Innovative Teaching: A Qualitative Review of Flipped Classrooms

Abstract

The extent and importance of web-based learning in higher education have increased tremendously in the last decade, triggered by new educational technologies and pedagogical approaches. Higher education lecturing has traditionally followed a teacher-centered approach, with lecturers giving classes in the classroom and students performing out-of-class activities. Under this traditional approach, the main actor in the teaching-learning process is the lecturer, while students play a passive role. The flipped classroom emphasizes the role of the student in the center of the learning environment and facilities an active learning pedagogy. This paper reviews the most recent case studies related to the flipped classroom approach in order to provide educators guidelines on the best practices, traits, and merits of the flipped classroom. A total of 22 case studies were included in this qualitative review of the flipped classroom. The methodological inquiry followed the PRISMA flow diagram that identified an initial pool of 3,764 articles. Upon identification of relevant case studies (n=22), a five-point Likert-type sentiment rating was assigned as the basis to structure the discussion. The rating was based on the students’ perceptions of the flipped classrooms as investigated in the articles. The assessment confirms that the majority of students have a positive perception of this learning pedagogy. However, there are concerns about increased workload for students, ambiguity in expected learning outcomes, and an initial barrier to actively contribute; these are the primary implications of this review.