Abstract:

The so-called flipped classroom model (FCM) aims for the students to assume a very active role in all the learning activities, including master classes, working autonomously or collaboratively with help and supervision of the lecturer. The role of lecturers is still essential, but now the main work is not to transfer knowledge. Lecturer must be a guide to select learning resources and activities, a facilitator to fill in the gaps and solve questions, and an evaluator of the process itself and about acquisition of competences from students. Furthermore, lecturer must be the driving force to promote critical thinking, social and environmental responsibility and motivation to expand knowledge.

In addition to the clear advantages of FCM to reach deeper learning and maximize the use of attendance classes, the present work aims to adapt the learning process to the current generation of students with various specific objectives: to increase the interest in the subject, to develop autonomy and to motivate the continuous study with a variety of activities and resources. According to previous experiences, Virtual Learning Environments are a useful complement to provide learning resources, self-assessment tools and feedback, as well as monitoring the learning process. Nevertheless, special effort has been done to promote the use of textbooks and related resources, as they are a powerful learning tool that is usually neglected by students.

The present work reviews and compares various experiences in FCM in the subject of Engineering Thermodynamics in different bachelor degrees at the University of Zaragoza. Analysis and assessment is carried out through the student’s footprint in Moodle, opinion polls and observation cards filled out by the lecturers during the FCM sessions. The main conclusions, results and improvement proposals are here outlined.

Keywords:

Moodle, Educational Videos, Flipped Classroom, Higher Education Innovation, Engineering Learning.