In what's known as the 'flipped classroom' approach, students view online materials in their own time, and at their own speed, ahead of lectures. This frees up face-to-face sessions for more active discussion and problem-solving, as well as highlighting areas of misunderstanding.
Professor Simon Benjamin, Department of Materials, devised a series of pre-lecture videos and quizzes to support learning in his undergraduate course Vectors, Matrices and Determinants. The technique more than met his expectations, revitalising the way his students learn in lectures, and presenting an exciting new challenge to the way he teaches.
Additionally, the videos tend to attract more views in the lead-up to exam time, indicating that students are using them to brush up on their techniques as part of their revision.
This kind of 'free-form lecturing' is rewarding, as it allows for more variety: each lecture takes on a different shape from those in previous years since students' comments and questions differ.
– Professor Simon Benjamin, Department of Materials
