FLIPPED CLASSROOM: PROVIDING SMARTER STUDENT SUPPORT THROUGH MOBILE LEARNING TOOLS

The technology and instructional methods are changing day by day and hence the student, as digital natives expect a technology-driven learning experience from a higher education institute. They believe that the use of academic technologies in their modules improve learning (Smith and Caruso 2010).So the educators along with the responsibility of facilitating learning and building learner capacity, must also have a competent grasp over the emerging technologies. Technology finds its role in different aspects of teaching and learning in higher education context. It can provide support in course design, planning of lesson, delivery of content, support system for the instructors etc. Middle East College endeavor to the building of student potential through education, inquiry and innovation. Capacity building of the learner will emerge if the responsibility of learning is handed over to them. With this philosophy as a guide, teaching and learning at Middle East College was shifted from traditional class room teaching to flip teaching/learning across the institution. Teaching staff explored new and interesting teaching practices to integrate flipped learning environment into the curriculum for enhancing the student learning experience. Mobile learning brings about a ‘change’ in the sense that it provides the ability to communicate with tutors and peers, as well as access learning resources, thus changing what is possible in education (JISC infonet 2011). This paper presents how mobile learning enhanced and complemented the flipped teaching and learning adopted in Middle East College.