Abstract
Few studies have examined the impact of the flipped classroom approach used in an online professional development program. The study adopted a qualitative approach. Data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire distributed to 25 university instructors enrolled in a postgraduate certificate in higher education program (PGCHE). The findings reveal that the flipped classroom approach enhances the quality of teaching and learning in the delivery of the program as well as in the instructors' teaching practice. Instructors describe enhanced student learning, deeper learning, and self-regulated learning due to flipping their classrooms. The opportunity to achieve graduate attributes were also highlighted as a result of flipped classrooms.
TopBackground
Online teaching and learning at the Namibia University of Science and Technology
Since the 1990s, online programs have grown significantly (Keengwe & Kidd, 2010), and universities worldwide have taken a sharp detour toward implementing online teaching especially in 2020. Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), the site of this study, also shifted abruptly to online teaching and learning during the covid pandemic. While there are obvious disadvantages, such as students not attending or participating in online sessions, and a lack of data to access the internet, online learning provides greater flexibility than traditional learning (Keengwe & Kidd, 2010). Adult students enrolling in higher education can take advantage of online learning. Adult and traditional students may work part-time or full-time jobs while pursuing their degrees. Today’s university students include married couples with young children, as well as single parents who require greater flexibility in their learning process. Additionally, online education may be more compatible with the experiences and behaviors of millennial students who have grown up with technology. Millennial students (those born between 1982 and 2002) tend to prefer visual learning (graphics and videos) over traditional text-based instruction. They prefer experiential learning, which is defined as learning through doing rather than listening or talking about something. They are prone to lose interest if a class is not interactive, engaging, or moves at a snail’s pace (Sohrabi & Iraj, 2016). Instead of simply listening, the face-to-face or online class session is used for active work that focuses on assisting students in processing concepts. This focus enables the instructor to work more deeply with students (Talbert, 2017).
Today’s teachers and students have a different perspective on higher education, particularly in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis. There is a paradigm shift underway, from traditional lecturing and toward active student engagement (O'Flaherty & Phillips 2015; Sohrabi & Iraj 2016). The internet, affordable storage, increased computer power, new devices, and other tools have enhanced the digital experience but have also altered how students live, learn, and behave (Sohrabi & Iraj 2016), although these benefits have not been extended to all students worldwide.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Flipped Classroom: Study material is uploaded on an online platform whereby students are expected to engage in the content before the in-person or online class session resulting in deeper engagement and higher order learning during the contact session.
Innovative Pedagogy: New ways of facilitating learning and analyzing the impact of those ways of facilitating learning.
Student-Centered Teaching: Student-centered teaching shifts the responsibility for learning away from the teacher and toward the student. Student-centered teaching meets students where they are intellectually, emotionally, culturally. The approach relies on keeping an evolving learning relationship between teacher and student at the heart of both the philosophy and practice of teaching.
Synchronous: Students and teacher attend a live, online class at the same time.
Professional Development: Opportunities for academic staff in higher education to enhance knowledge and application of skills in the areas of teaching, learning and assessment, technology, course design.
Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE): A structured professional development program which leads to a Level 8 (Honors) Qualification. The programme is aimed to improve teaching, assessment, and technology integration.
Asynchronous: Students and the instructor engage with the content, activities, and assessments online but according to their own pace and time. Asynchronous places more responsibility for the learning process to the student.