To Flip a Class or Not to Flip a Class: That is the Question

Abstract

The flipped classroom is one of the recent innovations applied in teaching science concepts to nursing students. It is thought that a more engaging and meaningful learning environment is created, but how exactly this is achieved in flipped classroom is unclear. The aims of this paper are to describe how a flipped classroom was effectively created for beginning off-campus nursing students studying the course Human Body, and to determine its impact on the learning experience of these students. Survey methodology was used to evaluate students’ perceptions about flipped classroom. A 15-item questionnaire was administered to participants at the conclusion of the course. They were requested to rate or complete thirteen statements on a Likert scale relating to their learning experience and respond to two open-ended questions on what they liked most about the class and areas for improvement. Forty-one (n=41) students completed the post-flipped classroom survey, out of a total of 174 off-campus students for a 24% response rate. Though constrained with poor response, this study illustrated that the flipped classroom was a feasible learning and teaching approach for off-campus nursing students. For various reasons, 84% of respondents preferred the flipped classroom and 85% recommended it for future students.