Trialling the ‘flipped classroom’ in the Politics and International Relations program

Title

Trialling the ‘flipped classroom’ in the Politics and International Relations program

Author(s)

Dr Hannah Murphy-Gregory, Dr Glenn Kefford

Presentation Goals

• Gain insights into the experience of students and lecturers of a ‘flipped classroom’ approach adopted for 200/300 level units in the social sciences
• Understand some of the benefits of increasing student interactivity via tutorial sessions
• Understand the benefits and limitations of producing online lectures
• Engage in discussion about the impacts and implications – for students and lecturers – for the preparation and delivery of a flipped classroom teaching mode

Subtheme

UTAS Blended Learning Model

Presentation Type

Spotlight on Practice

Keywords

recorded lecture, online lecture, flipped classroom, interactive learning

Room

Social Sciences 210

Abstract

In Semester 2 2015, Politics and International Relations Program colleagues trialled a new 'flipped classroom' teaching pattern for two 200/300 level units. This involved the replacement of the two-hour weekly lecture/fortnightly tutorial teaching pattern with a sixty to ninety minute weekly online lecture via MyLO and a weekly face-to-face tutorial. The presentation thereby represents a contribution to the conference subtheme of the UTAS blended learning model and seeks to explore the potential for the flipped classroom teaching pattern to build 'connectedness' between and among students and teachers (see Lizzio 2006).  In essence, the trial sought to establish whether students are better served by a decrease in lecture time characterised by 'one-way teaching' – from lecturer to students with minimal opportunities for student input – to more frequent interactive learning opportunities via tutorial arrangements. This trial takes place in the context of growing recognition of the limits of traditional lecture style teaching as illustrated by declining lecture attendance and the opportunities provided by rapid improvements to online teaching platforms such as MyLO. These trends in higher education, as well as the flipped classroom 'solution', are the subject of increasing scrutiny in the teaching scholarship literature with notable contributions on the benefits of flipped classrooms from O'Flaherty and Phillips (2015), Kim et al. (2014) and Chen et al. (2014).

This presentation shares the Politics and International Relations Program's experiment with flipped classrooms. In Week 13 of the trial, the lecturers surveyed the student cohort via a short questionnaire. Amongst the student respondents, more than 70 percent supported the flipped classroom model citing enhanced learning, greater engagement with lecturer and peers, and flexibility. Detractors noted their preference for live lectures also citing better learning and engagement. This presentation will discuss the results of the student feedback as well as the benefits, drawbacks and implications for teaching staff.