Group Admins
Description
Session Description
A risk associated with flipped learning* is that students do not complete out of class work tasks which makes face-to-face sessions ineffective because they are designed to practise or consolidate out of class work. In this talk I will present results from a module where it was found that using simple learning analytics with flipped learning can mitigate this risk. An initial desk study revealed no other discussion of the technique in the literature so the project is considered a significant proof of concept.
The learning analytics consisted of feedback via simple Google forms, students completed open questions related to the out of class reading and screencast assimilation activities. They were also given the opportunity to identify any troublesome issues they would like me to discuss in the face to face sessions. This approach allowed a number of aspects of students’ learning to be addressed:
1. Tracking if they had completed the assimilation tasks set to be completed out of class
2. Encouraging them to engage with out of class materials
3. Identifying problems they were having with course content as a group and as individuals
The technique was successful in terms of the use of learning analytics which showed a good engagement of students with the out of class materials ([1] and [2]). Flipped learning was also popular with the students, for example, they commented that it led them to engage more with the module content than with other non-flipped modules they were taking concurrently. An improvement in student learning outcomes was not studied but would be a valid experiment in future study of the practise.
The session will explore best practices that were identified enabling practitioners to re-use the techniques in their own institutions. The session fits well with the partnership strand as the technique encourages students to reflect on their learning prior to the face to face sessions, allows the tutor to identify ‘tricky topics’ in the learning [3] and also is a means to increase engagement by increasing the amount of tutor – student discussion time in class. It also enables equality as it is easier for students to keep up with the module progress if they have to miss classes e.g. if they suffer from mental illness of some kind.
* identified as important to ed-tech colleagues in the discussion following Mella (2017) at ALT-C 17.
Session content: evaluation and reflection
The session is based on direct experience of running a module 2011-14 and on the feedback and learning analytics I gathered from the students during that time. Discussion of this case study is the central core of the session. It is also informed by literature in a number of areas of interest to learning technologists including: flipped and blended learning, tricky topics, distance learning, activity based learning.
Flipped learning builds on a number of areas of educational practice, it has close similarities with seminar teaching and the supported distance learning model. These areas will be explored in order to underpin the main body of the presentation.
The session will use PollEv to engage participants asking them to: rank media types in terms of usefulness with students (video, reading and fieldwork); feedback thoughts on the ethical implications of learning analytics; and suggest situations where the technique could be used in their own institutions.
References
Bergmann, J. and Sams, A., 2012. Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. International Society for Technology in Education.
Clow, D., 2012, April. The learning analytics cycle: closing the loop effectively. In Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on learning analytics and knowledge (pp. 134-138). ACM.
Mella, P., 2017. Exploring benefits and challenges of a flipped classroom approach. ALT-C 2017, Association of Learning Technologists.
Roach, T., 2014. Student perceptions toward flipped learning: New methods to increase interaction and active learning in economics. International Review of Economics Education, 17, pp.74-84.
Resources for participants
The institutional VLE available at the time did not fulfil my needs so I used Google Forms to collect student feedback:
https://www.google.co.uk/forms/about/
HEA advice on flipped learning:
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/flipped-learning-0
