The Flipped Classroom: Engaging the Student in Active Learning

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jlse.12078
• Published date: 01 June 2018
• Date: 01 June 2018
• Author: Mystica M. Alexander

Journal of Legal Studies Education

Volume 35, Issue 2, 277–300, Summer 2018

The Flipped Classroom: Engaging

the Student in Active Learning

Mystica M. Alexander∗

I. INTRODUCTION

As educators, we continually seek to add innovative, valuable techniques to

the class experience that will enhance student learning. Teaching an in-

troductory Legal Environment of Business course to undergraduate students is

both challenging and gratifying, since most students enter college eager and

interested in the college experience and are quite open to a variety of teach-

ing methodologies. We are now teaching students who have grown up with

electronics and who are generally seeking (and rightfully so) much more

than a traditional classroom lecture.

A common complaint of those who teach an introductory law course

is that there never seems to be enough time to accomplish all there is to

cover during the semester. How do we fit the numerous topics into the

semester, while at the same time finding ways to allow students to engage

with the material? What better solution to this problem than to find a way to

extend our instruction time outside the boundaries of class time, and thereby

free up class time for student engagement? This is exactly what the flipped

classroom accomplishes. Part II of this article explores the pedagogy of the

flipped classroom. Part III details a flipped classroom approach that can be

used to teach the topic of product liability. A brief reflection on the student

experience is provided in Part IV.

∗Associate Professor in the Law, Taxation and Financial Planning Department at Bentley Uni-

versity. She is the 2017 recipient of the Charles M. Hewitt Master Teacher Award and her

pedagogy demonstrated at the Master Teacher Competition is the subject of this article. The

author thanks Cheryl Kirschner, Scott Thomas, Christina Zandri, and Mary Jo Sanz for their

assistance.

C2018 The Author

Journal of Legal Studies Education C2018 Academy of Legal Studies in Business

277

278 Vol. 35 / The Journal of Legal Studies Education

II. THE PEDAGOGY OF THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM

The flipped classroom model is one in which students gain their first ex-

posure to the material prior to class. This model involves much more than

simply reading an assigned chapter. The instructor is an integral part of the

preclass preparation. The instructor can use technology to bring a lecture

to the students outside of the classroom in addition to crafting engaging as-

signments that aid students in their preliminary exploration of a topic. Once

in the classroom, students are then equipped to drive the discussion and to

engage in the processing part of learning: synthesizing, analyzing, and critical

thinking.1

A. The Importance of Active Learning

The traditional lecture continues to be the dominant form of instruction

in higher education.2Many academics consider the lecture to be “the most

efficient and effective way” to provide content to their students.3It has been

suggested, however, that higher education is shifting from “teacher-centered

instruction to learner-centered instruction.”4Learner-centered instruction

puts more responsibility on the students for their own learning, with the

understanding that the teacher will maximize opportunities for the students

to learn.5To truly engage students in the learning process, a variety of tech-

niques should be used that give students an opportunity to explore and

reflect on the material as opposed to simply providing them with knowledge

via a lecture.6Activities that require students to construct their knowledge

and understanding are commonly understood as active learning.7Professsors

1Bruce M. Saulnier, The Flipped Classroom in Systems Analysis & Design: Leveraging Technology to

Increase Student Engagement,13I

NFO.SYS.EDUC. J., 33, 34 (2015).

2Angela Lumpkin et al., Student Perceptions of Active Learning,49C.STUDENT J. 121, 121 (2015).

3Id.

4Daniel H. Mansson, Assessing Student Learning in Intercultural Communication: Implementation of

Three Classroom Assessment Techniques,47C.S

TUDENT J. 343, 343–51 (2013).

5Lumpkin, supra note 2, at 122.

6Meera Komarraju & Steven J. Karau, Relationships Between the Perceived Value of Instructional Tech-

niques and Academic Motivation,35J.I

NSTRUCTIONAL PSYCHOL. 70, 73 (2008).

7Cynthia J. Brame, Active Learning,VAND.U.CTR.FOR TEACHING (2016), https://cft.vander

bilt.edu/active-learning/.