FLIPPING THE HIGHER EDUCATION

Flipped Learning is particularly well-suited approach to be used in higher education system due to several reasons. As the expression says, we “flip” the classroom meaning that the main theoretical contents are delivered a distance or at least lecturers expect the students to get in contact with them outside the classroom (of course delivered in the more adequate format which can be video, text, image, infographic, etc). And this leaves time and space to develop other kind of activities in the classroom when lectures and students are together.
In fact, in this approach, the activities developed in the classroom are enriched by discussions, critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration. As said, this model leaves outside the classroom, the delivery of contents. Receiving the content to read and explore outside the classroom, means that students and lecturer can use time spent in class in a more effective way – for instance for problem solving, project development, role play, just to name a few.
In theory this is the model of 21st century. It can also be especially useful in large lecture courses where students are more engaged with the contents in the classroom. Nevertheless, this is a complex scenario since this demands a change in the role and attitudes of both participants – lecturers and students. In this scenario, we ask ourselves: Are students prepared to learn according to this model? Are they satisficed when participating in this kind of learning environment? Are they ready to explore the theoretical contents alone? And are teachers prepared to teach using this model? Or are they missing the necessary knowledge and skills to do so? In this paper we describe the flipped classroom processes implemented in a higher education context and the perceptions of its implementation. Research was conducted using questionnaires and interviews and incorporated the perspectives of both students (from a Higher Education Institution) and instructor on the use of flip classroom in the online and face-to-face classroom and how it influenced interaction and learner development. We could attest that we need to adapt the theoretical model to fit the culture of institution and also in order to face the needs of teachers and students.