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Flipped Classrooms: a Review of Key Ideas and Recommendations for Practice

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Abstract

Flipped classrooms refer to the practice of assigning lectures outside of class and devoting class time to a variety of learning activities. In this review, we discuss the range of approaches to the flipped classroom and focus on activities frequently used in these settings. Amongst these, we examine both out-of-class activities (e.g., video lectures) and in-class activities (e.g., quizzes, student discussions). We argue that the value of these activities reflects the particular cognitive processes engaged by the activity regardless of whether the setting is the traditional (lecture-based) classroom or the flipped classroom. Future work should continue to examine the influence of individual activities on student learning and behaviors, particularly when objective measures of learning, such as quizzes and exams, are held constant.

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Notes

  1. Although a variety of work suggests strategies to increase reading compliance (e.g., Dobson 2008; Wilson 2013), little is known about the efficacy of assigning readings when learners do not know what information they should extract.

  2. In order to ensure that students complete out-of-class activities such as readings or video lectures, some instructors have successfully implemented low-stakes quizzes (e.g., 10 % or less of the overall course grade) on the out-of-class materials (Flynn 2015; Jensen et al. 2015; Wilson 2013). However, it remains an open question (a) whether out-of-class assignments are regularly completed in flipped classrooms and (b) whether the rate of adherence differs between flipped and traditional classroom formats.

  3. Although group sizes differed, a post-semester self-report study indicated an average of three participants per group.

  4. Group size was not specified.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1876, USA

    Sarah J. DeLozier & Matthew G. Rhodes

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  1. Sarah J. DeLozier
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Correspondence to Sarah J. DeLozier.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE-1321845, Amendment II. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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DeLozier, S.J., Rhodes, M.G. Flipped Classrooms: a Review of Key Ideas and Recommendations for Practice. Educ Psychol Rev 29, 141–151 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9356-9

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