FULT Module 2: Educational Design

                                                    Focus on

                                            your Learners by
                                                   Involving them

                                         in the Process

- Barbi Honeycutt

Flipped classroom learning is increasingly used in university teaching and seems like a useful approach to make learning interesting and effective.

However, there appear to be certain issues with implementing flipped classrooms. It is difficult to give personal attention to a large number of students, 80 in the case of Dr Alex Escobar, making flipped classrooms challenging in terms of availability of resources and costs involved. Prior-recorded video lectures, though beneficial for students in terms of more flexibility and time to reflect on the content, would affect the spontaneity of classroom teaching. Also, not every student can allocate that much time in advance to familiarise themselves with the learning resources. I feel this approach would be very useful for undergraduate students towards the beginning of their program, for whom taking notes during lectures (and attending lectures itself) is a relatively new experience.

Apart from the fact that his classroom activities are so clear and well-structured, I like how Dr Steven Toaddy records them so that he can later give students reflections on their performance. This would enrich the students' overall learning experience and make learning a two-way road. Also, having a possible incentive to be a 'model student' for future learning through the semester would better motivate the students to perform well in class. Shorter lectures, in addition to saving time, would be better in terms of holding students' attention, which has been attested by Illysa Izenberg and other academics. With regards to Steven's comment that availability of Q and A time at the end of the class is a benefit of having a flipped classroom approach, I feel this should be a given in any type of learning scenario. Also, incorporating feedback from students should be an ongoing process for evaluation and revision of educational design.

Bloom's Taxonomy

My understanding of flipped learning from the above resources and lively Q & A session with Elizabeth and Sebastian from the UNSW School of Physics is that the process of designing and implementing a flipped classroom program is more complex than structuring conventional lectures or tutorials. But from what they've mentioned, once set up and running, such programs are very effective and need little restructuring over time. This approach seems daunting to me most probably because it is a relatively new concept and also because I am quite a novice in terms of university teaching. The sense of community and belonging that Sebastian mentioned, and enhanced interaction between students and teachers which happens with active learning are great incentives for embracing the flipped learning approach. Other potential benefits of flipped learning are increased lecture attendance and class participation leading to better performance in assessments and grasp of the eventual learning outcomes.

There are many models of student-centred learning, Toohey's and RASE for example, to draw constructs for designing flipped learning lessons. Irrespective of the framework used and content of the course, learning objectives and teaching methods must be clear for students to gain the most out of flipped learning. Eventually, the purpose of flipping classrooms is to enable students to move up the levels of learning, from the factual to meta-cognitive. To quote the terms furnished by Jens in the face-to-face session, the ultimate aim of teaching is to facilitate navigation from pedagogy to heutagogy.

Self-evaluation of this post using Criterion 2 of the e-portfolio feedback rubric: Very good

Update:
My revised flipped classroom lesson plan following Module 5.  

Image source: Twitter

FULT Module 2: Educational Design

FULT Module 1: Student Approaches to Learning

Module 1 of the FULT program was an eye opener for me in many ways, I learnt a lot from the pre and post-session activities, and the very stimulating face-to-face session.

With regards to the post-session video featuring Prof David Perkins, his mention of 'educating for the unknown' and 'understanding of wide scope' resonate again and again. These concepts seem to beautifully summarise what deep learning is all about. I wholeheartedly agree that there are many scenarios in day-to-day life, beyond the boundaries of structured learning, where students have to tackle and solve problems - hence the need for preparing students to face the unknown is paramount. Though this can be brought about mostly by deeper thinking and reflection, a sound understanding of fundamental concepts (in other words, surface learning) forms an important base for ongoing real-world learning. Hence, I disagree with David about 90% of what is taught being a waste, in spite of agreeing with his statement of being selective of what is worth learning. Eventually, it is the career path the student takes and life circumstances that really decide what type of learning was worthwhile and what wasn't.

Curriculum, guidelines set by the university/faculty and the discipline substantially influence students' approach to learning. I heard of surface and deep learning approaches for the first time during the first FULT face-to-face session. Though the terms were new, the concept was very familiar from my own experiences with university learning. Having studied science in high school and more specifically health science later on, I have made use of rote learning to a great extent. However, during clinical training, practical application of concepts and a hands-on approach was how most of the 'real learning' was done. In clinical programs, as with most professional disciplines, there is a gradual transition from surface to deep learning as the program progresses.

In my current teaching course, where I facilitate group discussions in class, the students do take a deep learning approach in terms of emulating real-world scenarios for each week's topic. They are able to do so quite effectively as they are in the final semester, and have a good understanding of the discussion topics from experiences gained through the course of the program, especially during their clinical postings. Also, the topics (set by the course convenor) are very realistic and warrant a deep rather than surface learning approach. As a tutor, I try to further deepen their learning by asking questions that nudge them to think broadly while being mindful that they engage with the concept/theory that forms the basis for the discussion. 

As Bob mentioned in the face-to-face session, encouraging AIR (Activity, Interactivity, Reflectivity) is the key to successful learning and teaching. At this point, I am unable to come up with new strategies to encourage a deeper learning approach. As a teacher, I have knowledge and interest in the subject area, am enthusiastic, friendly and approachable, and encourage the students to take centre stage. At the end of the day, teaching and learning to me is about empowering and being empowered.

Self-evaluation of this post using Criterion 2 of the e-portfolio feedback rubric: Very good

Image source: Twitter

FULT Module 1: Student Approaches to Learning