Evaluation of a flipped classroom in mechanics of materials

Abstract

Recent interest towards the implementation of flipped (or inverted) classrooms parallels the wide availability of technology and the shift from lecture-based teaching methods towards student-centered teaching methods in undergraduate engineering education. The flipped classroom involves two components: computer based video instruction outside of the classroom and interactive learning activities inside the classroom. The intent is to create an active and engaging classroom experience that can be tailored to meet the needs of students possessing a wide range of learning styles. This can potentially reduce attrition, improve knowledge retention, and enhance skill development in engineering. The main goal of this study was to compare and contrast the effectiveness on student learning of a flipped versus a traditional lecture-based classroom in a first course in mechanics of materials. Two five-week summer session courses in mechanics of materials were used to conduct the study; one following traditional methods and the second in a flipped teaching format. Our assessment on the effectiveness of the flipped teaching method is based on performance of pre- and post-quiz scores. Statistical analysis of the pre-quiz and post-quiz data indicates that students in the flipped classroom (treatment group) performed better than those in the traditional classroom (control group) approach. Controlling for prior academic achievement and initial levels of content-specific achievement, a multiple linear regression analysis shows that 8% of the variability in post-quiz scores is accounted for by the instructional delivery approach used. Thus, there is evidence to suggest that participation in the flipped classroom results in better performance than participation in the traditional classroom.