Efficacy of flipped classroom method in teaching-learning physiology

Objectives: The overall goal of the study was to foster self-directed learning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills in 1st-year medical students. Another goal was to create interest in learning by making it more interactive. As per the requirement of a competency-based medical education curriculum, we tried to use a novel teaching method called Flipped classroom method to meet our goals. Hence, the objectives of this study were: (1) To compare the effect of flipped classroom method and didactic lecture on students’ performance in the topics from renal physiology by MCQ test. (2) To obtain students’ perception about flipped classroom method in learning physiology. (3) To obtain teachers’ perception about flipped classroom method in teaching physiology. Materials and Methods: Flipped classroom method was introduced for teaching two topics in renal physiology for first MBBS students. This cross-over experimental study included 112 first M.B.B.S. students, after taking their informed consent and Ethics Committee permission. They were divided into two groups according to odd and even roll numbers. In the first part of the study, Group A (odd roll numbers) attended the didactic lecture on Renal Clearance (RC) and Group B (even roll numbers) attended the didactic lecture on Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR). These topics were taught by two different teachers in two different classrooms. They were administered pre-test and post-test in the form of case-based MCQs which tests knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills on the topic. In the second part, two groups were swapped. Group A attended flipped class for G.F.R. and Group B attended flipped class for RC. They were again administered pre-test and post-test in the form of the same MCQ test. The teacher remained the same for the particular topic. For the flipped class, students came prepared with the topic. They were provided with resource materials of the allotted topic 1 week prior, in the form of pre-recorded lectures and videos. Students’ feedback in the form of a questionnaire and teachers’ feedback in the form of the interview was obtained. Marks obtained by students after didactic teaching and flipped classroom method teaching were compared by “Student’s t-test.” Results: The post-test score of students in the flipped class was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the post-test score of students in didactic class. More than 85% of students agreed and strongly agreed that the flipped classroom method improved their learning in renal physiology and it increased their confidence in answering the topic in the final exam. Near about 50% of students liked the flipped class method because of its interactive nature and discussion which was based on the application of knowledge. The teachers were more satisfied by flipped classroom method of teaching. Conclusion: Flipped classroom method is an effective teaching-learning method in physiology when compared with a didactic lecture.