Abstract:
In the context of the post-pandemic, the delivery mode in higher education has increasingly
shifted to online or blended learning. Flipped learning is one such instructional approach where
students are provided with foundational knowledge before attending classroom sessions, enabling
instructors to focus on developing higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) based on Bloom’s
Taxonomy during in-class activities. Accordingly, this study explores the use of the flipped
classroom model in online learning. The specific objectives of the study were to explore the
nature of the flipped classroom approach, to investigate perceptions of the students in flipped
learning, to investigate student engagement in flipped learning, to identify effective student
practices in flipped learning, and to find out pedagogical implications of using flipped learning
in online learning. A case study design was adopted to conduct an in-depth investigation involving
35 postgraduate students enrolled in the Master of Science in Information Technology
in Education program at a state university in Sri Lanka. In the course “Information technology
trends in Sri Lanka within a global context,”, 12 lectures were implemented over a semester using
the flipped classroom approach. Learning materials, including lecture videos, presentations,
and reading materials, were uploaded to the Learning Management System (LMS) one week in
advance. In-class activities were designed to target higher-order thinking skills. Data were collected
through participatory observation, documenting 20 classroom activities, questionnaires,
and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and
qualitative data were analysed through thematic analysis. The quantitative data from the Likert
scale indicated that 82% of the students perceived flipped learning as highly engaging and
effective. When analysing qualitative data, three themes emerged: active engagement during
pre-class sessions, effective facilitation of higher-order thinking during class, and overreliance
on AI tools. The study concludes that the flipped classroom is an effective mode of delivery
in postgraduate-level courses, as it promotes 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, creativity,
and problem-solving. As this course used the flipped learning approach, it is vital to
plan the in-class sessions, which cater to higher-order thinking skills and encourage students
for independent learning.
