Why I flipped

I decided to try active learning approaches after reading literature and talking to others that use this approach.   In a lecture-only scenario, it is hard for students to focus, particularly when the class is long.   I have found that students are more engaged and responsive when I use active learning techniques in the classroom.   I have yet to try to implement a fully flipped classroom, but instead have used a partial approach to adopting these techniques. BIOL101 will be offered for the first time in Fall 2014– check back to hear more about my experience with this course!

Technology Tools
The main technology tool I have tried is the iclicker. While students report to me that they dislike using clickers for attendance or quizzes, they enjoy using clickers to check the level of conceptual understanding in the class. The science education initiative at the University of Colorado Boulder has a wonderful store of clicker questions used in a variety of biology classes.

In Class
I like to use peer-to-peer teaching and case studies in class.

What I’ve Learned