Abstract:

This paper is a summary of the work conducted in a master’s thesis in the autumn 2017 at Aalborg University, Denmark. The findings will be presented for the first time at the 2018 EduLearn conference.

In 2015, Aarhus University in Herning decided to offer an online bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering in addition to the traditional on-campus education. In order to be able to teach both online and on-campus students, a blended learning strategy based on the ‘flipped classroom’ approach was implemented.

At a semester evaluation, students raised the question: “When do we have time to study?” The students’ concern was that as they grow and develop as students, the problem with flipped classroom becomes greater; the flipped courses simply cause the students to disapprove the flipped learning method, as they feel they spend their time on matters that the lecturers consider important and in a very scheduled manner. In other words, the students do not feel they have enough time to study, which also includes the time scheduled for studying.

The master’s thesis was based on the above statement with the following problem formulation:
Is there a contradiction between problem-based learning and flipped learning?

To be more specific, the master’s thesis described the following questions:
• What does it mean to “study”?
• What are the essential criteria for adult education?
• What are the characteristics of problem-based learning?
• What are the characteristics of the flipped learning method?
• What are the differences between problem-based learning and flipped learning?

A survey was conducted to investigate how much time the students spend studying, working, etc., if they are satisfied with the time spent, and if they are satisfied with what they have achieved in the time spent.

The results from the master’s thesis revealed the following findings: A student at a higher education is an adult who seeks new knowledge. When students at higher education institutions are given a relevant problem to solve, it allows them, as adults, to take the lead and be responsible for own learning. To be able to learn in the best possible way, adults must be able to be in control in solving relevant problems. Adult learners takes responsibility for their own learning. The flipped learning method can create opportunities for problem-based teaching.

There is no contradiction between problem-based teaching and flipped learning if the students experience the freedom inherent in a flipped class approach as compared to a traditional didactic setting. Problem-based teaching does not have to be 100% problem-oriented; there are different levels of problem orientation and it is important to find the level of problem orientation that didactically fits the study programme, semester or course.

Keywords:

Online Education, Flipped Learning, Blended Learning, Adult Teaching, Andragogics, Project Work, Problem-Oriented Teaching, Problem-Based Teaching.