- To what extent do you think you have achieved each of the learning outcomes for Week 6? If you think there is room for you to achieve these more fully, how could you do that?
We have reached in the 6th week. In the last week, we have developed a flipped classroom, and we have integrated it from the front and back end. The front end means from the learner’s end, and backend means from the resource person’s end. In the center lies our whole idea of a flipped classroom.
This week we are assessing our overall efficiency and effectiveness in developing a flipped classroom. Assessment done this week will be recorded in this CRJ. So, a question comes in our mind: what is an evaluation? “Assessment: The process of obtaining evidence for a specific purpose; in education, this is to obtain evidence of student knowledge and performance to understand and improve student learning-EVALUATION BEYOND EXAMINATIONS.”
Now another question comes in our mind that how can an assessment be done? “Thorpe (2002) argues that dynamic interpersonal interaction is necessary to respond to an individual’s needs reflectively.” So, an evaluation is the peak of a mind’s ability to assess if the product made according to the set standard. Our assessment of the flipped classroom will discuss all the three factors discussed in the first paragraph. I think I have tried to evaluate all possible elements that constitute a successful flipped classroom. This process of evaluation is a complete research process, and it encompasses all qualities of a research process, i.e., it should be rigorous, balanced, systematic, and valid, etc.
The evaluation process should aim at the satisfaction of students and the maximum learning of students. The achievement of students can be measured from student’s feedback, and knowledge can be assessed from the assessment of students. Contemporary research on e-learning tools for the design of a flipped classroom is also discussed in the evaluation process. Evaluation is a constant process, and I think, according to my knowledge of flipped classroom, I have reached almost near to the stated goals of a model flipped classroom.
- What have you learned this week regarding the evaluation of flipped classrooms to support student learning? For example, your own and those of your colleagues?
To state my latest journey this week, it is very informative. It is like you have made something, and you see critically what is missing or what may come. One thing is for sure that it is easy to pick what is missing by simply pondering, but what should be missing is a recursive task, and it requires even changing plans and doing the job again and again. Life is changing, so are our plans and ideas. As technology is depleting, the concept of a flipped classroom needs a gorilla marketing strategy, which requires constant brainstorming according to the ground situation.
It is stated that three are three steps of a flipped classroom. I think they are according to the common sense of evaluation. In the evaluation process first, we look at the complete procedure, then we see the correct outcomes then critically look at those who remained to be corrected. After correcting those, we come up with a virtually perfect thing according to our plan. Then comes the innovation, we come across different ideas from the environment and want to upgrade our product according to the latest design. For the up-gradation, we need to look at the two variables, which are very important in any project, time, and cost for that evaluation. But I will suggest one more variable which will give the benefit that is effectiveness and efficiency. If we want to upgrade the software of our flipped classroom, we have to look at the balance of energy of learning to opportunity cost associated with it. If the benefits surpass its prices, we don’t have to wait for our competitors to do it first. But if the same software is keeping our students satisfied and the features of new software are just pump and show, then we have to focus on our quality assurance and maintain our student’s satisfaction rather then moving towards a change of software.
Time is also another factor to be considered in a drastic change. If the evaluation process requires change, and a lot of time is needed, then change should be made in the free time of students. As stated by Blumberg that we have to focus on student’s learning because, in the end, our product is students. “Learning-centered instructors consciously structure the teaching and learning environment so that students have opportunities to learn by constructing their meaning of the content (Blumberg, 2009a)”
- What does all this suggest about the ways you and your colleagues are currently supporting your students learning in your practice and teaching context? What does it suggest that is presently good about this, and about how it could be further developed in the future?
“ Chatfield (2010) describes two ways to think about layering courses, which she terms front loading and back loading. In a front-loaded course, students are exposed to most or all of the content prior to the face-to-face class meeting. The assumption behind this strategy is that students will arrive at the face-to-face setting with some familiarity with the topic, and will be primed to take their learning to a new level of understanding. As you might imagine, this strategy works well with students who have a high degree of foundational knowledge coming into the course, who are comfortable with the material, and who can learn independently. Back-loaded courses use the face-to-face meeting to introduce the content, providing an overview of the material and a framework for how it fits together.”
