Flipped Classroom: Rethinking Corporate Training Dynamics

The flipped classroom is an exciting approach to corporate learning that allows employees to take an active role in learning and applying new material. With this method, employees can enjoy a personalized learning experience outside of the classroom and then deepen their learning with in-class activities.

Implementing a flipped classroom model may be an excellent option if you're looking for a way to maximize face-to-face training time and give your employees more control over their learning. Read on to explore the flipped classroom concept, how to determine if it is suitable for your workforce, and the steps to implement it in your organization. 

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What is the flipped classroom concept?

When you think of a traditional classroom experience, you might imagine a group of students sitting in class listening to an instructor explain different concepts. Although you might picture different interactive activities occurring throughout the class, activity time is usually in the minority compared to lecture time. The flipped classroom model is a type of blended learning where learners initially examine the core material outside of the classroom. You use in-classroom hours for practical application and group discussions.

What does a flipped classroom setup look like?

When designing a flipped classroom experience, instructors prepare pre-class and in-class materials and activities. For example, employees might watch instructional videos, read materials, or explore guided online resources covering key topics before an in-person session. This self-directed learning phase allows learners to acquire foundational knowledge independently and at their own pace. 

During the in-class time, instructors focus on helping learners understand and practice applying the concepts they learned instead of giving lectures. Instructors may use this time to encourage deeper understanding, such as problem-solving or group activities. Depending on how learners perform in class, instructors can tailor activities to suit the group's needs or assign more at-home learning.

Flipped learning vs. traditional approaches in corporate settings

In a corporate setting, you can use the flipped classroom model to enhance employee training and learning. For example, traditionally, your employees might attend day-long in-person training sessions where they passively receive information. With the flipped model, your employees would complete virtual modules or read through a training manual beforehand. Then, you would host a shorter in-person session, where the employee group would review critical points, address questions, and have group discussions over controversial or relevant topics.

This type of model can be especially effective when teaching employees new tools. In traditional approaches, you might have your employees attend a lecture to demonstrate new software or a new product. In these environments, employees often have limited hands-on practice. In a flipped model, your employees would watch lectures and demonstrations independently. You would then dedicate class time to guided exercises to help employees actively use the software and enhance practical skills.

Advantages and disadvantages of flipped learning

To decide whether a flipped learning model is worth exploring in your workplace, consider the advantages and disadvantages of this training model and how they might affect your workforce. 

Advantages

• Facilitates deeper learning: Pre-class exposure to material allows your employees to use class time to engage more deeply with the content.

• Promotes active involvement: Your employees can actively participate in learning and guide activities.

• Enhances feedback and interactions: In-class sessions provide immediate feedback and interactive learning opportunities, helping your employees refine their understanding and skills more effectively.

• Encourages reflective and critical thinking: The model enables employees to reflect on their learning, thinking about what they did and didn’t understand. They can then apply critical thinking to real-world applications and discussions.

• Facilites a collaborative environment: Group activities and discussions enhance collaboration among team members.

• Allows flexibility and scalability: The flipped learning model can be adapted to various learning styles and scaled to different group sizes.

• Increases comfort with digital tools: Employees may adapt more quickly to new technologies and work environments by relying on digital learning tools in the flipped classroom.

Disadvantages

• Increases workload outside of the classroom: Employees may feel they have little time to complete modules outside class time. 

• Requires certain technologies: Depending on your chosen learning method, the digital learning portion might require specific technological access outside of the office that not all employees have.

• Relies on different instructional skills: To successfully implement a flipped classroom model, instructors must teach differently than they may be comfortable with.

• Has an uneven impact on learners: Background knowledge and learning style play a large role in whether the flipped classroom will be more effective for your employees than traditional models.

Steps to build a flipped learning model

Implementing a flipped learning model in corporate training requires thoughtful planning and execution. To develop an effective flipped classroom strategy, organize each stage of instruction and learning, including time to teach employees how to use at-home resources. It’s important to think about delivering content meaningfully outside of the classroom and maximizing the benefits of in-class time. 

Preparing content for outside the classroom

Provide resources that your employees need to prepare adequately for class. This could include readings, video lectures, or interactive content. For pre-class material, you should utilize a variety of materials to cater to different learning styles, such as:

• Online videos and professionally recorded lectures for auditory and visual learners.

• PDFs with walkthroughs and detailed PowerPoint slides for those who benefit from reading and visual aids.

• Videos specifically focused on solving problems or storyboards that outline practical applications.

• Presentations and animations that explain complex concepts in digestible formats.

Encouraging active learning inside the classroom

Once participants have reviewed basic content outside the classroom, your in-person sessions should focus on applying and extending this knowledge. Consider implementing:

• Active learning activities: Plan classroom activities that require your employees to apply what they have learned in a useful way. For example, you might have a guided practice session on how to use new skills for workplace tasks. 

• Small group discussions: You can personalize your class time depending on challenges that have arisen for the specific group. By having small group discussions, you encourage participation and allow participants to lead the class in a way that benefits them the most.

• Collaborative problem-based learning: Put your employees in hypothetical scenarios where they have to work as a team to find a solution. This fosters a collaborative environment that mimics real-world problem-solving in the workplace.

Over time, you should continuously seek employee feedback to find the most effective activities. You can adjust the in-class strategies based on their input to enhance learning outcomes.

Tips when implementing a flipped classroom approach in companies

Before designing your flipped classroom, clearly define the desired learning outcomes or behavioral objectives. Understand why learners are showing up to the in-person segment and what you want them to achieve. For instance, you might dedicate a session to help employees practice a new sales pitch or provide personalized coaching. You might use the software together to troubleshoot any issues when learning new technologies.

As you build your flipped classroom model, choose the right digital tools to effectively facilitate at-home learning for your employees. Learning should be customizable to employee preferences and offer several different styles of instruction. If you can, ensure these technologies integrate easily into your digital workplace. Employees who can more easily access and use these tools may be more motivated to engage with the material.

Get started with Coursera.

The flipped classroom transforms traditional learning by having employees learn core material independently before they attend a training session. This frees up in-class time for deeper application and discussion, potentially leading to more active and engaged learning.

With the Coursera learning platform, you can provide your employees with tailored at-home training that facilitates a flipped classroom model. Employees can learn at their own pace and in their learning style through videos, texts, guided projects, and more. Consider exploring options such as the Business Foundations Specialization to get started.