The flipped classroom: could we? Should we?

I read a short guide by Educause Learning Initiative on the idea of a ‘flipped classroom’. The flipped classroom is “a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed”. An example is given, where students were assigned to watch some short lecture videos at home and complete a short quiz at home.  The in-class activity consists of team discussion about the lecture themes and the quiz, which generate further questions. The lecturer takes a less prominent role in this scenario.

Could this model work for us? I can’t see why not. We already have the ability to create short (or long) recordings using voice recording devices, such as smartphones, mp3 recorders and even mp3 players. We can even record short videos using Panopto, or any old webcam on a computer. The lecturer could prepare a short introduction to the week’s theme, highlighting the key points, outcomes etc. Further reading could also be assigned at this stage, approached after the lecturer has raised the key questions. Online exercises could further reinforce these points, but also help raise more questions.

The in-class session could then be a session that is not a ‘transmission’ of information from the lecturer to the student, but rather an opportunity for discussing the finer points of the topic, or for focusing on methodological aspects and discipline-related tools for analysis. One barrier for this model is, of course, class layout and size. This model could be applied in a flexible room where the tables can be arranged to accommodate groups. Large lecture theatres, and groups of over 30 could make this a difficult task.

You can read the ELI resource on the flipped classroom here.