Flipped Classroom: Rethinking Instructional Dynamics

Key takeaways

A flipped classroom is a blended learning model where students review materials outside of class and use class time for collaboration and discussions.

• Instructors prepare pre-class and in-class materials and activities, with videos, readings, and online resources that guide students outside the classroom.

• Using the flipped classroom model can facilitate deeper learning and enhanced collaboration, promote reflective and critical thinking, and improve feedback and interactions.

• You can implement a flipped classroom model by sharing digital learning resources, such as recorded lectures and online videos, with students to review before class.

Explore the flipped classroom concept, how to determine if it is suitable for your college or university, and the steps to implement it on your campus. Broaden learning opportunities for your students even more through Coursera for Campus. Students can explore more than 10,000 courses available from 350+ leading university and industry partners.

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What is a flipped classroom model?

When you think of a traditional classroom experience, you might imagine a group of students sitting in class listening to an instructor explain different concepts. Although you might picture different interactive activities occurring throughout the class, activity time is usually in the minority compared to lecture time. The flipped classroom model is a type of blended learning where learners initially examine the core material outside of the classroom. You use in-class hours for practical application and group discussions.

What does a flipped classroom setup look like?

When designing a flipped classroom experience, instructors prepare pre-class and in-class materials and activities. For example, students might watch instructional videos, read materials, or explore guided online resources covering key topics before an in-person session. This self-directed learning phase allows students to acquire foundational knowledge independently and at their own pace. 

During the in-class time, instructors focus on helping students understand and practice applying the concepts they learned instead of giving lectures. Instructors may use this time to encourage deeper understanding, such as problem-solving or group activities. Depending on how learners perform in class, instructors can tailor activities to suit the group's needs or assign more at-home learning.

Advantages and disadvantages of flipped learning

To decide whether a flipped learning model is worth exploring, consider the advantages and disadvantages of this training model and how it might affect your students. 

Advantages

• Facilitates deeper learning: Pre-class exposure to material allows your students to use class time to engage more deeply with the content.

• Promotes active involvement: Your students can actively participate in learning and guide activities.

• Enhances feedback and interactions: In-class sessions provide immediate feedback and interactive learning opportunities, helping your students refine their understanding and skills more effectively.

• Encourages reflective and critical thinking: The model enables students to reflect on their learning, thinking about what they did and didn’t understand. They can then apply critical thinking to real-world applications and discussions.

• Facilities a collaborative environment: Group activities and discussions enhance collaboration among classmates.

• Allows flexibility and scalability: You can adapt the  flipped learning model to various learning styles and scale it to different group sizes.

• Increases comfort with digital tools: Students may adapt more quickly to new technologies by relying on digital learning tools in the flipped classroom.

Read more: Your Guide to Mobile Learning

Disadvantages

• Increases workload outside of the classroom: Students may feel they have little time to complete modules outside class time. 

• Requires certain technologies: Depending on your chosen learning method, the digital learning portion might require specific technological access outside of the office that not all students have.

• Relies on different instructional skills: To successfully implement a flipped classroom model, instructors must teach differently than they may be comfortable with.

• Has an uneven impact on learners: Background knowledge and learning style play a large role in whether the flipped classroom will be more effective for your students than traditional models.

Steps to build a flipped classroom learning model

Implementing a flipped learning model requires thoughtful planning and execution. To develop an effective flipped classroom strategy, organize each stage of instruction and learning, including time to teach students how to use at-home resources. It’s important to think about delivering content meaningfully outside of the classroom and maximizing the benefits of in-class time. 

Preparing content for outside the classroom

Provide resources that your students need to prepare adequately for class. This could include readings, video lectures, or interactive content. For pre-class material, you should utilize a variety of materials to cater to different learning styles, such as:

• Online videos and professionally recorded lectures for auditory and visual learners

• PDFs with walkthroughs and detailed PowerPoint slides for those who benefit from reading and visual aids

• Videos specifically focused on solving problems or storyboards that outline practical applications

• Presentations and animations that explain complex concepts in digestible formats

Encouraging active learning inside the classroom

Once students have reviewed basic content outside the classroom, your in-person classes should focus on applying and extending this knowledge. Consider implementing:

• Active learning activities: Plan classroom activities that require students to apply what they have learned in a useful way. For example, students might work in pairs to apply important concepts and then receive instructor feedback on their work. 

• Small group discussions: You can personalize your class time depending on challenges that have arisen for the specific group. By having small group discussions, you encourage participation and allow students to lead the class in a way that benefits them the most.

• Collaborative problem-based learning: Put your students in hypothetical scenarios where they have to work as a team to find a solution. This fosters a collaborative environment that mimics real-world problem-solving.

Over time, you should continuously seek student feedback to find the most effective activities. You can adjust the in-class strategies based on their input to enhance learning outcomes.

Tips when implementing a flipped classroom approach

Before designing your flipped classroom, clearly define the desired learning outcomes or behavioral objectives. Understand why students are showing up to the in-person class and what you want them to achieve. For instance, you can incorporate active-learning activities, such as case study analysis, collaborative note-taking, or concept mapping, to reinforce key ideas. 

As you build your flipped classroom model, choose the right digital tools to effectively facilitate at-home learning. Learning should be customizable to students’  preferences and offer several different styles of instruction. If you can, ensure that your students understand how to use the material at home and know how to review the materials without distractions. 

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