To Flip or Not to Flip: Experiences with a Hybrid Approach

This Innovative Practice Work-in-Progress Paper presents a “semi-flipped” approach where we take some of the delivery techniques used in a flipped classroom and blend it with some traditional approaches, all based on our experiences of what has proven to be effective. The flipped methodology as an instructional strategy has been used in multiple disciplines. Computer Science is one such discipline. However, this learning paradigm is not suitable for all students. This study was conducted on a second course in the computer science sequence which highlights object-oriented topics in addition to algorithm design. We highlight the specific classroom activities and the out-of-class activities that are accepted and received better by students. We also present some empirical results based on this CS1 course to support our hypothesis on approaches undertaken.