A flipped physiology course positively impacted student success and perceptions of learning

The flipped classroom model is an approach that contrasts with the traditional model for higher education by moving curated lecture material to independent study time, expected to be completed before lectures. With this switch, lectures can focus on "active" modalities to consolidate knowledge via group activities, problem solving, and discussions, thereby increasing student engagement. In this study, we sought to understand students' views of the flipped classroom model in a university human physiology class on actual and perceived academic performance. Data from 41 participants were collected in spring 2024 using surveys, classroom observations, focus groups, and final course grades. Results revealed that the flipped classroom model maintained student engagement and participation, while allowing the instructor to gauge student progress on a given subject, from background knowledge to new applications. In addition, students consistently displayed the ability to incorporate previously held information into new contexts, an opportunity facilitated by the activities that took place during class time. Finally, student responses demonstrate deeper levels of cognition assessed through Bloom's Taxonomy in regard to their learning and methods of learning, building foundational skills to support new and more complicated concepts as they come.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Utilizing the frameworks of Bloom's Taxonomy and Constructivism, a flipped classroom in physiology showed an increase in the percentage of passing grades compared to traditional pedagogy, and students demonstrated the ability to use prior knowledge on a novel task. Their satisfaction with the flipped pedagogy was mixed, but this was primarily due to factors such as video quality and test modality (which was not unique to the flipped classroom).