Flipping the Large Intro Bio Class, Round 2Jung H. Choi, School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0230

Abstract

In fall 2011 and 2012, I taught two large lecture sections of our Intro Biological Principles course using an inverted or "flipped" classroom model. For fall 2012, I constructed a class web page and open education resource: http://bio1510.biology.gatech.edu/ that summarizes essential points, with 5-10 min embedded video lectures that explain key concepts, and in-class activities that apply these concepts. Students completed homework assignments in Mastering Biology before the concepts were addressed in class. Clicker questions at the start of the class period provided retrieval practice or addressed common misconceptions. For the majority of class time, students worked in small groups on problems and case studies. The in-class activities ended with clicker questions that probed student results and understanding from the activities. More details may be found on my blog: this page http://jchoigt.wordpress.com/intro-bio-topics/ lists posts outlining many of my in-class activities. Analysis of tests showed that student performance on factual recall questions was unchanged from prior years (2009-2010), but performance on application/analysis questions improved. Student reactions were still mixed at the end of 2012. Some student thrived in the flipped classroom environment; others expressed resentment. Student evaluations of my teaching for the flipped class had significantly lower mean ratings compared to previous years.

Goals

Emphasize process of science over content Apply basic concepts to authentic problems – make biology real! Integrate concepts from different areas of biology and allied sciences Promote teamwork across disciplines Look and think outside the textbook Have fun with biology (teaching and learning)

Problems identified in fall 2011:

Students complained that watching the lecture videos was a significant addition to their weekly workload for the course

I could not rationalize to myself why watching a lecture video would be a better learning experience that listening to a live lecture

Significant revisions/remedies for fall 2012

An on-line untextbook Lecture videos broken into short, focused segments, embedded into on-line

untextbook

Typical 50-minute class session

10 min Retrieval practice, with clicker questions and review of any challenging questions from Mastering Biology

5 min Introduction to case study & learning goals

20-25 min Group work on case study problems

10-15 min Clicker responses to case study problems, class discussion and wrap-up

Before class (just-in-time)

Students read assigned pages in textbook OR the on-line untext with video; AND students complete the Mastering Biology assignment

Instructor reviews Mastering Bio data to identify conceptual challenges

An open education resource for introductory biologyhttp;//bio1510.biology.gatech.edu

Did the flipped classroom format improve student learning outcomes?

Midterm exam questions for module 3 were categorized as primarily requiring either recall (R) or application/analysis (A). Student performance was compared between Fall 2010 (last time I taught a mostly lecture format) and Fall 2012 (flipped format, round 2).

Recall Application0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Performance on test questionsmolecules & metabolism

F10F12

Type of question

% Correct± SD

P < 0.051-tailed T-test

Embedded lecture video segments

Each unit begins with learning objectives

Students can ask questions using the comment feature

How did students like the flipped model?

End-of-course student surveys (>90% completion rate)Instructor was an effective teacher ; 5-pt Likert scale, 5 – strongly agree

Fall 2009: 4.2 Fall 2011: 3.4Fall 2010: 4.2 Fall 2012: 3.1

Recall questions = Bloom’s levels 1 + 2; n = 15 (F10) or 12 (F12)Application questions = Bloom’s levels 3,4; n = 27 (F10) or 22 (F12)

An open resource for instructors