Tools and strategies
Student perspective:
- Quantitative and qualitative online questionnaire – gathering student feedback on the active learning approaches embedded in the course
- Student reflections on learning via an assessment item
- Focus group student interviews
Instructors’ perspective:
- Reflective writing during the semester
Key findings
1. Student perceptions of pre- and in-class activities
The students’ ratings of the helpfulness of the pre- and in-class activities using a 5-point likert scale are summarised in Table 1. The results showed that students had positive ratings of the pre- and in-class activities.
The results also matched with the students’ weekly rating of the pre-/in-class activities as shown in Figure 1. Students’ ratings of the pre-class activities were high, relatively over 4.0 on the 5-point Likert scale, throughout the period of a 13-week semester.
Table 1. Helpfulness of learning activities following a flipped classroom model
| Activities | M | SD |
|---|
Pre-class activities: - Pre-class online quizzes are helpful for solidifying understanding of issues in the online lectures and the required readings
| 3.72 | 1.11 |
- Online lectures are helpful for promoting understanding of various issues of second language learning and teaching
| 3.82 | 1.00 |
In-class activities: - Tutorial activities are helpful for promoting understanding of issues covered in the online lectures and the required readings
| 4.20 | 0.70 |
- Tutorial activities are helpful for extending understanding of the weekly topics
| 4.00 | 0.76 |
- Weekly reflective activity is helpful for identifying areas that need further revision and enhancement
| 2.82 | 1.16 |
Figure 1. Weekly ratings of the usefulness of pre- and in-class activities
2. Student perceptions of technology use in active learning activities
Apart from the pre- and in-class activities, students also rated the helpfulness of technology use in the flipped classroom activities. Table 2 shows that the use of technology including softwares and apps (such as Kahoot, Mentimeter, YouTube) facilitated the students’ understanding of concepts introduced each week.
Table 2. Technology-supported learning activities
| Helpfulness of the technology use | M | SD |
|---|
- Online activities (e.g. Kahoot quiz, Mentimeter, YouTube videos, etc.) helpful for understanding the concepts of the week
| 4.18 | 0.96 |
- Online learning pathway Padlets helpful for reviewing class content and understanding better the weekly topic
| 3.38 | 1.09 |
3. Benefits of the flipped delivery mode
Table 3. Helpfulness of learning activities following a flipped classroom model
| Flipped classroom | Yes (percentage) | No (percentage) |
|---|
- Online activities (e.g. Kahoot quiz, Mentimeter, YouTube videos, etc.) helpful for understanding the concepts of the week
| 78% | 22% |
- Online learning pathway Padlets helpful for reviewing class content and understanding better the weekly topic
| 88% | 12% |
As shown in Table 3, a majority of students agreed that the flipped classroom delivery mode was beneficial in terms of helping them improve their learning.
4. Students’ comments on the effectiveness of flipped learning
- It helped promote their critical engagement with course materials: “Online lectures are useful as it helps consolidate the knowledge from the readings”; “Having a quiz due before class was an excellent strategy to ensure that the lectures/readings were completed before class”.
- It increased their active participation: “Without this flipped classroom delivery mode, I would be very passive. I was more active especially when asked to read the required materials and online lectures in order to do the quiz”.
- It enhanced their independent and peer learning skills: “I find that I’m more organised with the flipped classroom”; “First time using the flipped classroom method and I find it helps me to stay on top of the work and not slack off”; “I quite enjoy this teaching method which provides a lot of opportunities for us to communicate with classmates and exchange ideas”.
5. Teachers’ reflection on the flipped teaching experience
- Benefits: “It was rewarding to see students engage actively with the learning materials prior to and during class. The teacher’s role significantly changed from knowledge providers to facilitators of students’ learning.”
- Key challenges: “Preparation and production of video lectures required substantial investment of time and effort. It was challenging to make the videos informative, educational and still entertaining enough to maintain students’ interest.”
