Students See Value in Preparing for a Flipped Classroom.

Objectives: In a flipped classroom, student preparation for in-class activities is critical for in-class participation. A lack of student preparation, and lack of student motivation to engage with pre-class learning are major challenges when implementing a flipped classroom. Research indicates that the format of pre-class learning tasks (videos, readings) may influence students’ motivation to complete these tasks. The objective of this project was to explore student perceptions and preferences of pre-class learning activities in a flipped classroom.
Methods: This is a qualitative cohort study. Three cohorts of first year students participated in a flipped classroom over one semester in 2021 (24 students), 2022 (35 students) and 2023 (40 students). Students prepared for class each week by completing a pre-learning quiz, either watching a video or completing a reading and then completing a pre-class quiz. Upon completion of the subject, students were invited to complete a questionnaire relating to their perceptions and preferences of the preparation activities. The data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results: Five themes will be reported. (1) I can see the value in preparing for class; (2) the pre-class learning needs to be just right; (3) structure and control are important to me; (4) videos enable the teacher to explain the concept to me; (5) quizzes motivate me and help me prepare. It was important to students to see a connection between all activities and that they were not too easy or too difficult. Organization on the learning management system and testing their knowledge before class were also important.
Conclusions: The design of online learning materials can support student preparation for class in flipped classroom or other blended learning environments. Students need to be able to see a clear relationship between online activities, and those they complete in class which influences their motivation to prepare.