Evaluating Student\nLearning Outcomes across Three\nTeaching Modalities Using the Same Set of Flipped Classroom Materials

Upon the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition\nto online\nlearning caused a great deal of uncertainty for students and instructors\nas to how course material would be adequately delivered and assessed.\nIn preparation for the 2020–2021 academic year, three professors\nat King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA, each\ncontributed one-third of the course content to a shared set of flipped\nclassroom materials for General Chemistry I and II. The course materials\nwere designed to be versatile and applicable to each modality offered:\nonline, hybrid, and traditional face-to-face. This arrangement provided\nfor a natural experiment to measure the effects of course modality\non student learning outcomes independent of the professor during the\nsame term. Student performance was evaluated quantitatively by comparing\nexam grades, and student perceptions were evaluated qualitatively\nusing student survey data. We evaluated the data collected in the\nfall 2020 and spring 2021 to determine (1) if exam scores differed\nby modality in General Chemistry I when students were assigned to\na course section; (2) if exam scores differed by modality in General\nChemistry II when students had a choice in course section; (3) how\nthe students rated their experience in a flipped classroom format;\nand (4) whether or not they preferred hybrid or online-only over a\ntraditional course format. There was no statistically significant\ndifference in exam grades between modalities in both General Chemistry\nI and II, although students generally preferred hybrid and traditional\ncourses over those delivered fully online.