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With the literature calling for comparisons among technology-enhanced or active-learning pedagogies, a blended versus flipped instructional comparison was made for numerical methods coursework using three engineering schools with diverse student demographics. This study contributes to needed comparisons of enhanced instructional approaches in STEM and presents a rigorous and adaptable methodology for doing so. Our flipped classroom consisted mostly of in-class active learning, with micro-lectures as needed, and technology used both in and out of class, including for expected pre-class review of new content. Our blended classroom consisted mostly of lecture with some in-class active learning, and technology utilized both in and out of class. However, students were not expected to review new content before class. We compared blended vs. flipped instruction based upon multiple-choice and free-response questions on the final exam as well as the perceived classroom environment. This was done for students as a whole as well as for under-represented minorities (URMs), females, community college transfers, and Pell Grant recipients. Students provided feedback via focus groups and surveys. Upon combining data from the schools, the blended instruction was associated with slightly greater achievement on the multiple-choice questions across various demographics, but the differences were not statistically significant, and the effects were small. Our free-response final exam and classroom environment data aligned, with blended instruction showing more promise at two schools. The students identified demanding expectations with flipped instruction but pointed to benefits, such as enhanced learning or learning processes, preparation, and engagement. These results aligned with our focus group and instructor interview data. Thus, in general, it may be possible to use either instructional approach with the expectation of similar outcomes in final exam scores or the perceived classroom environment, keeping in mind the students qualitatively identified benefits with flipped instruction. Nonetheless, there were some large differences for the schools individually, suggesting further research with different demographics. KeywordsFlipped class, Blended instruction, Numerical Methods Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Cover Page FootnoteThis material is based upon work supported partially by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number xxx, and the Research for Undergraduates Program at School1's College of Engineering. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. We wish to thank student1, an undergraduate engineering student, who provided invaluable assistance. We would also like to thank undergraduate student2 and student3 of School1 for compiling the demographics and final examination data. ...

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Flipped instruction in an undergraduate numerical methods course in the online, remote environment during the COVID‐19 pandemic was conducted with and without the use of adaptive‐learning lessons for pre‐class preparation. This comparison was made to explore potential differences with and without adaptive software relative to exam and concept inventory performance and student perceptions of the classroom environment, learning and motivation, and benefits and drawbacks. Student perceptions were gathered via the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and a survey designed to capture feedback specific to flipped instruction. The analysis was made possible by a current NSF grant to study adaptive learning in the flipped classroom at three universities and extensive prior research with the flipped classroom and adaptive learning by the authors. Results gathered in the online flipped classroom with adaptive learning suggested positive changes in the following: classroom environmental perceptions, preference for flipped instruction, perceived responsibility imposed, motivation for independent learning, and perceived learning. Furthermore, based on an open‐ended question, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of students who experienced load, burden, or stressors in the online flipped classroom when adaptive learning was available versus not. Multiple‐choice exam and concept‐inventory results were slightly higher with adaptive lessons (although not significantly so), with the most promising results occurring for Pell grant recipients. The emerging medical education literature has suggested that adaptive learning and flipped instruction will be key to post‐pandemic education. The present article begins advocacy for adaptive learning with flipped instruction in engineering education.

Preclass learning, an obstacle in the success of a flipped classroom, is addressed via placing lessons on an online adaptive platform. The lessons combine the power of video lectures, textbook content, simulations, and assessments while using personalized paths for each student. This article describes the development of the adaptive lessons for a course in Numerical Methods, and the interpretation of the analytic data collected via the adaptive lesson platform and student focus groups over a two‐semester period with 146 students. Analytical data includes student metrics, such as the lesson scores and the time spent and lesson metrics, such as the percentage of students who completed the lesson and the percentage of possible adaptive paths used by students. The focus groups were conducted for two different demographic groups—students who are “white males” (comprise the majority of students in public engineering schools in the USA) and “other than white males”—to compare their perspectives on adaptive learning. Students in the focus group of the “other than white male” pupils demonstrated more favorable and positive perspectives towards the adaptive learning compared with the “white males”, although both groups identified benefits with the adaptive platform. Final examination scores were found to be correlated with the raw score of the adaptive lessons.