: A gateway to creating an inclusive learning environment, The Journal of Economic Education 31(1), 30-43 (2000).
• [MSN16] McGee, Stokes & Nadolsky, Just-in-Time Teaching in Statistics Classrooms, Journal of Statistics Education 24(1), 16-26 (2016). https://amstat.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10691898.2016.1158023
• [NPG+99] Novak, Patterso, Gavrin & Christian, Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending active Learning and Web Technology, Prentice Hall, 1999.
• [SEI14] Course Transformation Guide, UBC and CU Science Education Initiatives, 2014. http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/files/CourseTransformationGuide_CWSEI_CU-SEI.pdf
• [SL17] Schulmeister & Loviscach, Mythen der Digitalisierung mit Blick auf Studium und Lernen, Digitale Transformation im Diskurs: Kritische Perspektiven auf Entwicklungen und Tendenzen im Zeitalter des Digitalen , 1-21 (2017). http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:708-dh5756

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