The Flipped Classroom: Fertile Ground for Nursing Education Research

Area of Science:

• Educational Science
• Higher Education Pedagogy

Background:

• The flipped classroom (FC) model shifts foundational learning to pre-class activities, reserving class time for higher-order thinking.
• This approach is increasingly adopted in higher education, particularly by nurse educators transitioning to learner-centered models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the current state of scientific literature on the flipped classroom model in higher education.
• To identify gaps in knowledge regarding FC definition, effectiveness, and implementation.

Main Methods:

• A systematic, analytical literature review was conducted.
• The review examined studies on FC definition, student performance measures, and faculty/student perceptions.

Main Results:

• The flipped classroom model is ill-defined, with inconsistent measures of student performance and varied perceptions.
• Few studies demonstrated FC effectiveness, and many lacked rigorous research designs, including longitudinal data or control of variables.
• Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding the long-term trends and impact of FC practices.

Conclusions:

• The current scientific evidence for the flipped classroom model's effectiveness in higher education is limited and requires further investigation.
• Nurse educators and faculty globally can benefit from understanding these findings as they adopt innovative teaching paradigms.
• Future research should focus on rigorous, longitudinal studies to clarify the FC model's definition and impact.