Flipped teaching

About this article

This article includes an overview of flipped teaching and links to related articles and resources. It is intended for instructors.

What's flipped teaching?

Also known as flipped learning or a flipped classroom, the term flipped teaching refers to a teaching strategy in which the instructor requires students to study expository course material outside of class and uses class time to engage students in learning activities that take advantage of their collocation in a physical space. This could include Peer Instruction, POGIL, discussion, collaborative learning, problem-based learning, hands-on laboratory experiences, and many other activities that are best accomplished by a group of people gathered face-to-face. The word flipped refers to the attempt to take what used to be done in class, specifically passive information delivery, and replace it with activities that students used to do as homework. What's new is that the current focus on flipped teaching coincides with several other trends in higher education, some of which relate to technology. Although there is nothing about flipped teaching that requires the use of technology, the two have become intertwined. Flipped teaching probably has traction today because:

There is increasing evidence that student engagement, active learning, and significant, high-impact learning experiences result in better student learning outcomes than passive information delivery alone.
There is growing interest in hybrid or blended course design and the convergence of face-to-face and online delivery methods.
The usability and variety of tools and resources available to faculty for delivering high-quality online learning experiences is increasing, as are instructors' related skills. As instructors become more comfortable finding, building, and managing effective online learning activities, many are rethinking how they can best spend their time with their students in class.

The online component

TLT supports all WSU instructors in their use of a wide variety of tools for authoring rich, online learning content and activities. More importantly, TLT provides professional consultation, instructional design, and production services to help you integrate these learning materials into your courses effectively.

Supported multimedia production applications

Kaltura MediaSpace. This is a new tool for us that will be introduced in August. It's like YouTube without the ads and Miley Cyrus videos. All WSU employees have their own MediaSpace channel and can upload video and audio files themselves any time. You can also use the built-in screen capture and webcam capture tools to author and publish original video content.
TechSmith Camtasia Studio. TLT maintains a multi-user license for this tool and distributes it to interested faculty. Camtasia is a screen capture and video production tool that does not require a degree in video editing to use. Capture your screen as you narrate over the top of PowerPoint, websites, and anything else that's displayed. Include your smiling face from your webcam as a picture-in-picture. Annotate the finished video using callouts, transitions, and even pop quiz questions.
TechSmith SnagIt. A bit simpler version of Camtasia that can be used to capture your screen activity and is also a great screen shot editing tool.
TechSmith Fuse. This is a tablet app that allows you to use your tablet to capture video and quickly transfer it to TechSmith Camtasia on your laptop.
Adobe Presenter. This is a PowerPoint plug-in that supports the capture of audio narration and the production of a video that includes several navigation features not included in the native PowerPoint recording tool.
Adobe Premier Pro. This is a professional-grade video editing application that goes beyond tools like iMovie in terms of functionality.
Doceri. This free tablet app can be used to capture voice and screen activity while drawing on a blank page or image. The video can be exported for upload to MediaSpace or uploaded to YouTube directly.
Crestron Capture HD. Some classrooms are equiped with microphones, cameras, and a built-in Crestron recording system that can be used to capture camera and audio input. Videos can then be saved to external media or uploaded to MediaSpace or YouTube.
Apple iMovie (laptop and tablet). This venerable application is still a workhorse when it comes to working with video obtained from other sources, adding audio tracks, and knitting your multimedia into a professional presentation. Using iMovie on your tablet opens up all sorts of new possibilities.
Prezi EDU PRO. If you can keep from giving your students motion sickness, Prezi's zooming feature can be an effective tool for some content. Adding narration to Prezi presentations let's you achieve results similar to a narrated PowerPoint.
McGraw Hill Tegrity. This is a lecture capture tool that integrates with D2L and some faculty are using to capture live lectures.
Screencast-O-Matic. This is a free screen capture tool that has a following in K12.
PowerPoint 2013. The new version of PowerPoint has finally ironed out the wrinkles of narrating over the top of your slides and packaging the slideshow as a video file. This file can then be uploaded to MediaSpace or YouTube.
Audacity. This is a free and feature-rich audio recording and production tool. Use it to record messages for your students or put together an entire podcast series.
Voicethread. This is a web-based tool for supporting asynchronous, group discussions via recorded audio. Discussion can center around a single image or document or a set of slides uploaded by the instructor.
YouTube webcam capture. This is a simple webcam capture tool built right into YouTube that you can use to record and publish directly to your YouTube channel.
Cisco WebEx and Adobe Connect web conference capture

Supported multimedia integration tools

Apple iBooks Author
Softchalk Create
D2L learning management system and the D2L HTML Editor

Multimedia production services

TLT Multimedia Production Studio (Maxwell Hall 136). Adam Zanzig, our Multimedia Systems and Services Coordinator, manages this professional recording and multimedia production studio. If you need consultation or have a special project that may need Adam's attention, give him a call.
TLT One-Button Recording Lab (Maxwell Hall 132). Need a quiet place to record a Camtasia or MediaSpace video? The door to the One-Button Lab is always open. Drop in and use our professional-grade microphones, headsets, and backdrops. Grab Adam Zanzig or Robin O'Callaghan, our Senior Instructional Designer, for training and tips. This is your room, so please use it.

The classroom component

In a flipped course, engaging face-to-face learning activities may or may not include technology. Aside from lab equipment, furniture, and audio/video systems that are part of the learning space, certain laptop and tablet-based tools might facilitate classroom engagement and learning in certain situations. For example:

Peer Instruction: This may be facilitated using student engagement or "clicker" systems. WSU is currently standardized on Turning Technologies, but is exploring a campus-wide Top Hat license for fall 2014.
Collaborative, problem-based, or challenge-based learning: Student teams may benefit from access to web resources, research tools, discipline-specific tablet apps, group writing tools, screen sharing tools, and shared mind mapping tools.
Discussion: Student engagement or "clicker" systems, instant messaging back channels, and survey tools can all help to open up discussion and allow reticent students engage.