| Abstract: | Flipped learning (FL) has had a substantial impact on higher education worldwide, prompting active dialog among educational researchers and practitioners. It is widely accepted that the value of FL lies in enabling in-depth, learner-centered learning experiences by offloading content delivery onto pre-class online learning. The in-class component is thus generally considered more critical, even though both pre-class and in-class elements are indispensable components of FL and practitioners are faced with the issue of under-prepared learners. In this study, we examine the significance of pre-class learning as a gateway to the intended benefits of FL. We aim to investigate the extent to which FL pre-class learning influences overall FL success and what other factors affect FL pre-class learning to ascertain the implications of designing and implementing FL pre-class learning. A college life science course was designed and implemented with the FL model for a semester, from which data were collected and statistically analyzed. The results indicate that the influence of pre-class learning on final FL success is significant and strong. Regarding the modality of pre-class learning materials, learners demonstrated higher levels of performance in the weeks with video materials than during those with reading materials. Among several learner factors, self-direction was found to significantly influence pre-class learning performance and perceived learning readiness. The role of FL pre-class learning to attain the intended value of FL is discussed, and theoretical and practical design implications are suggested. |
