Flipping the Biostatistics Classroom

• Activity Number: 213
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Monday, August 4, 2014 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Teaching of Statistics in the Health Sciences
• Author(s): Rebecca R. Andridge*+ and Kristin L. Sainani*+ and Todd A. Schwartz*+
• Companies: Ohio State University and Stanford University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Keywords: statistical education ; health sciences ; pedagogy ; flipped classroom ; teaching and learning ; technology

Abstract

"Flipping" the classroom has gained traction in recent years in a range of disciplines and across a spectrum of education levels, ranging from high school to graduate school, and is a hot topic in today's technology-savvy society. In a typical flipped classroom, students are introduced to topics outside of classroom time via methods such as instructional videos, which replace traditional in-class lectures, thus enabling students to learn at their own pace. Class time is then spent on activities such as problem solving and group work, tasks that would be assigned as homework in a traditional classroom setting. This allows the instructor to take a hands-on approach, helping students through specific problem areas and seeing first-hand where students are struggling. The idea of the flipped classroom has been around since the 1990s though it has grown in popularity in recent years as technology has improved in terms of quality, cost, and availability. Panelists will share their experiences using the flipped classroom model across a range of health sciences and to a diverse array of students.