FLIPPED LEARNING + ICT: AN INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL IN HIGHER EDUCATION

At the University of Zaragoza several teachers in different subjects work through the ‘inverse teaching’ approach or also named Flipped Learning. Its purpose is the improvement of teacher-student interaction and to increase the performance of the teaching-learning binomial. These teachers have unified efforts and ideas working collaboratively in the same direction, through the formation of a stable multidisciplinary group of educational innovation. This research line focuses on the application of Flipped Learning in different areas of knowledge with university students. It is supported by different ICT applications, interactive tools and software available for teaching. It is also intended to promote a critical and reflective thinking of the student towards the use of new technologies.

Recent research reveals that a flipped classroom instructional model has a positive impact on students’ learning. The typical passivity of the students in lessons, especially those of theoretical content, requires, in the opinion of many teachers, an action with the purpose of involving the students in the educational activity. The use of the strategy Flipped Classroom or Flipped Learning, is a very interesting option to enhance the teacher-student relationship. The idea is to facilitate a feedback between both and to favour the student's attention and participation. Its goal is to encourage discussion and, in short, student achievement.

Students today have very useful and powerful tools such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, e-books, e-ink books... This reality is unquestionable, just like the social and educational changes that it causes. Why not use these tools for the benefit of university teaching? Why not reduce the technological gap between students and teachers? The introduction of ICT and mobile devices in the classroom along with educational software allows for a better and deeper implementation of the Flipped Classroom technique, approaching the reality of the student. In order to assess the degree of student participation in the subjects, quick surveys and direct observation of teachers in the students' daily work have been carried out. The results of the various evaluation tests have been compared when applying the Flipped methodology supported by new ICTs or when applying the classic methodology. The aim has been to observe the student achievement ratio.

The implementation of the pedagogical approach Flipped + ICT together with the incorporation of techniques such as Puzzle-based Learning, Problem-based Learning (PBL), Simulation-based learning (SbL),… has indicated the effectiveness of the strategy proposed. Thus an increase in the involvement degree and student motivation has been appreciated. Knowledge building has also been improved through active-collaborative learning. The experience has a marked multidisciplinary approach. Thus, it has been applied to students with very different academic profiles in subjects of different degrees. It has been demonstrated that this strategy and the resources used can be transferred to other subjects and knowledge disciplines.