Professors could be flipping their teaching habits to change the way students learn in and out of the classroom.
UF Information Technology is offering a Flipped Classroom Seminar on Oct. 9, where the Center for Instructional Technology & Training’s instructional designers will teach faculty how to adopt this hybrid model of teaching.
Unlike live classes, the flipped model requires instructors to prerecord lectures and post them online, allowing students to get the material ahead of time, prepare and be able to focus on participating during class meetings.
“Imagine being able to do all of your group work in class as opposed to having to schedule it outside of class,” Stephanie McClelland, CITT’s manager of instructional design services, wrote in an email.
She said it is more convenient because students have the option of watching videos on their laptops, tablets or smartphones.
During class time, they can take part in group activities, ask questions and study for exams.
This teaching approach is a new concept for many professors.
In a study by Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, flipped classrooms were found to be ineffective in practice. Students had to be dedicated to the practice for it to work well.
But Konstantinos Gakis, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at UF, said he has heard about the model and would be interested in attending the UFIT seminar.
“It’s something that I have not tried, and I don’t know how it will play, but I am open to the idea,” Gakis said.
Isabella Cabal, a UF communication sciences and disorders senior, said the flipped model has the potential to help students if it is done the correct way.
“If they’re going to do online lectures, then they really have to put in the effort to make sure we’ll understand the material because we can’t ask questions directly in person,” Cabal, 22, said.
Spots for the seminar have filled up quickly, and there is a growing wait list for another session, according to McClelland. Faculty can register for the seminar with UFIT.
“It is very encouraging that instructors are motivated to improve their courses to be more student centered,” McClelland said. “Times are changing and students are changing. It makes sense that the way students are being taught should also change.”
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 9/24/2014 Last Updated 9/24/2014 at 7:09 p.m.]
