The Flipped Classroom in Postgraduate Professional Programs: Are students buying in or flipping out?

Title

The Flipped Classroom in Postgraduate Professional Programs: Are students buying in or flipping out?

Author(s)

Dr Kimberley Norris

Presentation Goals

• Hear about the implementation of a flipped classroom model in a postgraduate professional training course
• Consider the impact of students’ pre-existing learning experiences and styles on success of the flipped learning model

Subtheme

Course Blends

Presentation Type

Spotlight on Practice

Keywords

Flipped classroom, student experience, learning

Room

Social Sciences 209

Time

12.45-13.45

Abstract

The flipped classroom has been increasingly employed in undergraduate tertiary settings as a means to encourage deeper engagement with learning material. To date there is minimal Australian research examining its utility in postgraduate professional training programs in which a need for process, not just content-related, knowledge is required. A longitudinal pre-post design was employed to assess postgraduate clinical psychology student experiences and learning outcomes within a flipped-classroom setting. Twenty-five students enrolled in a postgraduate clinical psychology unit participated in a flipped-classroom teaching environment. This involved students completing pre-reading of knowledge-based materials, and then using the workshop time to focus on practical implementation skills. Students completed questionnaires assessing their knowledge prior to engaging with the material, upon completion of the preparation material, and again following the face-to-face workshop. These scores were then compared to a previous cohort taught in the traditional workshop format. Mean levels of student knowledge post-workshop were significantly higher for the flipped-classroom group compared to the traditional learner group. However, qualitative data identified a bimodal distribution in regards to student satisfaction associated with the learning approach. The flipped classroom offers an opportunity to increase student experiences of 'practical' clinical psychology skills by utilising the time to focus on skill, as well as knowledge, development. In turn, this facilitates better client readiness for use in clinical psychology placements. However, this must be undertaken in a way that manages the inherent evaluative threat associated with high-stakes postgraduate professional training.