Evaluating Factors for Effective Flipped Classroom Instruction in an Advanced Data Management Course

ABSTRACT

The following Research-to-Practice full paper presents the outcomes of a remote synchronous flipped classroom implementation of a senior-level data management course. As flipped classroom models of instruction have gained popularity in higher education, it has prompted the need for an investigation into content-specific methods for flipped curriculum design. Our work identified and implemented flipped classroom design factors in an Advanced Database Design (CIT 44400) course to address a gap in research around flipped classroom models within undergraduate data-science courses. Through literature review, we identified a set of eight factors of effective flipped classroom instruction and evaluated them via survey, focus group, course evaluation, student performance, and interview data. We segmented designed course activities which incorporated these eight factors with a set of learning objectives that emphasized collaborative iterative practices to position students as designers and evaluators of solutions to industry-authentic problems. Instructional design factors were evaluated via course evaluations and student surveys followed by an activity-based qualitative analysis of focus group, instructor interview, and student free-response data to understand student perceptions of instructional approaches, intended versus practical outcomes of such activities, and guidelines for future course design iterations and research. We argue instructional design must be studentcentered and consider student goals alongside those that are `scripted' into the course structure to best serve, motivate, and engage students. During the Fall 2020 implementation of CIT 44400, we prioritized learner independence, peer collaboration, and critical thinking in the instructional design, selecting flipped methodologies with the intention of fostering these skills in senior students. In light of Covid-19, the course was adapted to be synchronous online. Regardless of these unforeseen constraints, student performance and course evaluation data indicate that with peer and instructor feedback, students were able to apply course content appropriately in their final independent project as evidenced by a 12% increase in assessment scores and an improvement in students average overall final course grades from a `B' to an `A-' as compared to the previously taught Fall 2019 lecture-based section of the same class. Course evaluation scores also improved from 3.22 to 3.66 from Fall 2019 to Fall 2020. Self-reported survey data from students indicate that (a) feedback from the instructor, (b) small group work, (c) revision of work based on feedback, and (d) solution evaluations were the most positively impactful instructional design elements throughout the course. In particular, students mentioned oneon-one scaffolding from the instructor as beneficial for their learning. Students also communicated challenges faced during the pandemic, complaints, and recommendations for future course iterations. Data from focus group discussions conveyed that students (a) generally had positive learning experiences despite the constraints of learning exclusively online and (b) developed the industry-specific collaborative practices which were designed into the forefront of our instructional model. The flipped classroom design and implementation process in this research is transformative and can be employed by other STEM disciplines to design a domain-specific flipped model for their classroom which considers the needs of one's students, the challenges of the current time, and the state of the field at large.