Abstract:

Blended learning has been referred to as a new paradigm in higher education [1]. Although this concept is not new in the literature, the interest for its application as an innovative educational paradigm has greatly increased.

While its contribution in enhancing deep learning is still debated, it’s demonstrated that designing it effectively determines a positive impact to the learning process. There are many approaches that could be adopted when designing such learning experiences. Among these approaches, flipped learning can represent an advanced way of further mixing online learning strategies and (inter)active face-to-face methods.

Research on this approach has been growing exponentially in the past few years, with more than 5.500 results for “flipped learning” on Google Scholar since 2014. Much of the interest of researchers for this approach is focused on understanding how to measure the usefulness of flipped learning methodology, e.g. students’ performance, students’ satisfaction [2].

Whatever the measure of its efficacy, flipped learning is a way to personalise the learning process [3] and one of its key elements is represented by the interaction among learners. Nevertheless, making students active during class time does not solely relay on encouraging discussion. That’s the major contribution of this paper: even in a flipped environment, the key to enhancing learners’ active engagement lies in creating the right synergy between different levels of students’ interaction with contents, peers, and instructors.

With this in mind, we have designed a flipped learning experience for a first-year course of the Master of Science in International Management at Bocconi University: Foundations of Globalization. The experience lasted for two editions of the course, during the 2nd semester of 2016/2017 a.y. and the 1st semester of 2017/2018 a.y. The course involved two parallel classes for a total of 260 attending students.

The goal of this paper will be threefold: presenting the methods adopted to enhance students’ interaction during both the online and the face-to-face sessions of the class; elaborating on the design process needed to define the right selection and mix of methods that guarantee learners’ engagement; discussing the organizational factors that facilitate the paradigm shift towards a flipped approach to learning.

We will then illustrate the results, consisting of a qualitative survey delivered to students of both classes in both editions of the course, and of an interview to the instructor.

Finally, we will outline how flipping learning is possible when the experience is properly designed, well supported by a heterogeneously competent team, and institutionally endorsed.

References:
[1] Caporarello, L., Inesta, A. (2016) Make blended learning happen: conditions for a successful change process in higher education institutions, EAI Transactions on e-Learning, 12(3).
[2] Jovanovic, J., Gasevic, D., Dawson, S., Pardo, A., Mirriahi, N. (2017) Learning analytics to unveil learning strategies in a flipped classroom, The Internet and Higher Education.
[3] Bergmann, J., Sams, A. (2012) Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day. Eugene, Or: ISTE.

Keywords:

Flipped learning, blended learning.