The application of flipped classroom to teaching diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma in ophthalmology undergraduate education: a randomized study

The efficacy of flipped classroom in ophthalmology education has not been well proved. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of flipped classroom on diabetic retinopathy (DR) and glaucoma in ophthalmology education. Ninety-three medical students in Peking Union Medical College participated and were randomly assigned into two groups. Students in "Group A" participated in a flipped classroom on diabetic retinopathy (DR) and a regular course on glaucoma, while students in "Group B" had a flipped classroom on glaucoma and a regular one on DR. The primary outcome measure of this study was the exam score after class. The secondary outcome measure was the result of a post-classroom questionnaire. The final exam revealed numerically better scores for questions in the same section as flipped classroom that students joined with no statistical significance. The post-class questionnaire revealed an overall satisfaction rate of 93.48%. Most students thought the flipped classroom enhance personal abilities compared with the traditional lecture-based class. However, further amendments should also be made to improve defects such as students' comprehension of basic knowledge and the overall degree of involvement of students. The concept of the flipped classroom could be applied to diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma with satisfactory results.