Active and online

Abstract

Much of the literature on flipped classrooms emphasises the physical classroom as the primary site for active learning, relegating the online environment to a place where content is delivered prior to students attending a workshop or tutorial. However, researchers have highlighted the rich opportunities for embedding interactivity in the online space and demonstrated positive impacts on the student experience. In this paper we discuss how interactivity was embedded in self-paced online modules as part of the redesign of three large courses at The University of Sydney Business School. In these courses, lectures were replaced with weekly, self-paced, media-rich online modules involving opportunities for active learning and immediate feedback. Course developments and impacts on student experience are presented through three mini case studies underpinned by evaluation embedded in a design-based research approach. The developments were conducted as part of a major strategic educational project in the Business School called Connected Learning at Scale (CLaS).