Design of e-learning environment according to flipped classroom model and evaluation of model applicability

This study aimed to design an online learning environment with regard to the flipped classroom model, to test its applicability which was conducted in an already lecture, to investigate its effects to derive students' perceptions for the model. Based on these aims, one control and two experimental groups were formed. The students in the experiment-I group learned the theoretical aspects of the course through the materials in the online learning environment which was designed according to the flipped classroom model prior to the class study time. The students in the experiment-II one learned the theoretical aspects of the course in the classroom through the blended learning model and were involved in active learning activities out of class study time. Besides, they uploaded the activities they prepared to the online learning environment and got the feedbacks and interacted with their classmates and teacher in the forum pages. The students in the control group learned the theoretical aspects of the course in the classroom according to the current curriculum and conducted active learning activities at their homes. An online learning environment was designed to be just used in the experimental groups prior to the experimental implementation. Different pages and contents were formed for each group. The mixed method approach, in which quantitative and qualitative methods are used together, was embraced in the research. The study group of the research consisted of total 119 students who study in three different subject areas at the Faculty of Muallim Rıfat Education at Kilis 7 Aralık University in the Fall Semester of 2017. "Academic Achievement Test" developed by the researcher and "Academic Engagement" scale whose reliability and validity analysis conducted by Korucu (2013) were used to collect the data. In addition, the questions were asked to identify students' satisfaction levels. In the qualitative part of the study, a semi-structured interview form was used to identify students' perceptions. Descriptive statistics, dependent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), covariance analysis (ANCOVA) were employed to analyze the derived data. In the analysis of the qualitative data, content analysis method was utilized. The MAXQDA 11 program was used to analyze and organize the qualitative data obtained from the interviewers. Following the nine-week experimental implementation period, it was found that there is a statistically significant difference between experimental and control groups in terms of academic achievement. It was revealed that the scores for the students in the experiment-I and experiment-II groups with regard to academic achievement are higher than the score for those in the control group. Although the academic achievement of the students in the experiment-I group was higher than the students' ones in the experiment-II group, no statistically significant difference was found between them. In terms of academic engagement, it was seen that there was a significant difference between experiment and control groups. Experimental groups' academic engagement scores are higher than the control group's academic engagement scores. There are significant differences in the dimensions for "student-teacher interaction" and "feedback" in terms of academic engagement sub-dimensions, but not in the "engagements of course and its requirements", "active learning" and "difficulties dimensions". Besides, it was revealed that the students are generally satisfied with flipped classroom. Analysis of the data derived from the semi-structured interviews revealed that students have a positive perception for the FC model. When their perceptions were examined, some positive aspects of the model including time-efficient in the classroom, learning reinforcement, more practice in the classroom, time and space flexibility, revision opportunity, opportunity to learn at their own pace, permanent and active learning, preparing for the lesson and undertaking responsibility were identified. The most emphasized negative aspects of the model included technological inadequacy, technical problems, past habits, lack of proper video duration, workload and the necessity of coming to class. In addition, students stated that the model is a viable method for other courses and that they would prefer using this model for their future profession. The findings of this study were discussed in relation to the relevant literature.