Changing student opinion of flipped learning

Williams, Neil (2018) Changing student opinion of flipped learning. In: Variety in Chemistry Education / Physics Higher Education Conference 2018; 23 - 24 Aug 2018, Sheffield, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Abstract

Flipped learning was introduced in the second year of the chemistry degree course in 2004. The approach involved working through short inorganic chemistry study packs with embedded learning activities and on-line MCQ quizzes before attending workshops. This initially resulted in improvement in student attainment and student satisfaction (Williams et. al. 2008). Similar findings have been reported elsewhere (Seery, 2015). More recently Flipped Learning has been adopted in a second year physical chemistry module, where screencasts are provided. Recent feedback has indicated a decline in student satisfaction with flipped learning, particularly in Inorganic Chemistry. This prompted some re-evaluation of the approach. We report research into Chemistry students’ views of Flipped Learning. Second and third year (n=45) completed a questionnaire containing Likert scale and free response questions on their experience of the Flipped Learning they experienced in their second year. Even though there was very little change in the approach in 2017/8 compared to 2016/7, Mann Whitney tests revealed a significant effect of the level of students on their responses to questions on their enjoyment, subject interest, perceived learning and academic performance (p <0.05, two tailed). There was no effect of level on their views of workload or preparation time. This poses the question whether students appreciate Flipped Learning more when they reflect back on their studies. Qualitative feedback indicated a strong preference to watching videos or screencasts for preparation for workshops rather than working through paper-based study packs. This is in line with the increasing popularity of video material with students. The qualitative feedback and potential reasons for the differing response of level 5 and 6 students will be discussed in more detail in the presentation.

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