- How has your understanding of how to use a flipped-classroom approach changed from doing this week’s topic and activities?
If we are asked to evaluate among different variables like innovative 3d technology, the most competent teachers around the world versus a teacher who created individual thinking and taught the confidence to it yourself, which is the core concept of a flipped classroom, I will go for the last one. Teaching many and many case studies increase the empathy of students. In a flipped classroom discussion on a related case study will give self-confidence, and I evaluated that this approach should be adopted by me, which I was not following in my class before.
“Case studies help students deal with abstract material by providing a storyline that makes the material more tangible (Boehrer & Linsky, 1990; Gallucci, 2006; Herreid, 1994, 2004, 2005; Styer, 2009)”.
- How did you learn this?
When I integrated a flipped classroom last week, I thought almost everything is done in the course, but this week’s work realized me that there are more vistas to be conquered. Evaluation ensures that you will remain successful if you are on the right path, and if you are not on the right way, change the course. It is the process of looking at your work out of the box. It means even criticizing your wit according to reality.
So, the analytic learning approach helped me in improving my flipped classroom project. I would give credits to my competitors’ work because comparison requires something on the ground to be compared and its objective analysis, which succeeds.
“More effective teaching is anchored in investigations of what is working and why (Shulman, 2004b)”
- What supported your learning?
Seeking 360 feedback is my method of evaluation, and an open mind and eyes were used in getting feedback without any biasness. Student’s input was the key to the value addition of our system. Book’s secondary knowledge was also helpful in my learning.
“Experiential learning is also referred to as situational learning because it takes place in real settings under the guidance of experts or practitioners in the field (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000)”
“Teaching is composed of many different skills that can be learned. Just like other skills, such as playing the piano or driving a car, instructors can improve their mastery of these skills with feedback and practice (McKeachie, 2007)”
- What has challenged you?
Time and cost factors have challenged my evaluation plan. In evaluation, there came many value additions, but I rejected them because my students were satisfied with the new current flipped classroom. So, I overcame the suggestions with student retention and satisfaction.
“Very effective instructors make an ongoing commitment to faculty development and improvement. Professors may seek ways to improve teaching while also increasing efficiency in teaching time and effectiveness. Research also shows that when teaching is improved, students learn more (Miller, 2009)”
- What has surprised you?
“Influential people in higher education have been advocating the incorporation of systematic methods, literature, and data-driven support into teaching (Cross & Steadman, 1996; Shulman, 2004a, 2004b; Weimer, 2006)”
This week I tried to see my flipped classroom from a different view. The significance of this process is a better learning system. This process is similar to empathy or empathizing analysis. It is effective if we ask our students for improvement in learning their feedback can change our whole system. I got surprised by the peers or competitors to feedback about their experience of the flipped classroom, and it made a lot of changes in my actual plan of a flipped classroom.
“Learning outcomes are central to the teaching and learning process (Biggs, 1999; Fink, 2003)”
“Learning outcomes inform students of intentions and direct student study efforts. Finally, they help both instructors and their students monitor their progress (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman, 2010)”
- How does this relate to what has been proposed in different sources of scholarship you have read recently? Which specific sources and what specific claims in those does this relate to?
This week, reading books was an integral part because it is better to read detailed knowledge rather than doing all and learning from yourself. It helps to save time from repeated failures. So, I got help from the digital resources library. This week I searched books more than suggested digital resources from the official library and got help from these books.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2013). Lessons from the virtual classroom: the realities of online teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Laurillard, D. (2012). Teaching as a design science: building pedagogical patterns for learning and technology. New York, NY: Routledge
Sweet, M. & Michaelsen, L. (2012). Team-based learning in the social sciences and humanities: group work that works to generate critical thinking and engagement. Sterling, VA: Stylus Pub.