I have just embarked on a new term. This term I am teaching a fully online mathematics course for the first time, as well as a new course I haven’t yet taught before. I wanted to flip the new course, but with so much more on my plate this time around, I found myself short for time in making videos (in the same manner I made videos for my first flipped class). I have also received many comments and questions from other instructors about how much time is needed in developing a flipped class. At first, I did not think much of it, but now that I am in the situation myself, I have been forced to come up with a solution:

The solution is simple, I can still teach in the “guide on the side” manner without full blown videos! This is because I can give students the power to ask me to make videos for the things they need help with. The method I have implemented this term looks like this:

DURING CLASS:

Student are given activities to work on in groups as well as assignments they can complete individually or with peers. They are also given opportunities to ask questions during class discussions about topics they have engaged in.

OUT OF CLASS:

Students have access to content materials out of class time in an online environment. These materials include lesson summaries, photos taken from board work during class, links to recommended videos, and self-test online quizzes.

The videos are now much shorter than my first round. I usually go through one example per video, and I tell students to tell me which questions or concepts they would like to see explained in a video. This focuses my time on specific student needs rather than making everything available all at once. I post my videos on YouTube, so if you like, you can check out my YouTube Channel. I also sometimes link to videos made by others if I agree with their approach. Finally, I have also found it useful to record an example that I explain during class and post it on the course page.

These are just some time-saving measures, and I will post back in to let you know how it goes.

So far so good!