EFFICACY OF LIVE INTERACTION TO PROMOTE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM

Research shows that most lecturers are taking advantage of the flipped classroom to deliver the learning content outside the classroom. The course component is flipped or rearranged in the sense that students view or study the short videos, asynchronous video lecture (pre-recorded lecture) or podcasting at home prior to class contact, whereas the in-class time is dedicated to classroom activities. These learning activities creates the opportunity for distinguished roles to meet the needs of students and promote engagement in class. It is important that when using the flipped classroom approach, lecturers consider designing the activities that will require students to know the content that is recorded by using a pedagogical approach that demands engagement. It is reported that when students spent time studying on their own it leads to them getting better test scores. In this case, student engagement in class is promoted by interactive teaching which is important to reduce boredom.

Live interactive teaching means that all interactions are within the lecture room and both the lecturer and the students use the clickers, mobile phones, tablet computers or iPads at the same time. These reponsive devices enable interaction which is important because these devices allow learning to be more authentic as well as promote the active participation and involvement of students. In the live interactive teaching, the focus is on assessing individual knowledge construction through active cognitive engagement, higher-level thinking and critical thinking. The question posed in this study was To what extent was student engagement using live interaction in the flipped classroom promoted? To answer this question the embedded experimental design was used. This design had three phases namely: preliminary data, intervention, and post intervention data. Data were collected concurrently at different phases. Participants were 105 students enrolled from flipped undergraduate mathematics I course at a study university of technology in South Africa.

This paper reports on the efficacy of live interaction to promote student engagement in the flipped classroom. In order to do this firstly, two paper-based tests were written in the preliminary data phase. The Orientation Test and Follow-up Test were meant to determine what students already knew and assisted in the development of the intervention. The survey questionnaire in the form of a ‘What is Happening in this Class’ (WiHC) with a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data was also used during this phase. Secondly, during the intervention a flipped learning approach was adopted and the Technology-engagement Teaching Strategy (TETS) using clicker mobile technology was developed. The mathematics lecturers in a form of the videos were recorded. In-class TETS using clicker technology was used in the flipped mathematics course to forster engagement and participation in all the students. In the process, clicker diagnostic tests were conducted during as well as at the end of a lecture. Finally, in the post intervention data phase data were also collected by means of WiHC and the semester test.. The results showed that live interaction was effective in promoting student engagement in the flipped classroom. It is recommended that lecturers adopt the flipped classroom approach to teaching and learning in order to shift from synchronous, classroom-based instruction to asynchronous, technology network-based learning.