Implementing a Flipped Classroom in Thermodynamics

"Flipping" the classroom is a somewhat new trend in education where students prepare by using their textbook, online content, or other materials before coming to class meetings. Flipping offers the possibility of class meetings being used for other activities such as problem-solving, rather than lecture. There have been some positive reports regarding this technique and the outcomes. This work describes the authors' efforts to implement a flipped classroom that could be compared to a previous course offering taught in the traditional way. The author has implemented a flipped classroom in a small (<20) engineering thermodynamics course. The author has recorded a great deal of the course content in lectures and worked examples, and these resources have been put online allowing the possibility of a flipped classroom. The results of this implementation of a flipped classroom show quantitative and qualitative differences in student outcomes compared to a previous offering of this course taught by the same instructor using a traditional lecture technique. The flipped version of the class performed better on homework and on the final exam than the traditional lecture class.