Flipped Classroom

Overview

A "flipped classroom" intentionally shifts direct instruction (e.g., lectures, content delivery) outside of the live class meeting time. Students engage with foundational material – typically through pre-recorded lectures, short video snippets, readings, or interactive modules – before coming to class. This frees up valuable in-class time for more active, interactive, and personalized learning experiences such as discussions, problem-solving, collaborative activities, and deeper exploration of complex topics.

This strategy is often developed incrementally as an "after teaching" practice. Instructors can record and refine their lectures and create supplementary multimedia resources during one teaching cycle, gradually building a robust library of materials. These resources are then deployed in subsequent semesters to enable a fully flipped model.

Female student wearing headphones while working on a laptop resting on her lap

Benefits of a Flipped Classroom

Optimizes In-class Time

Transforms in-person classes from potentially passive lectures to active, engaging, and application-focused learning environments.

Personalized Learning Pace

Students can pause, rewind, and re-watch lectures as needed, allowing them to learn at their own pace and revisit challenging concepts.

Accessibility & Flexibility

Pre-recorded content provides flexibility for students with diverse schedules, learning needs, or those who miss a class. It can also benefit non-native English speakers who can pause the recording and rewatch sections.

Deeper Understanding

Active learning strategies in class promote higher-order thinking, critical analysis, and better long-term retention of material.

Instructor-student Interaction

Allows instructors to spend more time engaging with students individually or in small groups, providing targeted support and clarifying misconceptions.

Content Library

Over time, the created resources become a reusable asset, reducing preparation time in future semesters and creating a consistent, high-quality learning experience.

Executive Functioning

Provides students with explicit content to review and prepare, helping them manage their learning tasks.

In-person Help Seeking

Apart from office hours, students often request more time to ask questions and work on challenging concepts in class, which a flipped classroom model can enable.

Tips for Small Enrollment Courses (Under 60 Students)

  • Start small & iterate: Don't try to record every lecture in one go. Begin with key foundational lectures or particularly challenging topics. Use course capture if available to you and post lectures after in-person classes to see how students utilize them.
  • Modular content: Break down lectures into shorter, digestible video "chunks" (e.g., 5-15 minutes) focusing on single concepts. This makes them easier to produce and for students to consume.
  • Variety is key: Combine video lectures with other multimedia (e.g., animated explanations, simulations, interactive quizzes, curated external videos, written summaries) while keeping in mind these do not need to be "high" production value. In fact, students appreciate when video lectures feel practical and accessible so no need for fancy video editing or booking in-person recording studio time unless that is desired.
  • Leverage existing materials: Adapt your current lecture slides or notes into video scripts. You don't need fancy equipment; a good microphone and screen-recording software are often sufficient. Also, consider open educational resources to supplement your materials as added resources.
  • Include knowledge checks: Embed brief, low-stakes quizzes or questions within or alongside your pre-recorded content to ensure students are engaging and understanding. Even ask students how well the materials worked for their learning and what would they recommend to improve them.
  • Clear labeling & organization: Store all pre-recorded lectures and resources in a highly organized, consistent manner within your bCourse/Learning Management System (LMS) – e.g., in weekly modules.
  • Deeper discussions: The freed-up class time can be used for extensive Socratic seminars, debates, or student-led presentations stemming from the pre-recorded material.
  • Complex problem-solving: Dedicate significant time to working through intricate problems collaboratively, with the instructor guiding and facilitating.
  • Individualized support: More opportunities for the instructor to check in with individual students or small groups during in-class activities.
  • Student-generated questions: Have students bring specific questions about the pre-recorded content to class for targeted discussion.

Tips for Large Enrollment Courses (Over 60 Students)

  • Start with what matters most: Rather than recording everything at once, prioritize high-stakes or commonly misunderstood topics. If course capture is available, try posting recordings after class first to see how students engage before fully committing to the flipped model.
  • Think in chunks, not lectures: Aim for 5-15 minute videos focused on a single concept. Shorter segments are easier to produce and easier for students to fit into busy schedules.
  • Keep it accessible, not polished: Mix video with simulations, quizzes, or curated external content — students respond better to materials that feel practical and straightforward. No need for fancy video editing or studio time.
  • Use what you already have: Your existing slides and notes are a natural starting point. Basic screen-recording software and a decent microphone are usually sufficient. Open educational resources can also supplement your materials without significant added prep time.
  • Include knowledge checks: Embed brief, low-stakes quizzes or questions within or alongside your pre-recorded content to ensure students are engaging and understanding. Even ask students how well the materials worked for their learning and what they would recommend to improve them.
  • Clear labeling & organization: Store all pre-recorded lectures and resources in a highly organized, consistent manner within your bCourse/Learning Management System (LMS) – e.g., in weekly modules.
  • Structured active learning: Design in-class activities that are highly structured and scalable for large groups (e.g., polling with clickers, "think-pair-share" followed by reporting out, short group problem-solving activities).
  • Dedicated facilitators: Utilize GSIs to facilitate small group discussions or problem-solving sessions during class.
  • Pre-class quizzes/surveys: Implement short, required quizzes or surveys based on the pre-recorded content to ensure students come prepared. Use this data to tailor in-class activities to address common misconceptions.
  • Peer instruction: Use questions related to the pre-recorded material for peer instruction, where students discuss and explain concepts to each other.
  • Q&A sessions: Dedicate a portion of the class to addressing student questions about the pre-recorded material, using polling to prioritize common queries.

Return to Act Three - After Teaching