Student engagement and accountability in flipped and traditional classrooms: A comparison of concept map and question and answer homework strategies

Flipped classroom structures are increasingly prevalent in higher education and facilitating student preparation is a necessary ingredient to maximize effectiveness of the approach. This research expanded upon a yearlong pilot study comparing two types of accountability homework in flipped and traditionally structured first year master’s level healthcare classrooms. Outcome measures included perceived learning, satisfaction, and usefulness of concept maps (CM) versus question-answer-rationale (QAR) homework. Study sample ( n = 77) participants were randomly assigned to either CM or QAR homework group for a period of 4 weeks. Then, participants completed the alternate homework type for a subsequent 4 weeks. Findings indicated that perceived learning, satisfaction, and usability of the method was significantly greater in the CM group as compared to the QAR group in both traditional and flipped classrooms. The use of accountability homework assignments is discussed for both classroom types.