Introducing the flip: A mixed method approach to gauge student and staff perceptions on the introduction of flipped pedagogy in pre-clinical medical education

Abstract

Flipped learning has become a popular blended learning approach in higher education and is now being adopted in medical schools across Australia and internationally. There are a number of principal educational justifications for the introduction of this approach, primarily, that it fosters deeper student learning through active engagement in the classroom. As a pedagogical intervention however, what do the various stakeholders think about its introduction? This paper explores reactions to implementation of a flipped learning approach to pre-clinical medical education in a regional Victorian medical course, via a mixed method approach. A range of quantitative and qualitative data was collected concerning the implementation, including a student survey, student focus groups, a staff survey for both academic and professional staff members involved in the implementation of the approach, and an independent student-driven social media questionnaire conducted in the second year post implementation survey. These data provide critical feedback for refinement of the flipped learning approach, including more robust student and faculty development and support during implementation of this pedagogy. Taken together, our results provide a unique perspective of the introduction of the flipped approach through different stakeholder lenses, and over time. Implications for practice or policy: • Innovative learning and teaching approaches should meet the needs of the modern student. • Tertiary education can be improved and efficiency increased by adopting a flipped classroom approach. • Change is often challenging; capturing the opinion of students and staff may enhance adoption and acceptance of new teaching and learning methods. • It is important to be reflexive in adopting new approaches with regular appraisal and evaluations in parallel allowing time for stabilisation and consolidation.