Flipping the traditional lecture and old cultures

Lecturers:
Keith Willey
Tim Aubrey

Faculty:
Engineering and Information Technology 

Keywords:
Engineering, flipped learning, enquiry-based, peer-evaluated

Dr Keith Willey and Dr Tim Aubrey wanted to use students’ time in class more productively and for students to really understand what it was they were learning. 

What changes have been made

Dr Willey and Dr Aubrey introduced 'flipped' enquiry-based learning activities, collaborative in-class exercises and a threshold exam into the subject Continuous Communication.

“A lot of the 'flipping' is mostly just readings, then getting the students to answer questions about what it was they just read, and what they thought was important to learn. Or what they had to learn. Because it’s no good just giving students an activity to do without them evaluating what they're going to learn.”

The teaching team’s 'flipped' model rethinks how lecture-allocated time can be used in a more constructive way. For example, students now undertake enquiry-based online exercises prior to class, and they attend a laboratory class focused on collaborative group work. 

Why the changes have been introduced

The teaching team wanted to change the culture in the subject, in which they felt students were focusing too heavily on accreditation, rather than learning. As part of this culture change, they wanted to move away from the traditional lecture format and introduce new teaching and learning techniques. So they are testing whether this approach strengthens students' critical thinking skills and provides them with a wider range of resources.

How the subject is now being taught  

The subject's new teaching and learning techniques are implemented as follows:
 

1.    Flipped Learning
The 'flipped' activities are scheduled six times throughout semester and are based on that week's content, previously delivered through a lecture. The teaching team ask students to do that week's readings and answer questions on SPARKplus regarding the material and what they understand their learning outcomes are. According to Dr Willey,
 

“Anything that a student produces that only they and you [the lecturer/tutor] sees is a waste of time. It’s only valuable if students can exchange ideas. In this subject students get readings, design problems, enquiry based problems, and online research. And then using SPARKplus as a tool we get them to post their opinions, and answer some multiple-choice questions about what they were meant to learn. We then publish those results to the students without correct answers. Being able to discuss their choice and read other students' reasoning they can hopefully start getting some opinions about this subject's content and outcomes, and all before they come to class.”
 

2.    Online enquiry-based activities
Students use an online system of lab equipment called TIMS Trainer. This tool allows students to build modulators with many solutions and methods possible. Students can use this tool outside of class time to put their knowledge into practice, enabling them to identify any problem areas or gaps in understanding to then follow up in class.
 

3.    Collaborative in-class activities
In the laboratory, the teaching team divide the class into groups to discuss topics and write down their ideas on butchers paper. At the same time, the teaching team roam around the room and listen to students’ conversations:

“Student feedback is invaluable when flipping. Walking around the room and listening to what students are saying is important because you can hear misconceptions about some topics and explain them on the board and in discussion, instantly dissolving those misconceptions and giving feedback.”
 

4.    Final assessment
The final assessment is in two parts to provide students with a further opportunity to develop an understanding of the content.
 

a.        Multiple-choice examination in Week 13
Students use Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IFAT) cards. If a question is answered correctly on the first attempt it receives two marks, on the second attempt one mark and on the third attempt 0.5 marks. The pass mark for this exam is 80%. 
 

“Having to get 80% in a test is sometimes a psychological barrier for students. But they soon overcome that, as this is a satisfactory knowledge test to give them a chance to see where their gaps in knowledge lie; if they have to scratch three times for the answer, for example.”
 

b.        The final exam
Held in the formal examination period, students have extra time to revise material they realise they didn't understand when undertaking the first exam in Week 13.

Challenges and considerations

The teaching team recognise the advantages of 'flipped learning' and pre-class work, however they also identify common misconceptions about 'flipping' including the idea that technology must be used and entire lectures should be put online. Instead, “you can use screencasts of your hand drawing a diagram, or writing out notes - anything that explains the information simply, in less than five minutes.”
 

Dr Willey also suggests allowing students to have some say in how and what they learn in the class activities. “The activities should be guided by their needs. This means that sometimes you may head off into uncharted waters, not be fully prepared and get it wrong. But that's ok, you learn what works through making mistakes.”
 

Exploring further
TIMS Trainer. What is it and how it works.
TechSmith. Camtasia.
Delving even deeper

MathWorks. Get an overview of MATLAB, the language of technical computing. 

UNESCO Teaching and Learning for a sustainable future: A multimedia teacher education program.