Evaluating Learner Reasoning Skills through the Active Learning Flipped STEM Classroom Design

The flipped classroom is gaining prominence as an active learning pedagogy to engage a new generation of students. However, all courses do not lend themselves to a fully flipped design and instructors are often reluctant to flip lectures due to the additional time and effort involved, especially so in case of technical subjects such as economics. This study experiments with a flipped classroom design in a first-year undergraduate economics course. The research was motivated by the fact that many undergraduate economics students do not engage with traditional lectures. They fail to acquire critical thinking, data handling and reasoning skills, which are thought to be at the core of the economics curriculum. In this flipped classroom format, traditional lectures were substituted with micro-lectures and the remaining class time was devoted to active learning pedagogies including quizzes, group work and student presentations. The full lectures were panopto recorded and put up on the e-learning site, Blackboard. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom format, I compared the final exam scores of students in the flipped classroom with those in the control group, which followed a traditional lecture-based approach. The key results from the analysis revealed that students in the flipped classroom performed better in the final exams vis-à-vis students in the traditional classroom format. Furthermore, students in the flipped classroom format were 1.61 times less likely to fail in the module as compared to students in a traditional classroom format. This format also resulted in better student engagement, more flexibility and enhanced student–tutor interactions within the classroom.

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Activities for Students: Calendar Analysis: Blue Moons

Mathematics Teacher ◽

10.5951/mathteacher.106.3.0220 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 106 (3) ◽

pp. 220-227

Author(s):

Neil C. Schwertman ◽

Kate Thomas

Keyword(s):

Active Learning ◽

Small Groups ◽

Full Moon ◽

Rare Event ◽

Quantitative Reasoning ◽

Classroom Activities ◽

Reasoning Skills ◽

Excellent Tool

Analysis of a rare event such as a blue moon (defined today as the second full moon in a month) can provide an interesting exercise that develops quantitative reasoning skills. Research by Whitacre and Nickerson (2006), Grouws and Cebulla (2000), Hill and Ball (2004), and Greeno and Hall (1997), for example, shows that active learning such as classroom activities for individuals or small groups is an excellent tool for stimulating students.

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Students’ Learning Experience with a Flipped Introductory Organic Chemistry Course: A Course Designed for Non-Chemistry Majors

Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology / La revue canadienne de l’apprentissage et de la technologie ◽

10.21432/cjlt27917 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Horace Luong ◽

Thomas Falkenberg ◽

Mahdi Rahimian

Keyword(s):

Organic Chemistry ◽

Active Learning ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Group Work ◽

Flipped Classroom ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Learning Experiences ◽

Classroom Design ◽

Student Centered ◽

Flipped Classrooms

The use of flipped classrooms has been gaining popularity across various disciplines as student-centered active learning pedagogy. In this study, an introductory organic chemistry course was delivered through flipped classroom methodologies, incorporating blended learning to deliver content and group work in the classroom. The learning experiences of non-chemistry majors students enrolled in the course are discussed. The majority of the students adjusted to the pedagogy and felt autonomy in their learning. These students also believed that most of the flipped classroom design components were a good use of their time in learning organic chemistry.

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Promoting active learning in introductory financial accounting through the flipped classroom design

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education ◽

10.1108/jarhe-01-2015-0005 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 72-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Camillo Lento

Keyword(s):

Active Learning ◽

Student Performance ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

Flipped Classroom ◽

Financial Accounting ◽

Control Group ◽

Classroom Design ◽

Grade Point ◽

Content Type ◽

Active Learning Strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a classroom design for introductory financial accounting that promotes active learning through a flipped classroom approach. A course learning management system, white-board voice-over video applications, an online homework manager and online tutorials pre-packaged with the course textbook were all adopted to facilitate the flipped classroom. The in-class sessions were refocussed around active learning strategies, including case analysis, concept mapping, solving comprehensive problems, mini lectures with bookends, and small group discussions. Design/methodology/approach – A quasi-experimental design, combined with student surveys, are utilized. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test is used to assess the significance of any difference in student performance between a lecture-based course (control group, n=92) and the flipped classroom course (experimental group, n=97). Student performance is measured based on final exams and overall course grades. Findings – The results suggest that the flipped classroom improved student grade point averages, final exam performance, and pass rates. Both the stronger and weaker students benefited from the technologies and active learning strategies adopted in the flipped classroom. Originality/value – This is the first known study to investigate the efficacy of promoting active learning in introductory financial accounting through a flipped classroom design. This study is valuable for accounting educators, and educators in other similarly technical disciplines, who seek to combat the high failure rates that typically plague complex, technical introductory courses.

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