Flipped and Blended Chemistry Courses: Structures, Implementation Consideration, and Evaluation

Visiting Speaker: Alison Flynn, 2017 3M Teaching Fellow, Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa
When: Wednesday, March 15, 2017 (1 p.m. - 2 p.m.) Open discussion from 2 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Where: Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science (CCIS) 1-140

Flipped and Blended Chemistry Courses: Structures, Implementation Consideration, and Evaluation
Abstract: To promote student learning and success, I recently "flipped" and "blended" four undergraduate organic chemistry and spectroscopy courses at the first to third year level (17-420 students). In a flipped course, content traditionally delivered in lectures is moved online; class time is dedicated to learning activities. In a blended course, I developed and analyzed each course's intended learning outcomes (ILOs) to decide which course component was aligned with the ILOs, including the short videos that replaced lectures, online and in-class learning activities, and assessment. I designed the activities to scaffold students' skill development, promote higher order thinking, and address obstacles that the educational researcher has identified. I evaluated the impact of my new flipped courses' structure using Guskey's evaluation model, which examines students' reaction, learning, organizational support and change, students' use of new knowledge and skills (not addressed in this study), and students' learning outcomes. Since the original implementation, other Faculty members have adopted my course materials and the flipped course structure in whole or part. In this presentation, I will discuss the course's design, evaluation of the results, and the process of "translating" course materials.

Dr. Alison Flynn
Dr. Alison Flynn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Ottawa. After completing her PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Ottawa in 2007, Dr. Flynn was appointed as a science lecturer in the same department. Subsequently she was appointed as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to her current position in 2015. Her independent research career has focused on chemistry education. As taken from her research group's website (www.flynnresearchgroup.com) "We are a chemistry education research (CER) and science education research group. We study the factors that affect different types of learning and how we, as teachers and learners, might best approach and improve chemistry and science education at the post-secondary level." Dr. Flynn has published extensively in the chemistry education literature with a majority of her papers in the flagship American Chemical Society Journal of Chemical Education.

Her current research group comprises two post-doctoral fellows, two Masters students, and a number of undergraduates. For her teaching and educational developments, Dr. Flynn was named a 3M National Teaching Fellow in 2017 and has won a number of national awards (Award of Excellence, Instructional Design & Learning, CNIE; Desire2Learn Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning) as well as institutional and departmental accolades (Excellence in Education Award, University of Ottawa; Excellence in Education Award, Faculty of Science; Science Students' Association: Professor of the Year). In 2016, Dr. Flynn was named a Chair in University Teaching - Self-regulated learning (SRL) at the University of Ottawa. The goals of the Chair include creating two campus-wide student learning initiatives (1. an annual SRL workshop for each of the four years of undergraduate studies and 2. An online SRL learning module that instructors can adapt and implement within specific courses), enhancing relationships among university members, and helping to increase student retention, success, and satisfaction.

Sponsored by:
UAlberta Faculty of Science
UAlberta Department of Chemistry
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Visiting Speaker Grants