Lynette Hudiburgh taught STA 261 Statistics online seven years ago and had an epiphany. If this course was so successful for her and her students, why would she revert to a traditional lecture when teaching her face-to-face course?
As a senior lecturer in the Department of Statistics, Ms. Hudiburgh obtained a certification in teaching blended learning courses and found that teaching hybrid courses brought together “the best of both worlds.”
Students enrolled in the STA 261 hybrid course, which can include thousands of students each year, watch videos online and take notes before arriving at class. Once they are face-to-face in the classroom, students solve problems together.
Video content provides flexibility for students. “If you’re watching a short video lecture and you miss something, you can pause, rewind it, watch it as many times as you need to,” Professor Hudiburgh explains. They can also review videos in preparation for exams.
After watching the videos, students complete self-assessments where they apply the concepts they learned. “That helps them understand and know what they don’t know,” says Ms. Hudiburgh. “If they have to apply the concepts before getting into class, that indicates to them that […] they need to go ask questions.”
Employing a flipped classroom puts students in control of their experience. “It helps students be more actively engaged in their learning,” according to Hudiburgh. “Really, any time that any of us has learned something, we’ve had to be the ones to do it.”
As technology advances, Professor Hudiburgh thinks that education will also continue to benefit. “We can do things now that we couldn’t do before,” she says. “Students can have a much richer experience […] We have so much information at our fingertips that we never had before. It’s just really an exciting time to be alive!”
