Flipped Classrooms and COVID-19 Disruption: Empirical Results

Abstract

Global educational systems had not anticipated that one day, overnight, they would have to move their traditional teaching to online learning. This move was disruptive and highlighted the need for future educational systems designed to bridge the gap between face-to-face (f2f) and online learning with minimal disruption. We present statistical evidence that learners in flipped f2f classes did not experience disruption when moved fully online. On the contrary, we found that our two measures of disruption, student satisfaction with learning and student engagement, improved when the flipped classes were moved fully online. This we attribute to the focus on student learning using computer-based materials that is part of flipped learning. While there are classes unsuitable for flipping, the pandemic has demonstrated that all classes can be taught online. This suggests that a greater emphasis on using computers for learning in traditional f2f classes will make them less vulnerable to future natural or man-made disasters that may force an unexpected transition to online learning.