Is it worthwhile to flip? Reflecting on flipped teaching in chemical engineering

Abstract

The flipped classroom approach has been successfully implemented in a wide range of study fields. The use of the flipped classroom as part of a blended learning strategy in chemical engineering, however, is not a well-researched topic within the South African context. The question that now arises is: is it worthwhile for students and lecturers to spend so much time and effort on this approach in engineering education? This study aims to motivate the appropriateness of flipping the classroom in engineering education. For a group of third-year biotechnology students contact time was reduced and traditional lectures were replaced with audio PowerPoint slideshows, online tests and tutorials. The learning experience of these students was investigated by means of a survey, which showed that they experienced the flipped teaching approach positively and it did not impact negatively on overall student performance compared to other years. Changing to a flipped classroom enabled engineering students to work independently with audiovisual support material, reduced formal contact time and increased students' active involvement in class