Preliminary Experiences with "Flipping" a Facility Layout/Material Handling Course

We are employing the “flipped classroom” teaching and learning approach in a required junior-level ind ustrial engineering course on facility layout and material handling. In the “flipped classroom,” students use out-of-class time to watch lectures available online. This free s class time for problem solving, active learning, or difficult topics, for which the instructor serves as an on-demand con sultant or advisor. To prepare for flipping this c lass in the spring of 2014, the instructor conducted a pilot th e previous spring by “flipping” three lecture perio ds. In a student evaluation of the pilot in which over 90% responded , nearly 65% preferred in-class problem solving to traditional lecture. Frequently-stated benefits were the in-cl ass accessibility of the instructor and the ability to re-watch videos. The College and University Classroom Environment Inventory was administered both before the pilot and during the full classroom flip to measure changes in stude nt perceptions, and significant differences in seve ral dimensions closely related to the flipped classroom were obser ved. Also, using the Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol, we observed an increase in active learning components within the flipped relative to the pre-flipped c ourse, as strived for. The experiences of the instructor in flipping this IE course will also be discussed.