Abstract:

The effectiveness of the flipped classroom and hybrid-flipped (partially flipped, partially lecture-based) method of instruction has been studied for lower-level undergraduate physics courses, and it has been shown to increase student understanding of introductory material in physics. However, few studies have been done for upper-level undergraduate courses, and even fewer have been done for virtual courses. In the spring of 2020, a fully virtual, hybrid-flipped Modern Physics course was taught with an enrollment of 38 students. These students were primarily juniors and seniors, with some sophomores. All were STEM majors. The same course, with a similar enrollment and demographic of students, was taught in spring of 2021. However, this time the synchronous session was taught in-person. We investigate the differences in student performance in the two versions of the course by comparing homework and exam grades. The homework assignments and the exam problems were kept identical between the two courses. Student evaluations, as mandated by the institution, as well as surveys of student perceptions of the course were also collected. In this report, we will present preliminary results of student performance, as well as a comparison of student perceptions of the course to determine the differences, if any, between a fully virtual version of the course and one in which the synchronous portion is in-person.

Keywords:

Flipped, physics, university.