With Postmortem The Flipped Classroom – An Experiment

With Postmortem The Flipped Classroom – An Experiment - lessons learned applied to fall 2014 precalculus classes

What is the “Flipped Classroom”? A flipped (or inverted) classroom is a form of blended learning in which students learn new content online by watching video lectures before coming to class; class time is repurposed for discussion and hands-on active learning activities, and instead of lecturing, teachers can offer more personalized guidance and interaction with students.

Traditional vs Inverted Traditional classroom (“sage on a stage”): lecture during class (say, see, do); send students home to do exercises; and, discuss homework next class (if asked). Flipped (inverted) classroom (“guide on the side”): students watch video lectures before class; class time is repurposed for hands-on active learning activities, enrichment activities and discussions.

Timeline

Seminal article: “Inverting the Classroom: A Gateway to Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment” – Maureen J. Lage, Glenn J. Platt, and Michael Treglia - Journal of Economic Education, 01/2000 The article focuses on two sections of Microeconomics taught at Miami of Ohio University in the fall of 1996 using the inverted classroom model.

Timeline Four key factors leading to increased adoption of the inverted classroom: 1.Poor student outcomes – continued search for the magic potion, silver bullet, etc. 2.Availability of ready-made videos (Kahn Academy, textbook publishers, Youtube, etc.) 3.Increased student and instructor access to powerful, low-cost technology 4.Increased student access to broadband

Problems to Address You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Uneven student preparation Reluctance to ask questions Diverse student needs/interests Lack of engagement “Optional” assignments ignored Recommended study times ignored Online homework too easily gamed Large class caps ≠ individual attention Results fall short of goals

Flipping to Address These Problems You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Or can you? Videos can teach to multiple levels Rewind and repeat as necessary Participation is a classroom goal If you are in class, you are engaged Study time and preparation coerced Optional exercises no longer optional Online homework less necessary Individual attention is a goal Side benefit: promote collaboration Better “results” are a goal

Why Math 350*? Considerable experience teaching Math 350 Students are used to collaborative work Students more mentally and emotionally mature and responsible (transfer level class with a transfer level class as a prerequisite) Basis for a completely online Math 350 *Calculus for the Life Sciences I

Course Structure Before class Students watch several (3 – 8) short videos (≈ 10 minutes each) Optionally print slides Take notes as necessary Work example problems In class Q&A Short “lecture” as needed Short quiz based upon the videos and exercises Supervised problem-solving/ discovery/enrichment activities

Tools to Produce and Deliver Videos Hardware Computer and Writing Device Camera Microphone Software Presentation Video Creation Editing Delivery Method Next Section 

Computer Desktop Laptop  Back Tools to Produce and Deliver Videos

Camera  Back Tools to Produce and Deliver Videos

Microphone  Back Tools to Produce and Deliver Videos $35 $100

Presentation Software PowerPoint (Microsoft) Keynote (Apple) Impress (LibreOffice or OpenOffice) Prezi Google Docs  Back Tools to Produce and Deliver Videos

Video Creation Software $ Camtasia (TechSmith) Adobe Presenter Free Jing Ezvid ( )  Back Tools to Produce and Deliver Videos

Video & Audio Editing Software $ Camtasia (TechSmith) Adobe Presenter Free Ezvid ( )  Back Tools to Produce and Deliver Videos

Delivery Method ARC YouTube ScreenCast.com (TechSmith) Tools to Produce and Deliver Videos  Back

Production Workflow PowerPoint slides serve as a storyboard Produce video using rough written script (the slides and slide notes) Clean up edit Post to streaming server Link videos and notes to class web page Total time required to produce one 5 – 10 minute video: 60 – 90 minutes!

How Do Students Access Material?

Issues to Consider How to “coerce” students into watching videos and doing exercises before class? How to measure success? Time commitment ADA-compliance Copyright

Postmortem

Teach to all levels Rewind and repeat as necessary Participation is a classroom goal If you are in class, you are engaged Study time coerced “optional” exercises no longer optional Online homework less necessary Individual attention Promote collaboration Better “results” ????? How do you measure success?

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Postmortem # of Cookies and Thank You Notes ☺ Previous Fall Classes 2013 Inverted Classes

Postmortem Factors Possibly Affecting the Outcome Objective issues (to be mitigated on redo) Missing “Do” in “Say-See-Do” Too little thought given to classroom activities Videos too long (average of 10 minutes) Subjective issues Migration of better students to regular calculus Wishful thinking?

The 100 Will I do it yet again? 206 Hour Question

Q&A and Discussion Thank You