Undergraduate and Graduate Students’ Retrospective Perception of Flipped Learning in Dietetics Curricula

Authors

Rachel L. Vollmer, Bradley UniversityFollow
Teresa Drake, Bradley UniversityFollow

Author Biographical Information

Rachel L. Vollmer, PhD, RD; Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Student Success, Bradley University Teresa Drake, PhD, RD, MCHES; Associate Professor and Department Chair, Bradley University

Abstract

Most studies investigating flipped learning fail to assess how student perceptions of flipped learning may change once the class is complete, and students have a chance to reflect on the experience. Follow-up studies are needed to evaluate the sustainability of the benefits from flipped learning among students and how they feel it prepares them, if at all, for future classes and/or their professional lives. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore how graduate and undergraduate dietetics students retrospectively perceive a course that used flipped learning 2 years after they completed the course. Two focus groups with undergraduate (n=5) and graduate (n=6) students were conducted regarding their perception and experience in a flipped advanced metabolism class with the same instructor. Content analysis was applied to the focus group transcripts by two investigators. Six themes were discovered from the focus group transcripts: 1) metacognition and the learning process, 2) roles and responsibility for learning, 3) collaborative learning, 4) class experience, 5) adjustment to flipped learning, and 6) flipped learning is conditional. Overall, students felt that the flipped class helped them learn how they learn and they have to put in work to achieve deeper learning. Students thought that the class activities used in a flipped class were engaging, added variety, and allowed them to apply their knowledge. Students reflected that using flipped learning helped them build relationships in their class, created a safe space for questions, and there was more time and opportunities to ask questions vs. traditional lecture.

Recommended Citation

Vollmer, Rachel L. and Drake, Teresa (2023) "Undergraduate and Graduate Students’ Retrospective Perception of Flipped Learning in Dietetics Curricula," Journal of Dietetic Education: Vol. 1: Iss. 2, Article 4.
Available at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/jde/vol1/iss2/4