Flipped Teaching Eased the Transition of Students to Online Learning During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Gopalan, Chaya; Onal, Sinan; Butts‐Wilmsmeyer, Carolyn; Dickey, Paige; Serrano, Charles; Bracey, Georgia; Bartels, Lynn; Locke, Sharon; Fickas, Julie

Flipped teaching (FT) has gained attention due to its method of teaching that allows students to learn basic concepts on their own using instructor‐provided resources before their scheduled class time. The class time is used in rehearsing and applying the knowledge using active learning approaches. The COVID‐19 pandemic caused an unexpected shift from face‐to‐face to remote learning during the middle of the spring 2020 semester challenging both students and faculty. This study examined the transition of students from the flipped classroom method to rapid online learning and whether the transition was dependent on the faculty experience with FT. The perception of the transition of students in the classrooms of faculty (n=12) with extensive experience in FT (cohort 1) was compared with that of a second cohort (n=11) who were in their first semester of FT implementation. Both qualitative and quantitative survey data were collected from 23 classrooms (n=256 students). It was found that the students in the courses taught by cohort 1 who had received intensive FT training and implemented FT in semesters prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic were able to facilitate a smoother transition and adjustment to fully online learning for their students compared to the students in the courses taught by cohort 2 (p< 0.01). The qualitative data analysis suggested that the students participating in the FT courses in the first half of the semester, before the pandemic, had an easier transition to fully online learning. Students also expressed concerns that online learning was affected by the lack of interaction with faculty and peers, lack of motivation, issues with time management, and personal and technological demands. In conclusion, this study found that faculty experience with FT helped ease the transition of students from the face‐to‐face FT to the online format during the COVID‐19 pandemic.