How My Flipped Classroom Flopped: a Case Study in Teaching Design History

Abstract

In recent years there has been a trend in education towards the Flipped Classroom model, taking traditional instruction out of the classroom and making class time instead focus on discussion and course work. This type of instruction seems ideal and after thoughtful consideration a plan was adopted for History of Graphic Design I, and it failed miserably. This paper will examine what went wrong with the adaptation of the flipped classroom and address questions like: What went wrong? Will flipped classrooms on design history always fail? And, how to pick up the pieces when your flipped classroom flops. When my flipped classroom failed it pushed me to reassess the curriculum, our design program, and re-evaluate the goals of the class, as a result I gained a lot of insight into my strengths as an instructor; intent is to provide a case study that other design educators can learn from. Failure is often taught as a learning opportunity for our students, and as educators it is important to keep in mind that we can learn from them as well.