Flipped and blended courses are popular ways to enhance student engagement, flexibility, and learning outcomes in digital learning. But how do you design and deliver them effectively? Here are some tips and best practices to help you create better flipped and blended courses.
Flipped and blended courses are not the same thing, although they can overlap. Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach that reverses the traditional order of instruction, so that students access content and materials before class, and use class time for active learning, discussion, and feedback. Blended learning is a mode of delivery that combines online and face-to-face components, using a variety of tools and strategies to create a coherent and integrated learning experience. Flipped learning can be applied to any mode of delivery, while blended learning can use any pedagogical approach.
Before you start creating your flipped or blended course, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. What are the learning goals and outcomes of your course? How do they align with the curriculum, standards, or expectations of your institution or discipline? How will you assess your students' progress and performance? How will you communicate your goals and outcomes to your students and stakeholders? Having a clear alignment between your goals and outcomes will help you design your course more effectively and efficiently.
Rather than starting with what you want them to learn, consider what your audience needs to do following the intervention. What change are you looking to make? Once you have defined this, consider how you can make this change happen in a way that inconveniences your audience as little as possible. The more your intervention sits in their flow of work, the more successful it will be. Make sure you have clearly defined the changes you want to see in the short, medium and long term. Some metrics will lag (lagging metrics) so it's important to have some that will show movement early on, even if they don't track your end goal 100% accurately. It's enough to know if things are getting better or worse in the short term; detail can come later.
It's essential to consider which learners flourish in flipped training courses. While not a one-size-fits-all, certain individuals particularly benefit. Self-directed learners excel, enjoying pace control and content revisitation for mastery. Busy professionals leverage the model’s flexibility, integrating learning effortlessly into their schedules. Tech-savvy participants revel in the accessible, tech-centred structure, while diverse learners find the varied content formats accommodating to their unique styles and needs, making the approach inclusive and beneficial for a broad learning audience. Personally, it just makes so much sense to me!
Depending on your goals, outcomes, and context, you will need to select the tools and platforms that best suit your flipped or blended course. You may want to use a learning management system (LMS) to organize and deliver your online content, materials, and activities. You may also want to use other tools and platforms, such as video hosting services, podcasts, blogs, wikis, social media, webinars, or virtual reality, to enhance your online or face-to-face components. You should consider the availability, accessibility, affordability, and usability of the tools and platforms you choose, as well as the technical support and training you and your students may need.
Once you have chosen your tools and platforms, you can start designing your content and activities for your flipped or blended course. You should aim to create content and activities that are relevant, engaging, interactive, and aligned with your goals and outcomes. For flipped learning, you should design content and activities that prepare your students for the in-class sessions, such as videos, readings, quizzes, or reflections. For blended learning, you should design content and activities that balance and complement the online and face-to-face components, such as discussions, simulations, projects, or games.
Some thoughts: For history, students watch a documentary and take a quiz pre-class, then engage in debates during class. In science, interactive simulations or videos precede in-class hands-on experiments. Literature students might read a chapter, view an analysis, and reflect on themes before in-depth class discussions or writing exercises. Each example demonstrates flipped learning's versatility, combining various pre-class preparations with engaging in-class activities to deepen understanding and facilitate active participation.
After you have designed your content and activities, you can implement your flipped or blended course and monitor your students' progress and performance. You should provide clear instructions and expectations for your students, such as the course schedule, the learning objectives, the assessment criteria, and the communication channels. You should also provide regular feedback and support for your students, such as the answers to their questions, the comments on their work, the suggestions for improvement, and the recognition of their achievements. You should also collect and analyze data on your students' engagement, participation, and learning outcomes, such as the attendance, the completion rates, the grades, or the surveys.
Promote consistent communication through forums, email, or video conferencing, ensuring students feel supported and guided. Regular check-ins, feedback sessions, and interactive discussions can foster a responsive, engaged learning community, crucial for a successful flipped course experience. Consistent observation, combined with proactive communication and feedback mechanisms, ensures students remain on track, engaged, and supported throughout the flipped learning process. You will need to form individual relationships with students and allocate a lot of time for interaction.
Finally, you should evaluate your flipped or blended course and improve your practice based on the feedback and data you have collected and analyzed. You should reflect on what worked well and what did not work well in your course, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of your design and delivery. You should also solicit feedback from your students, colleagues, and other stakeholders, and listen to their opinions and suggestions. You should then use the feedback and data to make adjustments and improvements to your course, and to inform your future flipped or blended courses.
Unlike instructing, mentoring nurtures a dynamic, two-way relationship, focusing on individual student needs while fostering self-regulation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This role involves creating safe, engaging learning environments, guiding students to useful resources, and offering emotional support. Effective mentorship plans, wise tech use, and commitment to professional development are crucial for this transition. Embrace mentorship in your flipped classroom, supporting students in not just academic achievement, but lifelong learning and adaptability as well.