Flipped Course Design
Overview
Picture the way many courses still run. You spend valuable class time delivering content, and students take it in passively. Then they head home to do the hard part: applying what they heard, on their own, at the exact moment you’re no longer there to help. The flipped classroom turns that sequence around.
In a flipped course, students first encounter new material before class through readings, recorded mini-lectures, or other curated resources. Class time is then freed for the demanding work of application: solving problems, debating cases, getting feedback, and working through misunderstandings while you’re in the room to coach. The reasoning is straightforward. The toughest cognitive work benefits most from support, so that’s the work you bring into class.
Flipping means more than posting lectures online. A well-designed flipped course rests on four connected moves:
- You organize and curate the pre-class materials.
- Students are held accountable for engaging with them.
- That preparation lets them work together in class on focused application activities.
- You facilitate that work in real time.
Remove any one piece and the model tends to falter. Ungauged preparation, in particular, can leave class time stalling on review rather than advancing to application.
The evidence is encouraging, with one important caveat: design choices matter for effectiveness. Large reviews find that flipped instruction generally outperforms traditional lecturing, with a moderate positive effect on student performance that holds across disciplines (Bredow et al., 2021; Strelan et al., 2020). But the results vary widely between studies. Students gain more when in-class time stays focused on application and when quizzes or other checks are built into the design (van Alten et al., 2019). In other words, it does not work when “flipped” simply means “lectures went online.” In-class application must be intentionally structured.
In This Guide
- Why In-Class Application Matters Most
- Where to Begin
- References and Additional Reading
- Practice in Action
Why In-Class Application Matters Most
The opportunity for structured, active learning and problem-solving appears to be the primary contributing factor (Strelan et al., 2020). The gains depend less on content outside of class than on what prepared students do once they arrive. If a flipped course isn’t working, the first place to look is rarely the pre-class content. Check whether class time is being spent on rich application. If it has quietly drifted back toward re-explaining the reading, that’s the problem to address.
Where to Begin
Flipping an entire course at once is rarely the best first step. Look for a single unit to pilot. You might begin by choosing one topic where students reliably struggle with application, then ask four questions:
- What should students do in class? Start with the application activity: the problem, case, or task that benefits most from your coaching and their collaboration.
- What preparation makes that possible? Identify the curated resources students need beforehand. Keep them concise and purposeful; preparation should set up the activity rather than duplicate it.
- How will you know they came ready? Build in lightweight accountability, such as a brief quiz, a reflection, or an entry ticket. Checking preparation is a design feature that research links to stronger outcomes, and it tells you in real time whether class can move forward or needs a quick reset.
- How can I get students working together? Consider how to incorporate student collaboration during application activity work. In the midst of application activities, students can be the best coaches for one another because “how they figured it out” for themselves will still be fresh in their minds and they can guide their peers through the process.
Some of the tools available through Canvas here at Northeastern can help with student readiness. For example, Edpuzzle can be used to embed multiple-choice or open-ended questions into videos and/or to track student watch time and VoiceThread can be helpful for asynchronous student interactions. PollEverywhere is another option worth building into your routine at the start of class. A quick poll or open-ended question can confirm who engaged with the pre-class material and surface where the gaps are, before you commit class time to application. (See the full list of supported tools on the Academic Technologies page.)
To maximize the value of students as peer coaches, consider implementing a strategy like Team-Based Learning, which promotes both deep conceptual understanding, as well as an important sense of belonging.
Success looks like a class period where you’re coaching rather than presenting, where students are doing the difficult thinking with support available, and where you can see misconceptions surface and get addressed on the spot. If class time keeps collapsing back into review, strengthen the accountability step rather than abandoning the flip.
Check the Practice in Action page to see the flip taking different shapes across disciplines and modalities.
References and Additional Reading
Bredow, C. A., Roehling, P. V., Knorp, A. J., & Sweet, A. M. (2021). To flip or not to flip? A meta-analysis of the efficacy of flipped learning in higher education. Review of Educational Research, 91(6), 878–918. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211019122
Strelan, P., Osborn, A., & Palmer, E. (2020). The flipped classroom: A meta-analysis of effects on student performance across disciplines and education levels. Educational Research Review, 30, 100314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100314
van Alten, D. C. D., Phielix, C., Janssen, J., & Kester, L. (2019). Effects of flipping the classroom on learning outcomes and satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 28, 100281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.05.003
Interested in exploring further? Check out all of our CATLR Teaching Tips or upcoming events. Then meet with a CATLR consultant to discuss your questions and ideas! To schedule a consultation, email [email protected] or call +1.617.373.3157.