Beginning this semester, lectures are being “flipping” throughout the campus. Diverse major lectures are adopting the new type of education called “Flipped Learning”. The Postech Times interviewed Innovation Center for Education (ICE) Research Professor Seung-Yoon Oh to talk about the direction and background of flipped learning. A few weeks ago, ICE announced the support policy for flipped learning in the 2016-Spring semester. ICE revealed that a total of 40 lecturers and 39 professors applied for this semester’s flipped learning development support, and a total of 30 lectures were finally chosen for the demonstration lecture during 2016-Spring semester. Likewise, flipped learning is emerging over the surface.
Flipped learning pursues “active” learning, in contrast to the relatively passive nature of ordinary lectures. Typically, lectures have been composed of an open class in the classroom; a simple delivery of knowledge and homework assignment. Flipped learning is a tool for promoting various activities in class. ICE emphasized that the application of concepts, such as problem solving, should be done in the classroom rather than simple lectures, which can be done by students themselves. Flipped learning does not exist for “efficiency”, since the ordinary lecture is more efficient for mere information delivery. It exists for education with a “certain effect,” even if it takes more time. Flipped learning was recognized as a viable teaching method that should be implemented in POSTECH through a poll conducted by ICE in 2013. According to the survey, there was a huge gap between the self-evaluation for the lecture by professors and that of students. ICE diagnosed that POSTECH needs a new type of education. Nowadays’ active R&D of flipped learning is influenced by President Doh-Yeon Kim and ICE Director Seung-Koo Shin’s support.
A semester is 15 weeks, but ICE decided to promote four to eight weeks use of flipped learning this semester, because it is not a polished project yet. Preparing a flipped course is very complicated. Professors should first determine how students will learn the principle contents of the book. Most internal and external precedents used the self-prepared video clips or MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses), and many lectures in POSTECH are producing their video clips using the studio established in POSTECH. Then they should prepare for the diverse situations of students’ response. ICE set its goal for this year to a total of 60 lectures of flipped learning, and their final goal is 200 lectures per year, which is one third of total lectures in POSTECH and is similar to the number of flipped lectures in KAIST. The Research Professor expressed his desire for flipped learning: “Strike while the iron is hot”. His hopes that flipped learning could be an alternative to old-school lectures reflects the thoughts of most Postechians.