Student perceptions and lessons learned from flipping a masters level public health course

The flipped classroom instructional model has emerged as an alternative to conventional lecture-based teaching that has dominated higher education for decades. In 2013, a cohort of graduate-level public health students participated in a flipped environmental and occupational health course. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of this course. Using data collected from a post-course survey, focus group sessions, and classroom observation, we examine student perceptions of the flipped classroom instructional model and synthesize lessons learned from flipping the classroom more broadly. Post-course survey data indicate that students had generally positive perceptions towards the flipped classroom instructional model. Four major themes emerged from the focus group data in relation to perceptions of the flipped classroom: knowledge application, content delivery, innovation, and connecting the online and in-class components. These results are promising and suggest that this approach warrants further consideration and research.

Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology