We assessed the impact of the flipped classroom model on a first year faculty member’s performance. In the fall semester, the first year faculty member was responsible for teaching two sections of a junior-level, required class: ECE-360 / Signals and Systems (3 credits). The class has historically been taught in a traditional lecture format. In the spring semester, the first year faculty member was responsible for teaching two sections of another junior-level, required class: ECE-322 / Embedded Microcontrollers (3 credits). The class has historically been taught in a flipped format. First, the first year faculty member’s student performance on the ECE-360 (traditional format) and ECE-322 (flipped format) final exams were compared. Our results show that the first year faculty member’s student performance moved from a uniform distribution (traditional format) to a truncated normal distribution with a higher mean (flipped format). Second, the first year faculty member’s student performance on the two final exams was compared with previous years’ student performance. Our results show that the first year faculty member’s student performance in ECE-360 (traditional format) were more poorly distributed with a lower mean than previous years. However, in ECE-322 (flipped format) the first year faculty member’s student performance distribution and mean were commensurate with performance from previous years. Third, student surveys and faculty interviews were conducted. From our analysis, we find strong quantitative and qualitative evidence that the first year faculty member was more successful teaching in a flipped mode classroom. Additionally, the improvements in student performance seen in the flipped classroom required less preparation on the part of the first year faculty member, leading to higher levels of faculty and student satisfaction.
Stewart J. Thomas received the B.S. and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky in 2006 and 2008, respectively, and the Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 2013. He has served on the organizing committee for the IEEE International Conference on RFID series since 2014, serving as the Executive Chair in 2022, with research interests in areas of low-power backscatter communications systems and IoT devices. He is also interested in capabilities-based frameworks for supporting engineering education. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Bucknell University in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Lewisburg, PA USA.
Mark M. Budnik is the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Chair and the Paul and Cleo Brandt Professor of Engineering at Valparaiso University. Prior to joining the faculty at Valparaiso University in 2006, Mark worked in the semiconductor industry, culminating as a Principal Engineer and Director of White Goods and Motor Control at Hitachi Semiconductor. He is the author of more than fifty book chapters, journal articles, and conference proceedings. Mark’s current research interests are in the field of creativity and innovation instruction. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Fellow of the International Symposium on Quality Electronic Design.
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