Flipped Classrooms in Undergraduate Statistics: Online Works Just Fine

Background The flipped classroom method requires that students engage with homework before coming to the classroom so that class time can be spent on active and collaborative learning exercises. Research has demonstrated that this can improve student performance versus traditional lecturer-led teaching methods. Objective During the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of teaching has been entirely online such that even ‘in-class' time has been virtual. The current article examined whether online-only delivery affects the efficacy of the flipped classroom approach. Method Grades for a research methods and statistics module and a statistics portfolio assignment were compared across consecutive cohorts of undergraduate psychology students taught by different methods. Results Overall grades on the module did not differ significantly across teaching methods but student performance on statistics tests did. Flipped classrooms, whether accompanied by on-campus or synchronous online classes, led to significantly better performance than traditional methods. No detriment was observed by teaching entirely online. Conclusion The key advantages of the flipped classroom method appear driven by active learning which can occur irrespective of classroom context. Teaching Implications Using flipped classrooms can be a useful tool, particularly in subjects where students may otherwise be less engaged with the content.

Personality traits and stress perception as predictors of students' online engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with increasing student numbers means online learning will remain a prevalent feature of the university experience, therefore it is vital that we understand how personality can influence student online engagement. The current study examined whether students' personality traits and stress perception predicted their online engagement with their studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 301 first year psychology students completed the Big Five Inventory, Challenge and Hindrance Stress Scales, and the Online Student Engagement Scale, which measured students': engagement skills, emotional engagement, participation and performance. Results revealed that conscientiousness positively predicted all types of online engagement. Extraversion predicted participation and performance. Neuroticism predicted engagement skills, emotional engagement and performance, whilst agreeableness and openness to experience respectively predicted participation and emotional engagement. Additionally, stress perceived as a hindrance negatively predicted performance. These results reveal that students' personality traits and stress perception influence their online engagement and might enable educators to identify those who may require support in engaging with their studies.

Flipped Classrooms in Undergraduate Statistics: Online Works Just Fine

The flipped classroom method requires that students engage with homework before coming to the classroom so that class time can be spent on active and collaborative learning exercises. Research has demonstrated that this can improve student performance versus traditional lecturer-led teaching methods. <bold>Objective:</bold> During the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of teaching has been entirely online such that even ‘in-class’ time has been virtual. The current article examined whether online-only delivery affects the efficacy of the flipped classroom approach. <bold>Method:</bold> Grades for a research methods and statistics module and a statistics portfolio assignment were compared across consecutive cohorts of undergraduate psychology students taught by different methods. <bold>Results:</bold> Overall grades on the module did not differ significantly across teaching methods but student performance on statistics tests did. Flipped classrooms, whether accompanied by on-campus or synchronous online classes, led to significantly better performance than traditional methods. No detriment was observed by teaching entirely online. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> The key advantages of the flipped classroom method appear driven by active learning which can occur irrespective of classroom context. <bold>Teaching Implications:</bold> Using flipped classrooms can be a useful tool, particularly in subjects where students may otherwise be less engaged with the content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Teaching of Psychology is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)