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‘Flipping’ the Postgraduate Classroom: Supporting the Student Experience

Part of the Professional Learning and Development in Schools and Higher Education book series (PROD,volume 11)

Abstract

An enquiry was undertaken to evaluate whether the concept of ‘flipping the classroom’ to support the delivery of more specialised modules could be utilised at a postgraduate level. The fundamental idea behind this approach is that more time is dedicated to active learning with tutor support and feedback being provided for the students. A set of lectures was developed for the post-graduate module in Diagnostic Cellular Pathology using a lecture capture system. Evaluation of the ‘flipped classroom’ and traditional lecture sessions was undertaken, looking at their perceptions of each mode of delivery within the module; in particular focusing upon whether ‘flipping’ enabled students from a range of backgrounds and abilities to take a more active part within lecture sessions.. Using tutor contact time to support their application of knowledge to problems and case studies within the workshops allowed them to develop a greater depth of understanding of each topic covered and address any areas of concern. Further in-depth analysis shed light upon student engagement within the module and motivation to undertake further reading to ‘deepen’ knowledge within specific topics, and overall performance of the module.

Keywords

  • Flipped classroom
  • Diagnostic cellular pathology
  • Postgraduate classroom

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Acknowledgement

We wish to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of the students who participated in the study.

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Correspondence to Sara Smith .

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Smith, S., Brown, D., Purnell, E., Martin, J. (2015). ‘Flipping’ the Postgraduate Classroom: Supporting the Student Experience. In: Layne, P., Lake, P. (eds) Global Innovation of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Professional Learning and Development in Schools and Higher Education, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10482-9_18

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