Supporting students’ self-directed learning in the flipped classroom through the LMS TES BlendSpace

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the impact of the learning management system (LMS), in promoting students’ self-directed experiential learning using the flipped classroom approach. This study further evaluates the effectiveness of integrating video lectures, perceived as a social interface, for students to watch, prior to their class session conducted in class.Design/methodology/approachThis is a case study that investigated a group of undergraduate students of English as a foreign language (EFL) to identify the impact of the LMS TES BlendSpace in fostering their self-directed learning capacity, using a flipped classroom approach. Data were gathered through a qualitative approach from student interviews and observations of student activities and video-recordings uploaded on TES BlendSpace.FindingsFlipped classrooms have begun to redesign learning spaces and promote active learning through video-enabled instructional practices. This study provides an overview of flipped classrooms and the benefits students’ gain from the wealth of online content posted on the LMS. The flipped classroom model has clearly shifted the learning paradigm, enabling students the autonomy of their self-directed learning pace and to become acquainted with the currency of video lectures that promote efficacious learning. This study concludes with implications for further research in this area.Originality/valueThis study has the potential to contribute towards the advancement of students’ self-directed learning and proposes its continued application for future EFL classes in this institution, as well as across all courses, to enable self-direction for all students.