fall 2013 / 21
FEATURES
on using new technology, especially
online video streaming, to present
the out-of-class materials. That’s not
a requirement for flipped classrooms,
but it is a hallmark. It’s also a way to
reach young students in a medium
they’re comfortable with.
Meggers-Wright, for example,
prepared short YouTube videos on
basics for her students—how to
conduct a reliability test or create a
conference poster, for example—so
they could spend valuable minutes
in class doing deeper work. Each
of her presentations looks like a
PowerPoint presentation, with slides,
with Meggers-Wright down in the
corner talking directly to students and
walking them through the 10-minute
mini-lessons. Although it took some
effort on her part up front, she said,
it helped the actual course run much
more smoothly.
“It ended up being a very, very useful
use of time,” she said. “It cut down on
me having to run from group to group
and remind them of things. Instead,
we had a higher level of discussion.”
Many of the students liked it, too,
saying they appreciated being able
to rewind their professor if they
misunderstood something and take
notes at their own pace.
“I would suggest this be a continued
practice. It also allowed for me to
learn the material on my own time,”
one wrote in the class evaluations. “It
was convenient to be able to pull up
the video as necessary, and not to have
to wait for help,” another said.
Studies at other schools have also
shown positive results from classroom
An example of Dr. Meggers-Wright’s class material on YouTube.
