Best Practice Guide for Designing and Delivering EPICUR courses
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Flipped Learning
Flipped Learning
Why Flipped Learning?
Flipped learning, also known as the flipped classroom model, has become increasingly popular in higher education due to its ability to enhance student engagement, deepen understanding, and improve academic performance. In traditional teaching, lectures are delivered in-class, and students complete assignments on their own. The flipped model reverses this process: students first engage with instructional content outside the classroom (e.g., through videos, readings), and class time is then used for interactive, hands-on activities that reinforce learning. This model allows for more dynamic and collaborative classroom interactions, fostering critical thinking and the application of knowledge in practical contexts.
Flipped learning is in alignment with the values of EPICUR international education (intercultural, interdisciplinary, inclusive, innovative, and interactive), making it a powerful pedagogical approach in higher education, particularly in settings that emphasize global engagement and collaborative learning.
International and Intercultural: Flipped learning is particularly effective in an international context, where students from diverse cultural backgrounds can benefit from the flexibility to engage with course materials at their own pace. This approach supports intercultural learning by allowing students to bring their unique perspectives to in-class discussions and collaborative activities, enriching the learning experience for everyone.
Interdisciplinary: The flipped classroom model also facilitates interdisciplinary learning by providing students with the tools to explore content from multiple disciplines before class. This allows for more dynamic in-class interactions, where students can draw connections across fields of study and apply their knowledge in creative and innovative ways.
Inclusive: Flipped learning promotes inclusivity by accommodating different learning styles and paces. Students can review and engage with materials in a way that best suits their individual needs, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to succeed. This inclusivity extends to students with varying levels of prior knowledge, as they can use pre-class materials to catch up or deepen their understanding before engaging in group activities.
Innovative and Interactive: The flipped classroom model is inherently innovative, as it leverages technology to transform the traditional learning process. By freeing up class time for active learning, instructors can create an interactive environment that fosters collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving. This interactive approach helps students develop a deeper understanding of the material and enhances their ability to apply what they’ve learned in real-world contexts.
5 key points about Flipped Learning
- Enhanced Student Engagement:
Flipped learning shifts the focus from passive to active learning, encouraging students to engage more deeply with the material. In-class time is dedicated to discussions, problem-solving, and collaborative projects, which help to solidify understanding and maintain student interest. - Improved Academic Performance:
Research shows that flipped classrooms can significantly improve students' academic performance. A meta-analysis found that the overall effect size of flipped learning on academic performance is positive, with students in flipped classrooms performing better on assessments than those in traditional settings. - Flexibility and Accessibility:
Flipped learning offers students the flexibility to learn at their own pace outside of class, making it easier to accommodate different learning styles and schedules. This is particularly advantageous for students who may have other commitments or who benefit from revisiting complex materials multiple times. - Deeper Conceptual Understanding:
By allowing students to explore instructional materials independently before class, flipped learning fosters a deeper understanding of concepts. This approach helps students transfer knowledge across different contexts and enhances their ability to apply what they have learned in practical situations. - Supports International and Diverse Learners:
Flipped learning is well-suited for international and diverse student populations. The model’s flexibility allows students from different cultural and educational backgrounds to engage with content in a way that best suits their needs, and the interactive in-class sessions promote cross-cultural collaboration and exchange.
Flipped Learning in practice
Watch how Flipped Learning has been implemented at AMU (videos in Polish, English subtitles are planned):
Links to Flipped Learning resources
To develop flipped learning in their courses, ,the ABC Learning Design Method and Toolkit provided by University College London, is a helpful resource for teachers:
ABC Learning Design Method and Toolkit: https://abc-ld.org/
References
- Al-Samarraie, Hosam et al. A flipped classroom model in higher education: a review of the evidence across disciplines. Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2019. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11423-019-09718-8
- Zhang, Q., Cheung, E.S.T., & Cheung, C.S.T. (2021). The impact of flipped classroom on college students’ academic performance: A meta analysis based on 20 experimental studies. Science Insights Education Frontiers, 8(2):1059-1080. https://doi.org/10.15354/sief.21.re019
Interactive Approaches
Author(s)
This resource sheet has been co-written or written by
- Dorthe Hutz-Nierhoff (UFR)
- Agnieszka Kamisznikow-Machniewska (AMU)
Related Resource Sheets
Next steps
If you need further support with developing your course, please contact your local teaching support unit.
If you need further information on offering your course for EPICUR, please contact your EPICUR institutional coordinator.
Local teaching support units
EPICUR Institutional Coordinators
Adam Mickiewicz University
Karolina Choczaj
karmench@amu.edu.pl
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Nikos Kouloussis
nikoul@agro.auth.gr
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Michael Zacherle
zacherle@kit.edu
University of Amsterdam
Tiffany Boersma
t.a.boersma@uva.nl
Universität Freiburg
Charlotte Langowski
charlotte.langowski@zv.uni-freiburg.de
Université de Haute-Alsace
Léa Ziri
lea.ziri@uha.fr
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Nicolas Fries
nicolas.fries@boku.ac.at
University of Southern Denmark
Ida Thøstesen
ilt@sdu.dk
University of Strasbourg
Pascale Nachez
pnachez@unistra.fr
Further use as OER explicitly permitted:
This Resource Sheet within the Best Practice Guide for Designing and Delivering EPICUR Courses was created by Dorthe Hutz-Nierhoff, University of Freiburg, and Agnieszka Kamisznikow-Machniewska, Adam Mickiewicz University.
Please attribute according to TASLL rule as follows: Flipped Learning (Best Practice Guide for Designing and Delivering EPICUR Courses), by Dorthe Hutz-Nierhoff, University of Freiburg, and Agnieszka Kamisznikow-Machniewska, Adam Mickiewicz University. Any icons included are protected by copyright, © The Noun Project, used with permission.
License: This work and its contents are – unless otherwise stated – licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 .
Last edited: 12. Jan 2026, 17:03, Hutz-Nierhoff, Dorthe [dh1076@rz.uni-freiburg.de]