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Using Flipped Classroom Approach to Explore Deep
Learning in Large Classrooms

Brenda Danker
	
  

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Abstract
This project used two Flipped Classroom approaches to stimulate deep learning in large
classrooms during the teaching of a film module as part of a Diploma in Performing Arts course
at Sunway University, Malaysia. The flipped classes utilized either a blended learning approach
where students first watched online lectures as homework, and then completed their assignments
and practical work in class; or utilized a guided inquiry approach at the beginning of class using
this same process. During the class the lecturers were present to help the students, and in addition,
the students were advantaged by being able to help one another. The in-class learning activities
also included inquiry-based learning, active learning, and peer-learning.
This project used an action research approach to improve the in-class instructional design
progressively to achieve its impact of deep learning among the students. The in-class learning
activities that was included in the later flipped classes merged aspects of blended learning with an
inquiry-based learning cycle which focused on the exploration of concepts. Data was gatheredfrom questionnaires filled out by the students and from short interviews with the students, as well
as from the teacher’s reflective journals. The findings verified that the flipped classrooms wereable to remodel large lecture classes into active-learning classes. The results also support thepossibility of individualised learning for the students as being high as a result of the teacher’sability to provide one-on-one tutoring through technology-infused lessons. It is imperative thatthe in-class learning activities are purposefully designed as the inclusion of the exploratory
learning through guided inquiry-based activities in the flipped classes was a successful way toengage students on a deeper level and increased the students’ curiosity and engaged them todevelop higher-order thinking skills. This project also concluded that flipped classrooms hadpromising impact for student learning and achievement in a Performing Arts course in Malaysia.
Keywords: Flipped classroom; curriculum design; blended learning.

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Introduction
In recent decades, the student-centered learning approach has shown significant learning gains
and has reformed teaching styles in many higher educational institutions globally. Over the past
30 years, more flexible, student-centered classroom teaching methods have been advocated basedon the concepts of “discovery” learning and “active” learning (Greitzer, 2002). However, on theother end of the spectrum, in many developing countries, including Malaysia, the teachercentered learning approach is still widely used and preferred. The teacher-centered learning
approach uses lecture-based instruction which is economical and viable for teaching a large
number of students at a time. Lecture-based instruction is where the teacher takes the active roleof dispensing knowledge in a classroom. The propagation of information is in a one-way
direction. In such an environment, the students are passive learners, where they rely on learningby listening, memorizing, and on the repetition of the taught knowledge. The major shortcomingin passive learning is that students only have a basic recollection of knowledge - which means
they have merely achieved a low level of thinking skill. To attain a higher and conceptual level ofthinking, the students need to take responsibility for their own learning and become active
knowledge seekers. The student-centered learning approach emphasizes engaging learners to
structure their learning to include applying their current class work or experience when theycollaborate to solve problems, and make sense of their learning. With this approach, students
become active learners and the teacher’s role now moves to that of being a facilitator by initiatingclassroom discussions to ensure that all the students achieve understanding for meaningful andeffective learning (Goh, 2012). The student-centered approach should be at the heart of oureducational system and this calls for a paradigm shift in higher educational institutions in
Malaysia - to move from the teacher-centered approach to the student-centered approach.
Technology in education can be used as an approach that focuses on student-centered educationand is a step in the right direction as we move forward in the 21st century. According to the latest
Speak Up survey from Project Tomorrow in the United States which polled 400,000 teachers,
administrators, students and parents, videos for homework are on the rise; mobile computing is"beyond the tipping point"; and most students do not use traditional computers to connect to theInternet at home (Riedel, 2014). When teachers effectively integrate communication technologies
in their teaching, they create engaging learning environments, especially as students have alreadyadopted technology in their lives and use it increasingly for learning. Higher educational
institutions cannot ignore technology in fulfilling their strategic mission and in responding to the
expectations of a diverse student body (Donnelly, 2009), as technology-rich classrooms haveshown an effect on the students’ achievement.
In moving away from the lecture model to an instructional design involving interactive pedagogy
and technology, many educators are paying attention to the Flipped Classroom ideology.
YouTube Teacher’s Studio educator, Ramsey Musallam, (2011) suggests using teacher produced
videos to shift the form of instruction from the classroom to the homework setting in the Flipped
Classroom approach. Students watch recorded lectures for homework and complete theirassignments, lab work and tests in class (Hertz, 2012). This allows the lecturers to work with thestudents during class on what was formerly given as homework. In this way, the lecturers arepresent to help the students and the students can also help each other (Pink, 2010). Early pioneersof the Flipped Classroom model - Bergmann and Sams, when flipping their classrooms, used theonline material mostly to review and reinforce classroom lessons and the classroom becomes theplace to work through problems, advanced concepts, and engage in collaborative learning(Tucker, 2012). Holmes, et al. (2001) considered that collaborative learning was “an approach tolearning in which students not only construct their own knowledge as a result of interaction with
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their environment but are also actively engaged in the process of constructing knowledge for theirlearning community”.
Peer learning was the other in-class learning activity practiced in the project. Peer learning is one
method to encourage meaningful learning and involves students teaching each other and learningfrom each other (Keppel, 2006). It involves a sharing of ideas, knowledge and experiences andemphasizes interdependent as opposed to independent learning (Boud, 2001).
Flipped classrooms also draw on concepts such as active learning, student engagement, hybrid
course designs, and course podcasting (Educause, 2012). It overlaps other instructional tools,
such as reverse instruction, inquiry learning, blended learning, and online instruction, through theuse of podcasting or screencasting, Web 2.0 resources, and inquiry activities (Bennett, et al.,2011). The vocabulary of active learning needs to be highlighted here as it is an essential in-class
instructional method in the flipped classrooms. Active learning is defined by the engineering
education community as the “involvement of students in their own learning” and encompasses avariety of instructional techniques in which students participate in activities during class time thatinvolve more than passive listening (Zappe et al., 2009). The core elements of active learning are
student activity and engagement in the learning process (Prince, 2004). The flipped model puts
the responsibility for learning more on the shoulders of the students while giving them greater
impetus to experiment. Activities in class can be student-led, and communication among students
can become the determining dynamic of a session devoted to learning through hands-on work
(Educause, 2012).
This study used the Flipped Classroom approach during the teaching of a film module as part of a
Diploma in Performing Arts course at Sunway University, Malaysia. The course offers a uniquecurriculum that covers both filmmaking and theatre. As the course is practical-based, the student
intake has been at a comfortable enrolment of an average of 20 students per year. In the past two
years, there was a sudden increase in class size to 38 students (the highest so far). This presented
new challenges to the faculty to engage all students and having sufficient class time forindividualized attention during the class. To stimulate students’ deep learning in this largely
practical-based diploma course, the flipped classroom approach was used.
Student Learning and the Flipped Classroom
The flipped classroom promotes an environment which increases the interaction between thestudents and teachers and engages the students in learning through application and practice. In
this aspect, flipped classrooms use a student-centered approach as it focuses on student learningand it places the responsibility for learning more on the shoulders of students than teachers while
giving them a greater impetus to experiment (Sams, 2011). This can be seen from - the Bergmann
and Sams’ instructional design - where students explore and make sense of their learning throughactive learning activities like inquiry learning, problem-based learning and peer collaboration(Sams, 2011). This creates the face-to-face time to have a “much deeper interaction” between theteacher and student as they engage and interact on case studies, and discuss particular problems(Leckhart & Cheshire, 2012; Gerstein, 2011). The learners are able to demonstrate what they
have learned and to apply the material in a way that makes sense to them. As learners make senseof their learning, they create something that is individualized, and with application to the learners’
everyday lives, it extends beyond the lesson. This is the highest level of learning under Bloom’s
Revised Taxonomy of Learning (Gerstein, 2011). Zappe, Leicht, Messner Litzinger, and Lee(2009) flipped a large undergraduate architectural engineering course and the students’ evaluationof the course indicated that the flipped classroom had a positive impact on student learning as thestudents perceived the method of teaching as being more effective than lecturing and reported
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that they enjoyed the class and benefited from watching the lecture videos outside of class(Herreid, 2013).
The Flipped Classroom promotes personalized learning as students can pause, re-wind and rewatch the online video at their own pace - one of the major, evidence-based advantages of the useof video is that learners have control over the media with the ability to review parts that are
misunderstood, which need further reinforcement, and/or those parts that are of particular interest(Gerstein, 2011). This has a positive effect on student learning and achievement. For example, in
2009, after they flipped their classrooms, Clintondale High School in Michigan, U.S, had adramatic decrease in the failure rate in critical subjects, such as English Language Arts – which
was from 52% to 19% (Álvarez, 2011).
Flipped Classroom in a Large Class Size
Large classrooms are the norm in higher educational institutions in Malaysia. In a study on large
group teaching in a Malaysian private university, researcher Susan Thomas assumes that an
average class in Malaysia has more than 80 students (Thomas, 2011). The maximum class size
for writing classes should be 20 or less, as recommended by The Conference on College
Composition and Communication, a professional organization within the National Council of
Teachers of English that focuses specifically on college writing (Horning, 2007). In large
classrooms, engaging the students together is a challenge even more so when using traditional
approaches to teaching - which research has demonstrated to be less effective than moreinteractive methodologies (Schell, 2012). Implementing a flipped classroom for a large class size
may boost the students’ academic attainment as it generally enables more focused teaching andlearning to take place in the classroom despite the class size (Kachka, 2012). The flippedclassroom’s online material enables teachers to coach large classes: one-on-one tutoring, scaledby the web (Leckhart & Cheshire, 2012). As for its in-class teaching approach, small group
discussions, peer-learning and inquiry-learning have been used to engage students in theirlearning, even for a large class size. In a large classroom of 209 students, Rick Sellens, aprofessor at Queens University in Canada, uses the Flipped Classroom with Peer Instruction.
Despite the large enrolment, Sellens says: “I was able to get students engaged and talking to eachother about the subject matter using Peer Instruction” (Schell, 2012).
Limitations of the Flipped Classroom ApproachAn effective flipped classroom requires careful preparation and there is concern regarding theamount of time and effort the instructor has to put in. Recording lectures requires skill and timeon the part of the faculty. Moreover, out-of-class and in-class elements must be carefully
integrated for students to understand the model and be motivated to prepare for the class. A
teacher, Roshan, admits that the process is time-consuming – about one hour and 15 minutes torecord and edit a 30-minute lecture. But then, instead of lecturing in class, Roshan spends theclass time “just walking around seeing what [students] need help with... they’re able to work attheir own pace” (Houston & Lin, 2012). As such, introducing a flip can mean additional workand may require new skills for the instructor, although this learning curve can be mitigated byapproaching the model slowly (Educause, 2012). It takes effort, but planning, implementing andrevising are all doable tasks and each effort builds a block upon which the next can be built. The
important component of this process is to develop high-level, engaging questions that serve todeepen students’ thinking and to address misconceptions in the lesson (November & Mull, 2012).
Hertz (2012) raises the issue of students’ access to the Internet. A common concern in the flippedclassroom process is regarding students who have poor or no Internet access outside of class
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since the activities outside of class rely on technology. To mitigate this, lecture videos should be
converted into a format that can be accessed by students through various means - laptops, tablet
computers, smartphones and DVD players. The school faculty can also ensure that the computersin the library and labs are available for students to preview the videos before class. Twomey(2013) documents how a rural high school in Illinois, the United States completely flipped thelessons. In this largely high-poverty area, problems with access to the internet were solved bydownloading the lessons onto DVDs and thumbdrives.
Another concern, which pertains to education in general, is when the student does not do thehomework, in this case, to watch the online material before class. A flipped class requires
students to be willing to take responsibility for their learning. While the focus of the Flipped
Classroom is no longer the faculty as the “sage on the stage” but rather the “guide on the side”, it
provides a setting where students receive personal attention still held accountable for actions andacademic performance (Hawks, 2014). Students who do not watch the online material before
class will not be able to participate in the in-class activities fully and proceed to the application
tasks. To ensure greater compliance, instructors can track the knowledge gained from thehomework or they can adjust the class activities for unprepared students, if they are in fact
unprepared (Kachka, 2012). This might be achieved by insisting that the unprepared students
watch the video during class time (the preparatory work that is required so as to be able toproceed to the application tasks) while the rest of the class deepens their knowledge through otheractivities, i.e. the unprepared student misses out part of the class interaction at the beginning of
the class and joins the class once the video is viewed.
Implementing the Flipped Classroom
The process of just flipping a classroom will not transform students’ learning. According to a
study by Houston and Lin (2012), a successful implementation of a flipped classroom would needthe videos to be relatively short (no longer than 20 minutes) and teachers should briefly review
the course content before in-class activities to answer any questions and to make sure that the
majority of the students have sufficient understanding of the material. Kachka (2012)
recommends that during the in-class activities, the teacher must be deliberate to guide andincrease the interaction with the students. In addition, the instructional design using technology
needs to be carefully planned to ensure the students’ learning experience is enhanced, wherestudents identify learning as their goal. Ramsey Musallam, who began flipping his classroom in
2006, stressed this, saying, “(a) flipped classroom is a thing you do in the context of an
overarching pedagogy [and is] not the pedagogy itself ” (Ash, 2012). The Flipped Classroom has
a comprehensive instructional model that includes direct instruction, inquiry, practice, formativeand summative assessment and many more elements (Bennett, et al. 2011). These instructional
techniques give a focus to the process of learning. It is aimed to enable students to be more
actively engaged with the course material and, ultimately, empower them to construct knowledge
through their understanding.
Student’s characteristics of their approach to achieve deep learning were identified from The
Higher Education Academy in the UK, compiled from Biggs (1999), Entwistle (1988), andRamsden (1992), and were used in the scope of the themes explored in this study. Students whowant to achieve deep learning have the intention of understanding, engaging with, operating in,and valuing the subject. As such, the thematic analysis shows that deep learning occurs when
students:
1.

Look for meaning in their learning
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2.

Interact actively and3.

Relate new and previous knowledge (Higher Education Academy, 2011).

It is anticipated that the research undertaken here will explore the depth of learning for tertiary
students in a module for the Diploma in Performing Arts qualification at Sunway University, apractical-based course. The students were from two cohorts that had a large class size.
Research Purpose
The major research questions in this study were:
1. How does a Flipped Classroom approach engage the students in deep learning including
looking for meaning in their learning, interacting actively and relating new and previous
knowledge despite being in a large class?
2. Within the Flipped Classroom Approach, does including guided exploration by the student
improve aspects of deep learning such as looking for meaning, interacting active or relating new
and previous knowledge?
Research Method
This study uses an action research approach, in line with the research query - which is toinvestigate what in-class instructional design for a large class sizes can be used to increase theinteraction between the teacher and the student and between the student and another student, with
the intention of stimulating deep learning. The instructional design using a flipped classroom
strategy can be improved progressively in later flipped classes to achieve its impact of deeplearning among the students.
To investigate if students were engaged in deep learning in a flipped classroom, a qualitative
research method was used, with questionnaires, short interviews and observations. The firstsource of data - questionnaires focusing on the online lecture - were given to the students
immediately after each flipped class. The second source of data - short interviews with a small
sample of the two cohort groups of the program - were semi-structured, with key questions asked
on their experience or behavior in the flipped class, their knowledge of the topic taught, and theirlearning in the flipped classrooms. The study sampling had 19 students (nine from the first year
cohort and 10 from the second year cohort). The final source of data was from the researcher’s
personal reflection, abstracted from observational logs written during the flipped classes and fromreflection notes written soon after each class.
First Cycle
In this study, the student-centered learning approach with an instructional design using
technology was drawn up to encourage active learning and higher-order thinking skills within alarge class size. The study was done in two cycles, involving two cohorts of the Diploma in
Performing Arts students from the Department of Performance and Media, Sunway University.
The first cycle was conducted in the Scriptwriting course in the August 2012 semester. With 32
students from the second year cohort of the program, two flipped classes were held. The second
cycle was conducted in the Video Tools course in the April 2013 semester. With 33 students fromthe first year cohort of the program, two flipped classes were held.

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In the first cycle of the flipped classroom, the students’ learning cycle consisted of two stages, as
outlined in Figure 1. The first stage involved the students viewing an online lecture as homework
before class. The second stage involved the students engaging in active learning in class where
they worked out real-world projects to grasp the context of the taught topic. In-class learning
activities included peer instruction, problem-based learning and collaborative work.

	
  Figure 1. Students’ learning cycle in Flipped Classroom Cycle 1
The model of instruction for the second cycle of the flipped classroom was improved after the
researcher’s continued reading of literature on achieving deep learning among students andreflection on the observation notes and questionnaires from the first cycle of the flipped classes.
According to Flipped Classroom instructor Ramsay Musallam, when flipping his classrooms toachieve meaningful student learning, he would include the “Explore” phase, where students
would work through guided inquiry exercises. This is based on the Explore-Explain-Applyinquiry learning cycle developed by Robert Karplus (Musallam, 2013). The in-class instruction
merged aspects of blended learning with an inquiry-based learning cycle.
Second Cycle
The flipped classrooms for the second cycle consisted of three stages, as outlined in Figure 2. The
first stage involved in-class learning activities focusing on exploration of concepts where students
would perform hands-on activities designed to investigate the concept, and included discussion
on various probabilities with the intention to lead to an understanding of the concept. The second
and third stages were similar to the students’ learning cycle in the Flipped Classroom Cycle 1,
which was to preview an online lecture, followed by concept application in class. In the case of
students who did not watch the online lecture before class, they were asked to watch it at the
beginning of the lesson and, after watching it, resume class to take part in the active learning
phase of the course.

Figure 2. Students’ learning cycle in Flipped Classroom Cycle 2
Results and Discussion
In analyzing the qualitative data, a thematic analysis was carried out within the scope of thethemes determined by the research question framework of the study - which is, how the Flipped
Classroom approach can engage students in deep learning despite being in a large class. Amongthe themes explored were students looking for meaning in their learning, interacting actively andrelating new and previous knowledge despite being in a large class. Within the Flipped
Classroom Approach between cycle 1 and 2, data from the students were reviewed to investigate
if the guided exploration by the students improved deep learning.
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Cycle 1 and 2 results
In looking at students’ level of understanding of the topic taught in the flipped classes, results, as
outlined in Table 1, show that the average ranking difference for Year 2 (Cycle 1) and Year 1(Cycle 2) in their level of understanding the topic taught has a slight increase from level 3.9 inCycle 1 to 4.1 in Cycle 2. Looking specifically at the online lecture 2 carried out in Cycle 1 and 2,
as illustrated in Figure 3 and 4, the percentage of the students’ understanding at level 5 increased
from 30% in Cycle 1 to 44% in Cycle 2. A factor which may have led to the students’ increased
level of understanding of the topic taught was when inquiry-learning was incorporated in the
flipped classes of Cycle 2.
Table 1. Students’ level of understanding of the topics taught and the average ranking in the
flipped classes

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Figure 3. Students’ level of understanding of the topic taught in Online Lecture 2 in the Flipped
Classroom Cycle 1

Figure 4. Students’ level of understanding of the topic taught in Online Lecture 2 in the Flipped
Classroom Cycle
The results also indicated several common issues and themes
Students Look for Meaning in their Learning
In analysing the theme of students looking for meaning in their learning, we first looked for any
behaviour trends when the students accessed the lesson online, and also the level ofunderstanding of the topics taught in the flipped classroom. After watching the online lecture,
50% of the Year 1 students reported in the questionnaire that they replayed and paused the online
lecture to take notes and to understand the lesson. Relating to their understanding of the topics
taught, respondents from both cohorts interviewed had a high understanding, with an averageranking of 4 out of 5 (highest) as outlined in Table 1. In the second flipped class for Year 1
students, 44% of the respondents felt they understood the topic well and ranked it at 5 (asoutlined in Figure 3). These results show that most learners are engaged in their learning whenusing the technology to watch the online lecture. From the nine interview respondents with theYear 1 cohort, one student, after watching the online lecture, even looked for more information
online and two students understood the topic well enough to apply it to the personal projects they
took on.
When using the flipped classroom model, learning instructions, like inquiry-learning, were
implemented in the Flipped Classroom Cycle 2 with the intention for students to make sense of
their learning. The results from this study showed that more than half of the respondents (67%)
from flipped class Cycle 2 (which taught camera shots size and angles and how to develop stories
by using storyboards) found learning engaging and were excited by the ideas taught to try themout themselves. For example, Interview 5 (Year 1) had practiced framing different shots andangles with a camera before class to test the knowledge received. Interview 7 (Year 1) said: “I ama dancer and I wanted to start planning to shoot dance movements using the camera”. Three
respondents from Cycle 2 began to think about the process for story development. Interview 7(Year 1) said: “I looked at how stories are from script to visual. I was also thinking of how toshoot stories”. Based on the researcher’s observation notes, respondents from Cycle 2 wereprepared for the lesson and were capable of going straight into the activity. This is in accordancewith the increased percentage (from 30% of the Cycle 1 respondents to 67% of Cycle 2
respondents) who reported they were engaged in their learning and were excited to try these ideas
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out on their own. A factor which may have led the students to be engaged and energised in theirlearning was when inquiry-learning (which is the explore phase) was incorporated in the flippedclasses Cycle 2. The instructional design with the “Explore” stage in Cycle 2 could have sparked
the students’ curiosity and zest for learning as inquiry-learning helps foster critical thinking.
The above results point to how this flipped classroom study helped students to be active learners
despite the class size. This setting helped turn what was traditionally passive learning (sitting,listening, taking notes) into a more active, hands-on, student-centred process, by means oftechnology. The content of the lesson, now delivered to the students online, gives the students theopportunity to reflect and be prepared to be engaged further in class. With class time focused onmeaningful learning activities, students also collaborated in small groups to solve problems anduse deeper learning processes such as critical thinking. Students from this study showed that they
actively sought to transform their own learning from understanding to a higher level of thinking
when they engaged in applying and connecting the lesson to their own projects and interests. The
flipped classroom model creatively helped these students to manage their own learning.
Students’ Active Participation during In-Class Activities
In assessing students’ participation in class activities, the interview results showed a highparticipation in all the flipped classes with a majority (more than 70%) saying they gave at least
80% of their attention to the activities. Nearly half of the respondents attributed their high level ofparticipation to gaining new knowledge from the online lecture and in-class activities and finding
it interesting.
In engaging diverse types of learners in the in-class activities, it is important to pay attention to
students who are introverted or are more of reflective learners. In this study, these learners foundit hard to participate as they would rather think through the work than voice their opinions during
the in-class activities. 11% of the respondents felt they could have spoken up more during thegroup activities. Interview 9 (Year 1) said: “I could have done better at participation as I havefeedback in my head”. The researcher had observed this and recognised these learners anddecided, in future lesson plans, to provide discussion questions ahead of time and to include shortreflective breaks during class for these learners to think through the lesson.
In a flipped classroom setup, there is increased interaction between the teacher and the student,
and with the student and another student, despite the large class size. One evidence of thisinteraction is the increased time for feedback. This is seen from the Year 2 interview respondents
where 50% of them had a consistent comment on feedback - they either felt they had provided
feedback or received useful feedback from their peers and the teacher on the work they did in the
in-class activities. Interview 6 (Year 2) said: “Through the activity, my group members gave
good feedback on how to improve the conflict in my script”. In the researcher’s observation notes,
it was noted that as the students performed the learning activities, the teacher could assess thestudents’ level of understanding and provide prompt guidance directly. These increased
opportunities for feedback could improve student learning. According to Bloom (1984), “anaverage student who receives one-on-one attention is enabled by constant feedback and acorrective process, and can jump into the 98th percentile of the student population in the academic
achievement realm” (Houston and Lin, 2012).
The in-class activities were all conducted in small groups varying from two to five members,
depending on the type of activity. The researcher’s notes showed that working in small groups
helped students to feel less intimidated to ask questions and express their opinions. In addition tothis, an interview respondent from the Year 1 cohort commented that questions were asked
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throughout the activities in the class, compared to a traditional classroom, where questions are
only asked at the end of the class. This helped draw the students into the learning process.
Students in this study recognised the benefits of active participation in class. They participated asthey found the activities interesting, were interested to gain new knowledge in the classroom, andto share knowledge with one another. The class itself was transformed into a bustling learninghub.
Students Connect New and Previous Knowledge
Deep learning involves being able to connect the taught topics to previous knowledge and to thereal world. In the thematic analysis of relating the topics taught in their flipped classrooms to new
and previous knowledge, 90% of the interview respondents from the Year 2 cohort agreed that it
did occur and they were applying the topics taught to their work (The flipped class was aboutstory structure and conflicts in a short film). Interview 2 (Year 2) said: “I can apply thisknowledge of storytelling in books whereby I can understand its story structure”. In anotherflipped classroom, all Year 2 respondents could relate the topic taught to film, life, and theirprojects. Interview 7 (Year 2) said: “Yes, I can relate the topic taught to my life. I can relatecharacters to myself, especially in the choices the character made when in conflict”. Interview 2(Year 2) said: “I apply the knowledge taught when I view films, where I analyse the film
structure. Also, when I work on the edit for my project, I pay attention to story flow and I apply
the build-up sequence to the end of the story”. As for Year 1 interview respondents, 78% of them
could relate or/and apply the knowledge taught to films, books, music videos, and topics taught inother classes.
The above encouraging results showed that most students in the flipped class were able to relate
new ideas to previous knowledge to build an understanding of the material taught.
Other Findings
A significant in-class instruction method practiced in the flipped classes was peer learning toenhance students’ learning experiences, engagement and to foster cooperative learning.
Cooperation among students typically resulted in (a) higher achievement and greater productivity,(b) more caring, supportive, and committed relationships, and (c) greater psychological health,social competence, and self-esteem (Smith & Kampf, 2004). Among the respondents there was acommon thread regarding the benefits of peer learning . 50% of the Year 2 interview respondents
placed value on peer learning. Interview 10 (Year 2) said: “I feel more comfortable in small
groups and this enables me to give opinions and ask questions. I find this way of learning
effective”. Interview 5 (Year 2) said: “Discussions with my peers are stimulating and I can retain
the information better”. Peer learning helped most of the students in this study to understand the
topic better and engage in the learning process.
Another benefit from the in-class activities, based on the researcher’s observation notes, was thatthe students developed soft skills, such as communication when they were in the small groups.
They were seen facilitating the discussion, articulating ideas, encouraging one another tocontribute to the discussion, helping one another to accomplish the task and practicing leadershipskills. Interview 8 (Year 1) reinforced this observation, saying: “We learnt to communicate better,
where we expressed our ideas and feelings and tried to be a good listener”.
All the study respondents found the flipped classroom to be productive and useful for theirlearning: 37% of the interview respondents felt that it was because the online videos wereaccessible and could be viewed again when necessary; 26% of the respondents said that theknowledge they acquired was condensed into a short video and this saved time in their learning;
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and 37% of the respondents said the flipped classrooms were productive for their learning as they
were provoked to think about the topic before class and were able to go beyond what was taught.
Summary and Conclusion
The classroom flip in this study has shown encouraging results especially in the area of student
participation in the lesson. The students have shown that they were involved in their own learning,with some students even applying what they learned in their own projects, and in their everyday
lives. Students in this study also showed how they were able to connect new ideas to previous
knowledge and apply it to the real world.
The flipped classroom is able to redesign a large lecture class into an active-learning class madeof small groups. Despite a larger class size, active learning in small groups lead students to beengaged in learning, where they can participate, receive feedback and develop higher-order
thinking skills. The class is no longer a place where students are passively seated and only takenotes, but now is bustling with students who are interacting and discovering the lesson together.
In this study, exploratory learning through guided inquiry-based activities in the flipped classes
was a successful way to engage students on a deeper level. This learning strategy increased theinteraction between the teacher and the student and between the student and another student,
despite the large class size. Interactive learning strategies in the classroom have to be planned out
and revised accordingly as the dynamics is different from class to class, more so in a large class,so as to develop higher-order thinking skills and, ultimately, for students to become life-longlearners.
The Flipped Classroom strategy promoted individualised learning for students as some of thestudents used the opportunity to replay and pause the online lecture to absorb it better. Students
could do this at their own pace. However, students will need to take the initiative and takeresponsibility for their own learning.
Suggestions for further research include further development of the instructional design for
flipped classrooms which includes blended learning with other active learning activities such as
experiential learning and project-based learning to engage students in a meaningful and deeper
level. One of the challenges for this research would be to cultivate student motivation and peer
learning opportunities in order to achieve a common goal.
In carrying out this study, both learners and faculty members had a rewarding experience in using
the flipped classroom model as it has empowered students to take charge of their learning and to
be engaged in peer learning. It enabled the teachers to have one-on-one tutoring through atechnology-infused lesson despite the large class size. This study provides an insight into aflipped classroom experience in a Malaysia context specifically in a Performing Arts course andsupports the view that the flipped classroom has much to offer to the process of learning in higher
educational institutions.

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