Characteristics of a Flipped Classroom

By: Justin Ferriman • August 13, 2015
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flipped-classroom1Flipped classrooms are starting to gain in popularity across various levels of education.

Empowered by today’s tech tools, learners can now absorb content on their own time and then use class time to practice what they’ve learned.

It is this blended learning approach that makes flipped classrooms an attractive option for educators.

Lecturing can be done in a virtual environment using elearning and a robust learning management system. Even quizzes can be administered during non-standard classroom hours so that it can instead be used towards the practical application of the concepts being taught.

While this structure is primarily used in education (both universities and K-12 in the United States), one can see how it would also be of value to the corporate sector.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in that space is that there has to be ample incentive for employees to take the online courses prior to the live training sessions. Not impossible of course, but certainly a bit more challenging than in a school setting given that a student’s grade is tied to their participation.

So what does a flipped classroom look like today? There are a variety of characteristics in a flipped classroom environment. Below are some findings from a study conducted by the University of Queensland (Australia).

Subjects Most Flipped

  • Science
  • Math
  • Programming

Resources Leveraged

  • Screencasting
  • YouTube
  • Podcasts
  • eBooks

Tech Used For Access

  • Laptops
  • Tablets
  • Mobile Devices

Key Educator Concerns

  • Limited home connectivity
  • Accurately measuring learning gains

Teacher Tools

  • Learning management systems
  • iTunesU

Motivation For Flipping

  • Improve grades
  • Improve critical thinking skills
  • Improve professional skills

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter