Students’ Perceptions of the Effect of Flipping Online Classes Using a Synchronous Interactive Online Tool

Abstract

Online instruction is a growing field, but there are concerns about lack of student engagement with mastery of content. Researchers at a small, private, southern university were concerned about increasing student engagement with online course content. A synchronous interactive online tool (SIOT) was added to six sections of online graduate education courses. Data was collected and analyzed from the university administered end of the course survey questions asking students to rate their course learning. Student survey responses were compared from courses without a SIOT, courses where a SIOT was used for office hours, and courses where a SIOT was used for assignments. The differences in the question means from end of the course survey without the SIOT and those where the SIOT was used for office hours were not significant. However, when the SIOT was used to provide instruction related to student assignments, the data from the question responses were significantly more positive. Students 1) became more confident; 2) gained an excellent understanding of the concepts; 3) gained significant knowledge; 4) learned to analyze and critically evaluate; and 5) learned to apply course concepts to solve problems. Consequently it became evident that the implementation of the SIOT did not have a significant effect. The important component that impacted students’ perception of their content understanding was the way in which the SIOT was used within the online course.