What is a Flipped Classroom?

In the traditional lecture-based approach, students gain first exposure to new concepts by attending class and listening to lecture. While instructors expect students to do the reading in advance, preparation can be minimal: students know that the material will be covered in lecture. Instructors assign homework for students to complete outside of class to practice and deepen their understanding of the material. Homework often exposes student questions and gaps in knowledge, but the instructor is not available to help students. In the “flipped classroom,” class time is devoted to engaged learning. Students are actually doing the “homework” (practice, application, and analysis of concepts) in class, often in collaboration with peers, and they can get help from their instructor and from peers as their questions arise.  Therefore, students are expected to gain first exposure to concepts through readings or by watching videos before class, and they are held accountable for that pre-class work to ensure they prepare. The figure below contrasts traditional lectures with a flipped classroom.

At each of the links in the left sidebar, you can find more information about the components of a flipped class or see how faculty at U-M are flipping their classes. LSA Instructional Support Services (LSA-Technology Support) has additional resources for flipping a class on their webpage.