Flipping for the first time: building a roadmap from non-flipped to flipped courses

A flipped class is one that engages students with material outside of the classroom to prepare for an active learning experience in the classroom. Bates et al. (2017) remind us that the idea of a flipped classroom is not new and that many classes are becoming increasingly suited to this model as higher education institutions invest more in technology. Instructors can choose to flip some classes in a term or an entire course, with the latter requiring more thought and potentially increased workload. Talbert (2017) offers faculty a practical, step-by-step guide to implementing this teaching method. But how exactly does this translate when we prepare to flip a class? How do we design our materials and webpages for such courses? What challenges occur during facilitation and how do we overcome them? At the University of Waterloo, STAT 938 is a graduate-level statistical consulting course that is offered every spring term. The course was previously taught in a non-flipped format but, due to its material and interdisciplinary nature, I decided to flip the course this year. We will utilize my personal experience of flipping STAT 938, along with participants’ own experience with this format, to build a collective one-page roadmap of crucial steps for instructors to consider when flipping a course for the first time. If you have flipped a course in the past, please bring your outline to leverage its contents during our discussion. Devices (smartphone, laptop, tablet) are recommended so you can fully participate! Resources: Bates, J.E., Almekdash, H., & Gilchrest-Dunnam, M.J. (2017). The flipped classroom: A brief, brief history. In: Santos Green, L., Banas, J., Perkins, R. (eds) The Flipped College Classroom. Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41855-1_1 Talbert, R. (2017). Flipped learning: A guide for higher education faculty. Routledge.