Flipped Lectures in
Chemistry Using
Screencasts &
Game-Based Classroom
Response Systems
Paul Smith
1.The mode of teaching has not changed
much.
2. The way people learn has changed.
3. The skills required for the workplace
have changed.
What happens in a lecture?
“Some people talk in their sleep.
Lecturers talk while other people
are sleeping.”
Albert Camus
“Lecturing is that mysterious process by
means of which the contents of the note-book
of the professor are transferred through the
instrument of the fountain pen to the
note-book of the student without passing
through the mind of either.”
Creative Learning and Teaching
by Harry Lloyd Miller (1927)
Transfer of information.
1.Teach as we were taught.
2. Too much on what to teach
and not emphasis enough on
how to teach.
3. Death by PowerPoint.
Poh, M. Z., Swenson, N. C. and Picard, R. W. (2010). A wearable sensor for unobtrusive, long-term
assessment of electrodermal activity, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 57, 1243–1252.
Poh, M. Z., Swenson, N. C. and Picard, R. W. (2010). A wearable sensor for unobtrusive, long-term
assessment of electrodermal activity, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 57, 1243–1252.
Poh, M. Z., Swenson, N. C. and Picard, R. W. (2010). A wearable sensor for unobtrusive, long-term
assessment of electrodermal activity, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 57, 1243–1252.
Poh, M. Z., Swenson, N. C. and Picard, R. W. (2010). A wearable sensor for unobtrusive, long-term
assessment of electrodermal activity, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 57, 1243–1252.
What is a Flipped
Classroom?
http://blog.peerinstruction.net/
1.Transfer of information (in class)
2. Assimilation of that information (out of class)
1.Transfer of information (in class)
2. Assimilation of that information (out of class)
1.Transfer of information (out of class)
2. Assimilation of that information (in class)
1.Transfer of information (out of class)
Pre-Lecture Screencasts
2. Assimilation of that information (in class)
Kahoot Quizzes
Level 6 core unit Advanced Chemical Concepts 1
Division of Chemistry and Environmental Science
100 students (61 male and 39 female)
Significant theory component bridging between
inorganic and organic chemistry.
The class met once a week for a 60 min lectures
and once a fortnight for a 60 min tutorial.
Lecture/Lab
/Tutorial
supplement
Model
Answers
Use of
online
resources
Whole
Lectures
A screencast is a
recording of the
computer screen that
can include narration
and synchronous visible
author activity such as
mouse movements,
annotations, editing and
operational tasks.
Open Day
Talks
Short Videos
on Key
Topics
Feedback
(individual
or cohort)
Worked
examples
SCREENCASTS: WHY?
Using pre-lecture screencasts can prime students for classes.
Release contact time for more interactive learning activities
using the flipped teaching model.
As independent study aid for particularly challenging material.
Effective means of showing ‘how to’.
Used as revision tools.
Screencasts offer a versatile teaching tool that can capture the
spoken word of the teacher for later use by the students.
EXAMPLES OF ‘HOW TO’ SCREENCAST
PowerPoint
BB Flashback Pro 3 Recorder
http://www.elearning.mmu.ac.uk/
http://michaelseery.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/
Screencasting-and-podcasting-for-supporting-lectures.pdf
Camtasia Studio
http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-camtasia.html
https://mmutube.mmu.ac.uk/search/searchkeyword/PaulSmith
SCREENCASTS: TIPS
Have a plan/script with clear sections.
Avoid reference to specific modules, dates, etc. which can
impact on the shelf-life/versatility and may require timeconsuming editing or having to re-record.
Try not to talk too quickly.
For audio, the recording environment has to be quiet.
Talking into a microphone can feel strange at first, but the
more you do it, the easier it becomes, sometimes standing
while recording can feel more natural.
Listening back to yourself can be a painful exercise, but it is
important to do this so you can improve quality of future
screencasts.
Keep it short, develop a screencast for 1 key concept or
learning outcome, 5 min is suitable for most purposes, with a
limit of 10 min in special cases.
SCREENCASTS: PROS
They can be viewed again and again allowing students
to study at their own pace and to digest complex and
detailed topics.
Students who have to miss a lecture for very valid
reasons, the screencasts allow them to catch up on
the material missed.
They are helpful for students with PLPs since they can
listen/view the explanations for the material rather than
read through a series of note that may use complicated
language.
Students who find a large, sometimes noisy lecture
theatre distracting and not conducive to concentration
can view the material in a more suitable environment.
They can generally be accessed from anywhere with an
internet connection and give students the ability to be
able to view a lecture in their own time and space.
Some students find that they concentrate better at
different times of the day and hence value the
opportunity to be able to listen to a lecture at any
particular time.
Pre-lecture screencasts provide a good mechanism to
introduce the flipped teaching approach in to your classes.
Pre-lecture screencasts provide a good opportunity for
staff to prepare for the class.
Pre-lecture screencasts help to integrate the VLE in to the
weekly routine of timetabled classes.
They can be helpful to students for whom English is not
their first language.
SCREENCASTS: CONS
Time-consuming to plan and prepare
Shelf-life
Managing student expectations
Effect on attendance
STUDENT FEEDBACK:
STUDENT COMMENTS:
“Excellent learning tool as students can learn material on
the move by viewing whilst on the train going to uni.”
“Easily accessible and allows questions to be raised in
lectures.”
“I believe that an introduction is vital and helps students
develop a deeper understanding of the topic.”
“Screencasts are much better than just reading notes on
their own and they are very useful for understanding
some of the more complex material”.
“They proved to be very concise and really helped with
revision, making it easier to get to the point.”
“I can’t think of a single reason why not to do it.”
“This is pushing forward the way we learn and keeping
with the times.”
“Screencasts provide core basis of understanding which
are built on in lectures/tutorials/study time.”
“Very good for factual heavy units”.
“I wish other lecturers would provide them.”
The Socratic Method
“Teaching by questioning NOT by telling.”
In practise the Socratic method of education requires
teachers to engage students by asking questions
that require generative answers.
Ideally, the answers to questions are not a stopping point
for thought but are instead a beginning to further
analysis and research.
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4994
Audience participation was improved by
using smartphones combined with a
game-based learning and classroom response
system.
Kahoot (see https://getkahoot.com/)
Three short quizzes each containing up to
five questions were prepared for each lecture.
Peer
Instruction
Formative
Feedback
STUDENT COMMENTS:
“The quizzes help to maintain interest in the lecture
and promote interaction to help make the lecture
more interesting.”
“They allow you to apply the material to something
which makes it easier to grasp.”
“They refresh your memory of recent content and
help to put theories into practise.”
“Gives an idea of example questions and allows you
to reaffirm your understanding of the topics.”
“The interactive quizzes give a chance to actually
understand what is being taught in the lecture.”
“I don’t like to discuss why I answered a certain way,
don’t want to appear stupid if I’ve got the wrong
answer.”
CONCLUSIONS:
They are not an easy option for both staff and students.
The development of the resources is time-consuming,
which can feel like a bold commitment.
This model does not involve any reduction in contact hours
but the primary focus is on how this time is used.
I plan to continue to introduce more screencasts/flipped
classes into my teaching, but at present, I am not in the
position to completely phase out lectures.
Ultimately, student reaction has been very positive and I
enjoy teaching this way.
When the plate is uniformly heated the
diameter of the hole
1. Increases.
2. Stays the same.
3. Decreases.
4. Not possible to tell.