Can we move beyond lecturing while still retaining the inspirational and entertaining aspects of traditional lecturing?

1. Facilitating Active
Learning in the
Lecture Theatre
Simon Lancaster (CHE)
@S_J_Lancaster

2. StronglyAgree
Agree
Neutral
DisagreeStronglyDisagree
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Elvis Presley was charismatic?
A. Strongly Agree
B. Agree
C. Neutral
D. Disagree
E. Strongly Disagree

3. In Defense of the Lecture?

4. More than anecdotal evidence
 Scott Freeman, Sarah L. Eddy, Miles McDonough,
Michelle K. Smith, Nnadozie Okoroafor, Hannah Jordt,
and Mary Pat Wenderoth Active learning increases
student performance in science, engineering, and
mathematics Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences 2014, 111, 8410–8415.
 Active learning disproportionately benefits students
likely to fail.
 Average difference reported was +6%.
 Inexperienced academics practising active learning
pedagogies are more effective than experienced
colleagues delivering classic (passive) lectures.

5. A pragmatic progression
 Lecture Capture
 Vignettes
 Student Production
 Lecture Flipping
 Peer Instruction
 Student sourcing

6. ‘Screencasting versus Lecture
capture’?
 A screencast is a recording of the evolving image on the
screen during a presentation synchronised with the
speaker’s audio narration.
 We use Camtasia Studio but other solutions are available.
 Total lecture capture requires intelligent camerawork…

7. Which of these do you regard as pros of
screencasting / lecture capture?
A. Learning aid
B. Revision aid
C. Illness contingency
D. Self observation
E. Recording ‘quality
control’
Learning
aid
Revision
aid
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8. Which of these do you regard as cons of
screencasting / lecture capture?
A. Additional equipment
B. Revision aid
C. Discourages lecture
attendance?
D. Discourages note
taking?
E. Takes too long
F. Loss of interactivity
G. Absence of charisma
Additional equipm
ent
Revision
aid
Discourages lecture
att...
Discourages note
taking?
Takes too
long
Loss of interactivity
Absence
of charism
a
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9. ‘tis easy

10. Addressing some of drawbacks of
Screencasts: Vignettes
 We use the term
‘vignette’ to refer
to a short segment
of a screencast,
covering a critical
concept, which
may be augmented
by an interactive
component
introduced during
the editing
process.

11. Student comments on Faculty
Authored Vignettes
 “Staff vignettes are great revision tools
because they are recorded well and the
information is clear and concise!”
 “Good revision tool because if you haven't
completely understood something in the
lecture or when revising then you can go to
that place in the vignette and listen to the
explanation again!”
 “All lecturers should do it”
 “Would be more effective if lectures were
recorded as vignettes that are only 5
minutes long”

12. Why do you ask your students to prepare and
present presentations?
A. …
B. …
C. …
D. …
E. …
…
…
…
…
…
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13. Flipping roles:
Student Authored Vignettes
1. The students are paired and allocated a
revision topic.
2. Each student pair prepares a presentation to
be critiqued by their peers and instructors.
3. Each pair delivers a presentation to their
peers and the session is captured using
Camtasia Studio.
4. Each student pair creates a vignette from
their screencast or a subsequent recording.
5. The student authored vignettes are published
online to be used as a revision tool.

14. M
id
February
M
id
M
arch
M
id
April
M
id
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ay
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When was the exam?
A. Mid February
B. Mid March
C. Mid April
D. Mid May

15.  No experience made preparation difficult
 Students don’t have a lot of time to do it. Takes longer
than actual Powerpoint
 Need more Camtasia experience/easier software
 Very good revision tool if a lot of effort is put into
producing it
 Quality may differ and affect revision – can’t rely on
them
Student Evaluation

16.  Thought about information in a different way when
preparing interactive questions
 You can add more to existing presentation which is good
 Made you go over material you might have forgotten
 Had lecture notes and additional material (narration)
 Highlights key areas
Student Evaluation

17. What would you like to do to improve
learning?
1. Increase interactivity
2. Confront misconceptions
3. Incentivise private study
4. Facilitate thought
Increaseinteractivity
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isconceptions
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18. Our model of lecture flipping
 Students are strongly encouraged to watch a screencast
recording of the (previous year’s) lecture the flipped
lecture is replacing.
 They attend the timetabled teaching slot and are
engaged in as interactive and as ‘challenging’ a session
as the ‘lecturer’ can muster using every audience
participation device at their disposal.

19. Uptake

20. Which are genuine student evaluation
comments?
1. A lot of the descriptive chemistry was very dry and essentially boring. It is hard
to teach this kind of material but the 'flipped lectures' seemed to combat this.
2. I appreciated Dr Lancaster's efforts to make the lectures interesting and
engaging in a modern way. The 'flipped' lectures were very successful.
3. I really enjoyed the flipped lectures and find that revising that material is
much easier.
4. The flipped-lectures are a definite step in the right direction, away from
archaic lectures with little or no mental stimulus, towards a more interactive
learning experience that maximises learning outcome!
5. They were good fun as it was nice to have interaction with the lecture as
opposed to just being talked at, it was also nice having knowledge of what you
were talking about as we had already gone through the material!
6. I think the flipped lectures were a really good idea because it was a more
interactive way to engage students into learning, rather than the repetitive
routine of having to listen to the lecturer work through a PowerPoint
presentation for an hour.

21. What is the objective of a question
posed during a flipped session?

22. The importance of the question

23. When we shed body fat, most of the weight
exits the body through
1. Perspiration
2. Defecation
3. Exhalation
4. Urination
Perspiration
Defecation
Exhalation
Urination
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24. Which one of the three little pigs built
the most environmentally sustainable
house?
A. First little pig (straw)
B. Second little pig (wood)
C. Third little pig (brick)
Firstlittle
pig(straw
)
Second
little
pig(w
ood)
Third
little
pig
(brick)
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25. The Goldilocks Zone

26. Who is best placed to determine the
Goldilocks Zone?

27. Student Sourcing Questions?
 Be open to student suggestions
 Encourage students to submit questions
for use within flipped sessions
 Use Peerwise to structure, screen and
select questions in the sweet spot for
peer instruction
 Seek answers from students and even
draft new questions ‘on the hoof’

28. The Question is Key

29. Conclusions Suggestions
 Ask what you are adding by expecting your students
to attend.
 Can you reduce your content sufficiently to allow
enough interaction?
 Can you ever have enough interaction?
 If you can’t then flip.
 Start small but commit fully.
 Question everything, especially the questions.
 Try Peer Instruction… or just skip straight to PBL.
 Seek (possible) answers from the floor.
 Relinquish as much control as possible and enjoy the
ride.

30. Acknowledgements
 Prof Eric Mazur
 Dr David Read
 Prof Simon Bates
 Dr Ross Galloway
 Dr Anna Wood
 Prof Tina Overton
 Dr Anne Nortcliffe