A MOOC-based flipped class: Lessons learned from the orchestration perspective

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a case study about the orchestration process of a MOOC-based flipped-class, and the students’ adoption of this teaching practice. The study was conducted on a mandatory third-year course on Organizational Behavior in the School of Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile with 346 students. The analysis shows that students pay more attention in class and are more participative, even though this means more work and study. Also, implementing this strategy is much more work for the teacher than giving a traditional face-to-face lecture, but the students pay more attention in class and are more participative. Furthermore, up to 96% of the students were active in the MOOC under study before class, especially watching the video-lectures, and students who were more active in the MOOC showed better scores on the course exams than those less active, a difference that proves to be statistically significant. These findings suggest that a MOOC-based flipped class is a good solution to promote student’s motivation and learning, but the implementation of this teaching strategy is delicate and must be very well planned. We provide a list of lessons learned about five key factors to be considered when orchestrating a MOOC-based flipped classroom: design, management, awareness, adaptation and role of actors.