Date Approved

8-5-2024

Graduate Degree Type

Project

Degree Name

Education-Higher Education (M.Ed.)

Degree Program

College of Education

First Advisor

Paul Bylsma

Academic Year

2023/2024

Abstract

In the United States racially minoritized students are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields (Fry et al., 2021). Minoritized students have a reduced chance of attaining a STEM degree in part because of the stratification in the K-12 educational system and practices in post-secondary education that disproportionately benefits the dominate class (Griffith, 2010; Johnson, 2007; Martusewicz et al., 2015; Theobald et al., 2020; Thompson, 2021). In the U.S. the K-12 system does not equally prepare students for higher education, yet most STEM courses are taught in a way that assumes all students have the same baseline skills by sticking to traditional lectures which treat students as vessels to be filled by experts (Martusewicz et al., 2015; Stains et al., 2018). The traditional lecture pedagogy is associated with higher failure and withdraw rates for minoritized, low-income, and first-generation students (Koch, 2017). Achievement gaps however can be reduced by transitioning away from traditional lectures to more active learning practices (Deslauries et al., 2018; Freeman et al., 2014; Theobald et al., 2020). Active learning can be implemented using a flipped course design. In a flipped course students are first exposed to content before class and use course time to engage with information, classmates, and instructors through active learning activities (Al-Samarraie et al., 2020; Galindo-Dominguez, 2021; McCarthy, 2016.; Talbert, 2017; Youhasan et al., 2021). Though flipped classes have shown to increase student satisfaction, transferable skills, and academic achievement compared to a traditional lecture it is still underutilized in STEM education (Galindo-Dominquez, 2021; Joseph et al., 2021; Nwosisi, 2019). In post-secondary education most STEM courses are taught using traditional lectures which is partially due to faculty being unaware of the research around the effectiveness of active learning practices. The goal of this project is to present this research and provide faculty with resources for how to design and implement a flipped course. Information will be presented at a teaching conference as a breakout session that includes a workshop on flipped course design and resource website.

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