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Dr Kati Tonkin in the School of Humanities is flipping her classroom this semester, using the adaptive-learning platform Smart Sparrow to create and deliver content for the HIST2202 Civilisation and Barbarism in European Culture unit.

Information that would traditionally be delivered in a lecture is now being enriched through the use of the platform. Interactive modules are available to students well in advance, allowing them full control of how they access and consume content.

Though this is the first time Kati has used Smart Sparrow, she has been flipping her classes for years, using shorter video models accessed via the Learning Management System.

So far the feedback from students about the flipped classroom model has been very encouraging, and Kati is seeing many benefits of introducing a digital classroom to her teaching style.

“If you’re wanting to flip, it’s really important to be enthusiastic about what you’re delivering,” she says. “In my experience, students adapt to a different type of learning if they understand why you’ve made the change and what you believe the benefits to be.

“Smart Sparrow allows you to turn the students into active learners, with interactive exercises and tailored feedback throughout the modules.”

The learning is very much in the hands of students. They feel empowered to direct their learning experience and extend their knowledge on particular topics by picking and choosing content throughout the module. The platform’s adaptability gives students a choice of either reading particularly confronting texts or moving ahead after reading a short summary – this has proven very beneficial for one of the modules in Kati’s unit, which deals with the Marquis de Sade.

Kati has also embedded short-answer questions, prompting students to consider the knowledge they already have on a particular topic before reading on. These non-graded questions help students to prepare for their tutorial sessions, and provide a basis for the teaching team to generate discussion.

While a new approach to teaching, such as flipping a classroom, may seem daunting, the process can provide an opportunity to reconsider how a unit’s content is conceptualised and delivered to enhance active learning.

A position paper on Flipped Classrooms will be circulated in the next issue of Education Quarterly, and will address key questions of design and support.