A Flipped Classroom Model: Increasing Access and Promoting Equity in Research Methods

Overview: The presentation examines the ways increasing access to course material and alternative pedagogical approaches can support human rights and create more equitable learning environments in the context of social work education.Proposal text:

Background: According to Council for Social Work Education (2016) social work students are required to engage in practice informed research and research informed practice. As such, research methods courses are required for all social work degrees. Research methods courses bring about levels of apprehension and anxiety amongst students which are shown to significantly impact their learning experiences and grades (Abukari et al., 2021; Gredig and Bartelsen-Raemy, 2018; Maschi et al., 2012). Levels of anxiety are shown to be highest amongst women, non-traditional, and minority students (Davis, 2003; Eckberg, 2015; Onwuegbuzie & Wilson, 2003). Furthermore, race-based achievement gaps are also likely in research methods courses as Black students are shown to score lower on standardized math and reading tests (Reardon et al., 2015). Factors that lead to race-based achievement gaps are often tied to access and inequitable resources (Akiba et al., 2015; Johnson-Ahorlu, 2009).

The use of alternative pedagogical approaches such as the flipped classroom model have shown to mitigate barriers to student success, increase access, and promote equity in social work education (Hattie, 2009; Ahmed & Indurkya, 2020). Implementing a flipped classroom model offers a structure for social work educators to meet the diverse needs and learning styles of their students. Flipped classroom models also provide students with flexibility to choose when, where, and how they want to go about their learning (Ryan & Tilbury, 2013), thus enhancing equity in the learning environment (Ahmed & Indurkya, 2020). Flipped classrooms also provide diverse students with differing learning styles with a variety of learning opportunities to access and interact continuously with class resources.

The authors conducted a study to examine if a flipped classroom model reduces race-based disparities and increases course satisfaction for students in graduate level research methods courses. The presentation will offer results of the study and implications for using the flipped classroom model as an effective alternative pedagogy for addressing student learning styles and learning needs, increasing access, and decreasing the race based achievement gap. The presentation will end with a demonstration of the flipped classroom model using one course module for a research methods course and its integration with Blackboard. Through this demonstration, attendees will learn about SoftChalk cloud, a content creation software to increase interactivity, engagement and track student outcomes.

Methods: A simple comparison of course evaluation scores, grades, and race-based differences in course grades were conducted. Data includes grade and course evaluations from two courses that used a traditional lecture-based model (n=28) and seven courses that were delivered using a flipped classroom model (n=58).

Results: In comparison to semesters before a flipped classroom was implemented, students rated "the instructor communicated the course material clearly" higher (4.64 out of 5 versus 4.46 before). Although grades went down when the flipped classroom model was implemented, the race-based achievement gap shrunk from 5.5 points (98.7% for white students, 93.2% for racially-diverse students before the flipped classroom model) to 1.5 points (93.9% for white students, 92.4% for racially-diverse students after the flipped classroom model).