FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM: A MODULE REDESIGN TO FOSTER ACTIVE LEARNING IN MATERIALS SCIENCE

Flipped classroom is a learning pedagogical model which inverts the traditional learning approach of classroom lecture into out-of-classroom self-directed learning. This approach gives students the flexibility to study at their own pace in a specified time duration, thus being more responsible towards their learning. This paper aims to describe our journey in piloting flipped classroom as an active learning (CDIO Standard 8) approach for teaching of Materials Science module in the School of Engineering (SEG) at Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore and the outcome after one cycle of implementation. The flipped classroom implementation in SEG aimed to cater for the learning needs of students who came from diverse academic backgrounds. As the flipped classroom approach is different from the other learning experiences that the students had experienced in their previous training, the response and performance of the students under the new approach are measured to gauge its effectiveness in meeting the students’ learning needs. In this approach, the classroom sessions for students allow them to have more interactions and learning activities and for lecturers to conduct assessments on the learning outcomes. In the pilot implementation, students were engaged in classroom activities incorporated with real-world applications to enhance students’ understanding of the learning materials, to increase students’ interests on the engineering science subject matters, and to simulate professional engineering practices. The strategies in implementing the classroom activities, from the aspect of planning the learning materials and of conducting the activities, will be highlighted in the paper. This paper also examines the outcomes in terms of students’ interest and perception towards the active learning approach. Reflections on the strengths and areas for improvements in our approach will be shared together with the future course of action to enhance our students’ learning at our polytechnic.