The Value of Flipped Classroom Models for Nursing Students

Friday, March 27, 2020

Debra C. Hampton, PhD
College of Nursing, University of Kentucky College of Nursing, Nicholasville, KY, USA

Purpose:

One of the most popular active learning methodologies that is being used in today’s college classrooms is the flipped classroom. In a flipped classroom model, faculty assign students to watch videos, listen to presentations or recorded lectures, or complete related work as homework prior to attending class (Roehl, Reddy, & Shannon, 2013). Students then use class time to work on problems, analyze case studies, complete interactive group activities, and do other application assignments. This purposes of this presentation will be to provide an overview of the findings from integrative and systematic reviews related to the value of the flipped classroom model and identify the opinions of a group of baccalaureate nursing students about the use of this model for learning.

Methods:

A literature review was done to locate integrative or systematic reviews that focused on the flipped classroom model for varied generations of students. A cross-sectional survey was done to determine the opinions of Generation Y and Z nursing students related to use of a flipped classroom model in nursing classes. Using a Likert scale of most disliked or least preferred to favorite or most preferred, students were asked to provide their opinions about traditional class formats that involve the use of lecture, videos, and various in class exercises as compared to a flipped classroom model where students watch short videos before class and class includes various exercises, discussion, case studies and other group activities.

Results:

Based on a review of the literature, the flipped classroom model has demonstrated positive outcomes, but further study is needed to quantify the benefit of this model over the traditional classroom model in relation to student satisfaction and learning outcomes (Betihavas, Bridgman, Kornhaber, & Cross, 2016; Evans et al, 2018; O’Flaherty & Phillips, 2015; & Presti, 2016) and to support generalization about the benefits of a flipped classroom (Bishop & Verleger, 2013). Findings from a survey of traditional BSN Generation Y and Z nursing students demonstrated that the majority of this group did not prefer the flipped classroom model. For this group (n=120) a traditional classroom model was most preferred over a flipped classroom model by 61% of the students, somewhat preferred by 21% of students, and moderately preferred by 16% of students.

Conclusion:

Further study needs to be done, especially with new generations of students and employees, before educators should adopt this method as the only classroom teaching method that they employ. A combination of traditional teaching methods, flipped classroom methods, and other educational methodologies may offer the greatest benefit overall for nursing, and especially for the newest generation, Generation Z learners (Schwieger & Ladwi, 2018).