Resources to Implement Flipped Chemical Engineering Classrooms: Course Packages

The main hurdles for faculty to implement more effective teaching methods in their classrooms are a lack of resources and/or a lack of experience with the techniques. In an effort to reduce these hurdles and encourage more faculty to use these methods, we have created a digital, open-access course package for two chemical engineering courses, thermodynamics and material and energy balances. These course packages can also be used as templates for faculty who want to develop other courses that are student-centric and involve active learning. Many of the resources within the package stem from our online inventory of over 1,400 ConcepTests and 1,000 screencasts. These encompass topics in core chemical engineering courses, but many topics are also common to other engineering disciplines (i.e., fluid mechanics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, material science, and computing). The course packages use Microsoft OneNote, which allows the user to centralize all materials in one document. These course packages contain ready-to-use class templates, suggested readings and screencasts for students to complete prior to class, in-class ConcepTests, homework problems, and exam questions. The materials are aligned to popular textbooks but allow flexibility because they can be easily rearranged to meet individual needs. Resources and guides on implementing the methods in a class are also provided. These resources provide literature, best practices, and suggestions on using the course materials. The objective is to make it easier for faculty to convert to active learning instruction and towards a flipped class, where most of the information delivery is outside of the classroom. Towards a Flipped Class Most students expect to have a teacher lecture and then they attempt to apply this information by completing homework assignments outside of class. Reversing this is known as the flipped classroom and has become an approach that allows an instructor to use class time more effectively [1-4]. Bergmann and Sams [4] argued that this model allows students to be engaged and take responsibility and ownership for their learning. Their model utilizes short videos that introduce a topic to the students and then present a worked out example or conceptual problem. Students watch these before class and then spend class time discussing the material, working on conceptual questions using peer-instruction, or problem solving, all being afforded instructor support and interactions [5]. Bergmann and Sams [6] found that students who watched screencasts outperformed students who had traditional lectures. Videos are not the sole solution to flipping a class. Faculty adopting this approach have to modify their role from a lecturer to a collaborative and cooperative facilitator of learning. The flip side is that students cannot be passive participants in class and instead become members of an active learning environment. The flipped classroom results in a shift from merely covering curriculum to a collaborative effort to master concepts and problem solving techniques. Flipping a class has been implemented widely in K-12 education. Recently two medical school professors flipped medical school courses [7] and highlighted initial improvements in class attendance when they flipped their biochemistry course compared to the same course taught by traditional lecturing. P ge 24046.2 The success of adopting the flipped classroom model starts with resources and learning to integrate these resources appropriately into the course. Screencasts must illustrate concepts in a clear fashion, address common misconceptions [8], and work through examples to provide the greatest learning potential [9]. Class time must be spent utilizing active-learning strategies, such as peer instruction, cooperative group problem solving, just-in-time teaching, and interactive demonstrations. Creating these materials takes time and that has likely limited adoption of these methods.