Assessment of Flipped Classroom in Upper-Level Engineering Course

Abstract

While flipped classrooms have been of interest in the last several years and anecdotally seem to offer a better means of engaging millennial students through active learning, there has been a lack of rigorous assessment regarding the impact of the flipped methodology on student learning gains. In particular, there have been few studies that have objectively examined student performance throughout the semester with a control group for comparison. This study serves as a means to fill that gap by comparing both objective performance and student perception of the flipped classroom with a control group experiencing the same upper level undergraduate engineering course in a traditional lecture-based format over the course of an entire semester. The main research questions for this study include: 1) are short-term student learning gains improved when comparing flipped vs traditional lecture methods, 2) what aspects of the flipped classroom are contributing to the difference in learning gains?, and 3) how do students perceive their learning gains in flipped vs traditional lecture styles? Comparison of quiz and exam grades will be used to address student performance. Weekly student recordings of the amount of time spent on different aspects of the course, student confidence surveys regarding the learning objectives one week prior to the two exams, as well as teaching effectiveness surveys twice during the semester will be used to investigate student perception. The results from this study combined with the minimal available literature will be used to provide insight on what, if anything, about the flipped classroom methodology is improving student learning gains and how that can be leveraged to improve the experience of students in other undergraduate courses.

The impact of flipped classrooms on student achievement in engineering education: A meta‐analysis of 10 years of research

“…In flipped engineering courses, students were first exposed to new materials before class by visiting online lectures. Engaging in the materials again in class improved students' understanding (Altaii et al, ; Fogarty, ; Schrlau et al, ). Second, studying online learning resources before class helped to prepare students for class activities (Baytiyeh & Naja, ; Clark et al, ; Kim et al, ).…”

“…The importance of creating active and experiential learning environments for engineering students has long been emphasized (National Academy of Engineering, ). However, as Fogarty () asked, “How do engineering faculty incorporate active learning in the classroom given the constraints of time and the amount of material that needs to be covered?” (p. 2). The result of our meta‐analysis suggests that the flipped classroom is a possible approach for freeing class time for more active learning activities without sacrificing student achievement.…”

Flipped microlecture classes: satisfied learners and higher performance?

“…In this setting, various video types could be implemented to support teaching. Literature that distinguishes four of those video types: first, podcasts contain presentation slides with voiceover audio explanation (Chen and Wu 2015;Fogarty 2017), recordings of lectures (Chen and Wu 2015;, or other supplementary illustration to demonstrate, summarise and introduce a problem (Freguia 2017;Kay 2012). Second, videos may refer also to screen recordings of the instructor's computer (Chen and Wu 2015; Mason, Shuman, and Cook 2013) on which a task, simulation, or software is demonstrated.…”

“…Existing literature assesses the effectiveness of existing video types, such as, for example, voiceover recordings of presentation slides (Fogarty 2017;McClelland 2013), lecture captures (Chen and Wu 2015), and demonstration videos (Grossman et al 2013;van der Meij 2017). These types differ in terms of format, accessibility, length, purpose, and content.…”

Work In Progress: Assessing Student Performance and Perceptions in a “Flipped” Statics and Mechanics Engineering Course

“…Active learning, where students are engaged in the learning process through activities such as group-based problem solving or hands-on activities, has been recognized as an effective means to educating students in comparison to traditional lectures with many independent studies showing improvement in student learning goals [2]. By shifting the dissemination of class notes to a period outside of the designated class time, the flipped classroom allows for students to have more meaningful interactions that relate to the materials that were introduced to them prior to attending class [3]. But students are not the only ones who benefit from this model; instructors have reported appreciation for the flexibility of class time and the improved class engagement [4] and some have reported a reduction in their workload due to student-led discussions and problem solving [5].…”