Implementation and evaluation of flipped learning for delivery of analytical chemistry topics

Traditional teaching methods are common in delivery of STEM subjects where little active student participation is observed[1]. Active participation, such as answering questions or problem-solving, often leads to more effective learning when compared to instructor-led lectures[2]. Moreover, a lack of active participation in the classroom regularly leads to a reduction in attendance and decreased engagement with the subject material. Flipped learning, or the flipped classroom, is an innovative educational approach that has established itself in recent years as an alternative to traditional teaching methods. Most studies generally highlight the benefits of flipped learning, with the most significant being the ability to develop active learners [3-5]; however, others are sceptical, querying its efficacy in the lack of perceived gains in terms of grades[6] and resources needed to develop and deliver flipped learning[7]. There are many variants of the flipped classroom model of which the most common utilize a blended learning approach, with study material being provided to the students in advance of the class to enable them to actively learn the subject area prior to the formal class time. Class time then establishes an interactive learning environment where students engage in activities and problem-based learning materials that are instructor led[5]. Flipped learning has been widely applied in STEM subjects, notably in the delivery of physics, engineering, and mathematics [3,8,4], and its use in chemistry teaching is increasing, with various studies being published on the delivery of organic or general chemistry in this way[9-12,8,13-16]. There are, however, few studies on the implementation of flipped learning in analytical chemistry, which leads itself to this format of learning due to the problem-solving nature of the discipline [17-19]. One such study utilized Prezi based presentations plus guided study to provide greater scope on focussing on complex problems within the classroom[18], concentrating predominately on the presentation platform students utilized, but producing limited insight into the effectiveness of the complete flipped model. Another study compared flipped learning’s effectiveness for teaching both general and analytical chemistry and found student attitudes were more positive towards flipped learning in analytical chemistry [17]. Our study focused on implementation and evaluation of flipped learning in a topic of an analytical chemistry within a module taken by biomedical scientists over a duration of 3 years. We compared the flipped learning approach to non-flipped lectures given within the same module. The comparison in the engagement and performance between the flipped and non-flipped sessions was evaluated.