Inspired by the work of Bates and Galloway [1], elements of a final year analytical chemistry
module were delivered using an inverted classroom approach. A series of five reading assignments were set in order to take some of the knowledge transmission outside of class time. These were based on a combination of home grown e-notes, books and papers. Each assignment had specific learning objectives and students were directed to make notes about the reading material, using these objectives as a guide. Engagement with and understanding of the reading material was assessed using five online tests, each corresponding to a different reading assignment. These tests also served as an incentive to complete the work, since they were each worth 1% of the module marks. At the end of each test, students were prompted to leave feedback about what they still did not understand. This feedback and the breakdown of marks from the tests were used to direct the teaching in the next lecture i.e. just-in-time teaching [2]. The reading assignments also freed up class time, which was used for the development of higher order thinking skills, such as applying, analysing and evaluating.
Overall, the approach has improved student engagement. For example, there was good
uptake of the tests and the students appeared to be very attentive when the lecturer was
responding to specific feedback from the tests. A range of different methodologies are being
used to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach for improving student engagement and
learning. Here we present our latest findings.
1. S.P. Bates, R.K. Galloway, (2012) The inverted classroom in a large enrolment introductory
physics course: a case study. HEA STEM Conference, London, April 12-13th 2012
2. G.M. Novak et al., Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology
(Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1999).
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
