Flipping Across the First Year Workshop

The use of a flipped classroom pedagogy has gained significant momentum in engineering education over the past decade. More instructors are taking on the challenge of transitioning their courses to a flipped classroom pedagogy to allow for more active learning and support during class time. While there are many benefits to the use of flipped classrooms in engineering courses, there are many challenges associated to the implementation and sustainability of this approach. Additionally, first year educators may be hesitant to transition their courses to a flipped classroom model due to fears that students may not be ready for such a dramatic shift in classroom approach. The Engineering Fundamentals Program in the Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is a common, student success-based first year program that teaches engineering physics, introduction to computer programming, design, teamwork and communication to over 1000 students per semester. In Spring 2018, our unit began an initiative to flip all courses associated with our program. In previous years, one course had attempted flipping a portion of the content in the course to provide more time for active learning. While performance data showed an improvement due to the flip [site paper], student feedback was negative towards a mid-semester shift in learning approach due to increased demands for adapting to the new style. In Spring 2018, the EF team decided to commit to flipping the program in an effort to provide a more positive experience for students in the transition to a new classroom environment.