Comparison of student performance and perceptions of a traditional lecture course versus an inverted classroom format for clinical microbiology

Objective: Student satisfaction and student performance are of primary concern when classroom pedagogy is changed. We determine the equivalence of two teaching methodologies in a clinical microbiology course using test scores as the measure of student performance. Methods: The two teaching methodologies examined were a traditional lecture-based method face-to-face (F2F) method and an inverted classroom method (ICM). Student perceptions of the ICM method were measured using a course survey in which students were asked to compare their experiences in the ICM class with experiences in a traditional F2F class. Classroom exams were administered in the same way in the traditional F2F lecture and ICM courses. Student test averages obtained in both pedagogies were compared for equivalence using an independent samples t-test. A six-question survey was developed to assess student perception of the ICM classroom compared to that for the traditional lecture-based classroom. Results: Test performance of students in the ICM was equivalent to that of students receiving traditional F2F lectures. Mean difference between test scores for the ICM and traditional F2F groups was 1.9 points (95% confidence interval [CI], −4.0–0.14). Survey responses indicated that respondents feel positively about self-learning in ICM and prefer the flexibility provided by ICM. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the ICM method of teaching clinical microbiology can replace the traditional F2F method without loss of student performance. Respondent perceptions of the inverted classroom were positive, with students favoring the flexibility.