Flipping the lab: Use of an interdisciplinary Android/iOS mobile application

BACKGROUND: Given the current trend in increasing electronic learning tools, it is necessary to provide students and educators with evidence-based teaching methods that utilize modern technology while preserving the integrity of the classroom environment (Ambrose et al., 2010, Chick, Haynie, Gurung, & Ciccone, 2012; Clark & Mayer, 2011; McLaughlin et al., 2014).

HYPOTHESIS: Students using a mobile application (GONI) in a flipped classroom would report greater satisfaction and greater learning retention compared with those who only had access to live-recorded lab sessions in a traditional lab setting.

METHOD: Using flipped-classroom principles, a goniometry app was developed and integrated using high-quality videos, clinical applications, functional activities, and quizzes for 1st-yr physical therapy and occupational therapy students enrolled in a required musculoskeletal lab course. To determine the app effectiveness, researchers monitored multiple class usage of the app, conducted tests of short- and long-term retention of knowledge, and surveyed overall student perceptions concerning this type of instructional technology. Furthermore, test scores and survey responses were compared with students who only had access to live-recorded lab sessions. Number of minutes engaged in hands-on practice was tracked. REDCap software was used for data collection.

OUTCOMES: Although there was not a significant difference in test scores, there was a significant difference in student perceptions and student use for those who had access to GONI in a flipped lab compared with those who only had access to lab videos in a traditional lab. More than 95% of students using GONI agreed that using the GONI app helped them prepare for the practical exam and increased confidence (compared with approximately 50% of students who used only lab videos). One hundred percent of students using GONI recommended continuation of the GONI in a flipped-lab setting. Estimated number of minutes spent practicing hands-on skills increased by more than 30% when using the flipped-classroom approach. Students were significantly more likely to study before lab when using GONI (95%) than when using traditional lab videos. More than 85% of students agreed that the use of graded quizzes at the start of lab motivated them to study before lab.

CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the availability of user-friendly videos for learning lab skills outside of the classroom can maximize hands-on classroom time, increase student responsibility for learning, and increase student learning satisfaction. Using quizzes at the start of lab can increase student accountability to prepare for lab.

IMPACT STATEMENT: Current trends in higher education demand the need to reexamine traditional pedagogical approaches and consider innovative online learning experiences. It is imperative that the introduction of new instructional activities be supported by educational research.

References

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., Norman, M. K., & Mayer, R. E. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco: Wiley.

Chick, L., Haynie, A., Gurung, R., & Ciccone, A. (2012). Exploring more signature pedagogies: Approaches to teaching disciplinary habits of mind. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Clark, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco: Wiley.

McLaughlin, J. E., Roth, M. T., Glatt, D. M., Gharkholonarehe, N., Davidson, C. A., Griffin, L. M., Esserman, D. A., & Mumper, R. J. (2014). The flipped classroom: A course redesign to foster learning and engagement in a health professions school. Academic Medicine, 89, 236–243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000086