Jean,
All are very good points. The comfort level of the student with active participation in class is a real problem for some students. It is our job as the instructor to do our best to create a safe environment for them to challenge themselves with these issues.
Dr. Moody Crews
Lucille,
You are absolutely correct - the quality of the technology the student has access to at home is a real issue. Student motivation as well as instructor knowledge are certainly key issues in the discussion. We can make an impact on student motivation if we are willing. Our level of knowledge is totally our responsibility.
Dr. Moody Crews
James,
I agree that lack of motivation is a real issue as is the overcommitment of some students. We all have some of those. With these students I think the real issue is their time management. They are used to having us feed the information to them in class. If they get used to the fact that this isn't going to happen they will adjust. That being said, I do believe that if time management is an issue, we need to steer those students to where they can get help with that issue - such as the university counseling center, etc.
Dr. Moody Crew
Jason,
That is something that we all need to consider. Anything new will intimidate some students and we have to sell this new way of learning by helping the student to understand how it will benefit them in their learning.
Dr. Moody Crews
Austin,
You are correct that the personal attitude of the student is of utmost importance. You are also correct in that encouraging them to go beyond the basics is our job as the instructor.
Dr. Moody Crews
The biggest ones are access to technology and a shift in student approach. Not all students have reliable access to technology and schools do not have the resources to fund expanding access outside of the school. Additionally if a student is used to going home and taking 20-30 minutes to complete a homework assignment and is now expected to watch 60+ minute lectures or read other material then there will be some hesitancy on the part of the student.
-Active participation which some students are not comfortable with
-Lack of motivation on some student's part
-Lack of technology skills of some instructors- these may be limited
-Students taking responsibilty for their learning and using the instructor as a facilitator
Some issues and barriers that apply to the flipped classroom include quality of Internet connection and hardware, student motivation, and how tech savvy the teacher is.
A major variable that cannot be controlled is the quality of the hardware the students are using at home and the Internet connection in use to access the course material. Not all students can afford new machines with a high speed Internet connection. Those that have older/less quality machine with dial-up will not be able to enjoy the online experience as well as the others.
Another factor is student motivation. The home environment can offer many distractions such as TV, video games, social media, family chores, etc. Studying at home requires a lot of discipline, so must have a high level of motivation to do so.
Finally, the teacher must be familiar with the technology in order to successfully deliver the information. The purpose of the technology is to enhance the learning experience, so if the teacher is unfamiliar with it, the probability of fumbling around and wasting time goes up. This also makes the teacher look unprofessional in front of the students.
These barriers need to be addressed in order to ensure a smooth learning experience.
Lack of motivation on the part of the student can be a large barrier. Some students have a problem disciplining themselves. They need to have their time properly managed. If you tell them that they have to be in a classroom at a certain time, they will be there. But, if you tell them that they will need to do work before coming to class, that will be a "hard sell" to many of our overcommitted students.
I was surprised to discover that a number of students failed to complete initial 'flipped' assignments due to fear and anxiety. They were intimidated by the new format and only began the new lessons after being individually coached.
Major issues can be attributed to the personal attitude of the student. Is this student the self-motivated, goal oriented? As an instructor, it is my responsibility to encourage them to preview the materials and make sure that they are really doing it. I will make sure that I communicate to them how important to be prepared and have the idea well ahead of time of the topic or topics to be discussed. These two barriers can be easily be fixed by the instructor to engage the students to proactive communication and help them realize that professional development requires initiative, interest, attitude, positive personality and proactivity. There are no barrier that can't be overcome. Once the students realized and experienced how beneficial the flipped classroom strategy, they will love it and their learning and retention will be, as expected, greatly improve.
Brandi,
Very good points. Student motivation is an issue as is learning style. There really is no one teaching method that will work for all students. Your point about instructor technology capabilities is also well taken.
Dr. Moody Crews
Diane,
I certainly understand what you're saying and I agree. However, think about what we can do as instructors to help motivate our student. It really should be a joint effort between the student and the instructor.
Dr. Moody Crews
Leslie ,
Changing the student's expectations of the class is a real possibility. Maybe a system change will not only attract the more serious students but will force all students to rise to the occasion.
Dr. Moody Crews
LE,
A heavy instructor accent is sometimes an issue for students. Many universities have implemented communication workshops to assist professors with this situation. Unfortunately, these workshops are not going to change overall accents. As with all other components of teaching, this is something the instructor must understand and be willing to tackle.
Dr. Moody Crews
I think there may be many issues and barriers to the flipped classroom. Although the flipped classroom sounds like a great idea, I'm not sure how well it would work with a less self-directed or motivated student. I am mostly concerned with the student who NEEDS to be in a classroom to engage in the learning activities or further understand the concepts from the ppt or readings they've done on their own. I think this would be a huge barrier to that type of student.
I also think, as the course material mentioned, the instructor not being very technologically savvy might be a potential barrier. I've worked with many instructors, who are digital immigrants with technology, and technology is not second nature to them. The seasoned instructor may need more time to understand how to do certain things on a computer or with a computer and the technology might not be something to captivate them but drive them away, which only effects the classroom! I think this would be a huge barrier to the instructor, which would then totally be a barrier for the student.
Barriers are that the students must be motivated and do the work on their own- not just "Take". THey have to be prepared and if they are not, would not be successful in the class.
Some of the issues and barriers I see with this type of learning is that some students will not do the assigned reading at home. This will leave them totally unprepared to participate in class the the discussions. I think that fear of being unprepared in class will cause the majority of students to come ready to talk about the readings and enhance their understanding of the material. Having said that, there is a portion of the student population that will not be prepared, nor will they care. Maybe by changing the system to this type of curriculum will change the students expectations of the classroom environment and attract more students that seriously want to be engaged in their learning environment. Leslie Morgan
One key barrier to the Flipped Classroom would be the Instructor's communication ability and capability. We have all experienced courses and lectures from instructors with heavy accents that are barely understandable, in the flipped classrooms instructors will be challenged to create high quality and engaging material to support student learning. This will be a new skill for many and working with recorded material will highlight many instructor weaknesses. It is true that some material may be available to support the flipped classroom but I believe that a significant amount of materials will need to be created by the instructor and it will be difficult to create professional quality materials that reflect positively on the institution and the instructor.
