Johnstone’s Triangle as a Pedagogical Framework for Flipped-Class Instructional Videos in Introductory Chemistry

Abstract

A growing body of educational research is demonstrating the improvements to learning gains and student performance that can be promoted by a flippedclassroom model in university chemistry courses. Usually, a core aspect of the flippedclass model is the student viewing of a preclass instructional video, allotting time for an in-class activity during the following lecture. Flipped-classroom instructional videos were prepared for a first-year general chemistry course at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus. Unlike many flipped-class video resources, these videos are not just narrated screen captures. Instead, they are anchored in live instructor recordings, complemented by three different presentation modes, each designed for pedagogical correspondence to a corner of Johnstone's triangle: narrated screen capture (symbolic), molecular animations (submicroscopic), and experimental laboratory demonstrations (macroscopic). Live instructor recording created a reliable persona for students to interact with, in keeping with tenets of social agency theory, and video format and design were informed by principles of cognitive load theory. Student responses to these videos and the associated flipped-class modules were assessed by using a mixed method approach. Semistructured interviews provided detailed student feedback regarding both student satisfaction and pedagogical utility. Quiz data assessing pre-and postvideo knowledge and student survey data on attitudes toward the flipped-class modules were also collected. Statistical analyses and coded interview data indicated general appreciation and higher satisfaction with flipped-classroom modules compared to traditional lectures, matched by a general student belief that the flipped modules enhanced their learning. Students feel that interactive questions embedded in the videos and the video segments aligned with the Johnstone's triangle framework contributed positively to their conceptual understanding, while the humor and enthusiastic tone provided by live-footage instructor segments promotes both viewer engagement and trust in the authenticity of the instructional material.

The COVID Cohort: Student Transition to University in the Face of a Global Pandemic

“…For many students that were forced to structure their study around times when internet access and their own study environment were less compromised, live sessions were less useful, and the prerecorded content is vital for learning. This reaffirms the best-practice principles for multimedia content such as creating short and direct videos, conscious of issues around cognitive load, as most recently described in the excellent paper by Petillion and McNeil . While these types of learning objects have become a staple in higher education in recent years, their usefulness during this period cannot be overstated.…”

“…This reaffirms the best-practice principles for multimedia content such as creating short and direct videos, conscious of issues around cognitive load, as most recently described in the excellent paper by Petillion and McNeil. 21 While these types of learning objects have become a staple in higher education in recent years, their usefulness during this period cannot be overstated. We also propose that beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, remote learning is likely to become more commonplace, and thus, this insight is not just of temporary significance.…”

Student Experiences of Emergency Remote Teaching: Impacts of Instructor Practice on Student Learning, Engagement, and Well-Being

“…As such, prior to the cancellation of in-person learning, they had been engaged in scheduled course meetings that had included lectures, experimental laboratories, and tutorials across a range of disciplines. All participants have completed our first-year chemistry course sequence, which is taught using a range of active learning methods, including flipped-class modules that involve interactive instructional videos, so all participants had familiarity with at least some form of online learning prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, even if the majority of their instructors did not.…”

Student perspectives on online lectures during the Covid-19 lockdown

“…Gilbert (2008) described gesture as being a "prevalent, yet almost completely unresearched form of 3D representation" (p. 9), that had been shown by Roth and Welzel (2001) to be particularly useful in conveying scientific phenomena in the absence of a secure grasp of technical language, suggesting that gesture may help to clarify meaning when sub-microscopic processes are being described. Petillion and McNeil (2020a) identified a similar positive student response when evaluating the impact of instructional videos that were centred on the instructor and were developed around the framework of Johnstone's Triangle (Reid, 2019) as part of a study into the flipped classroom in chemistry, which also found evidence of a positive impact on attainment.…”