The “flipped classroom” movement started when teachers realized that it was easier for students to watch lectures at home and complete homework with expert assistance in the classroom - flipping the classroom experience. This is a brilliant idea and should be implemented nationwide here in the USA where nearly everyone has access to technology. (Maybe our embarrassing STEM challenges could be resolved?)
Many organizations have not adopted the iconoclastic 'flipped classroom' approach for training leaders or developing their organization. We just implemented the ‘flipped classroom’ approach for our certifications at Tilt 365 and I conducted research on the related concept of problem-based learning about 12 years ago at the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, so I wanted to share some benefits and pitfalls.
4 Benefits of the ‘Flipped Classroom’
1. Saves time and money for attendees without compromising the experience. Fewer overhead costs to pass along (e.g., reserving a physical space), no travel for participants or instructors, fewer hours of expensive facetime with SMEs, etc.
2. Self-paced learning. Videos, presentations, exercises, case studies, etc. allow participants to learn when it’s convenient on a variety of devices.
3. Expert “office hours.” Integrative discussions with a subject-matter expert through virtual “office hours” allow students to actively participate in the class and provide a natural checkpoint for the self-paced learning elements.
4. Easier to schedule. Shorter sessions are easier to schedule for today’s knowledge workers. Rather than waiting for 2-4 entire days to open up in your calendar for an in-person training, you can start immediately.
5 Pitfalls to avoid
1. Neglecting the relationship-building elements of training. Because the training is not occurring face-to-face, I strongly recommend video chat during the “office hours”. Related - Office hours should be about questions, not lectures. If questions are not forthcoming, start with a related question from a previous participant or keep asking for questions until someone asks one. Also, use surveys, quizzes, and LinkedIn research to learn about your audience.
2. Not creating a simple feedback loop between in-class questions and course material design. Great questions always occur during the “office hours”. These should be fed back into FAQs and the next round of course materials.
3. Not having a dress rehearsal and pre-class checklist for your “office hours”. Meeting and webinar software can sometimes be clunky, not to mention the risks of unmuting participants, bad internet connections, VoIP, etc. Have a quick checklist that you run through prior to any webinar.
4. Not designing the class for a “beginner’s mind”. This is especially important if the subject-matter expert attempts to design the training without outside input. It’s challenging (impossible?) for an expert to assume a beginner’s mind, so make sure your materials and discussions truly start at the beginning of the journey by involving novices (and participants) in your design process.
5. Boring materials. Video lectures can be exciting (hint: unless you’re telling an engaging story, shorter is always better), but make sure to add exercises, links to related sources, checklists, scorecards, tools, models, etc.
I strongly recommend reading Duarte’s Resonate to learn about how to create compelling presentations and stories, which are the foundation of any flipped classroom approach.
I think that the ‘flipped classroom’ approach can be applied to any skill or objective (even Leadership and Organizational Change!), but I’m eager to be proven wrong.
PS Even subjects and sources that require face-to-face and/or physical interaction (e.g., cooking classes) can be augmented by a 'flipped classroom' approach to save time and money while improving the quality of the physical experience.