Slides from a presentation given at the AdvanceHE STEM Teaching and Learning Conference in January 2019. The talk is a warts and all description of a four year journey trying to develop flipped lectures for teaching core bioethics to second year undergraduates at the University of Leicester, UK

1. Adventures in Flipping theTeaching:
A bioethical example
Dr Chris Willmott
Dept of Molecular & Cell Biology
University of Leicester, UK
cjrw2@le.ac.uk
STEMTeaching & Learning Conference 2019

2. Overview
• What is “flipped teaching”?
• Context: Bioethics in Yr 2
• Why have I adopted a “flipped” approach?
• What advice do I have for anyone considering
adopting a flipped model?

3. Terminology
• Flipped learning:
“Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach in which
the conventional notion of classroom-based learning
is inverted, so that students are introduced to the
learning material before class, with classroom time
then being used to deepen understanding through
discussion with peers and problem-solving activities
facilitated by teachers.”
AdvanceHE
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/flipped-learning-0

4. Terminology

5. QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Biosciences
Three editions: 2002, 2007, 2015
Ethical implications of discipline
have been prominent in all three
versions
Context: QAA Benchmark

6. Evolution ofYr2 Bioethics
A cautionary tale A work in progress

7. Evolution ofYr2 Bioethics
• BS2060 Research Skills (2004-2014)
- 7 lectures: Introduction to ethics
6 themed – PGD, gene therapy, etc
- Assessment (from 2009) “Headline Bioethics”
Analysis of bioethical news story
25% of module mark
- Bioethics consistently most popular component of
the module
(“stimulated interest” 4.32 out of 5 in 2011-12)

8. Evolution ofYr2 Bioethics
2014 – major overhaul of Yr2 curriculum
• Redesign of delivery and assessment
• Research Skills replaced by Research Topic
• Major assignment – students work in groups to write
research grant proposal
• Consequential changes to bioethics component
- fewer lectures
- loss of Headline Bioethics task
- lecture content altered to fit grant writing task
• Opportunity to introduce some case studies

9. Why ethics case studies?
• Case-based teaching promotes*:
- Engagement with topic
- Higher-level skills, e.g. critical thinking
empathy
• Appropriate medium for debate about controversial
issues with legitimate divergence of viewpoint
* e.g. Yadav et al, 2007

10. Evolution ofYr2 Bioethics
• BS2000 Research Topic (first time 2014)
- 4 lectures: Introduction
3 instrumentalist (inc practicalities)
- Working with humans
- Working with animals
- Working with GMOs
- Case studies in tutorial (2 hrs)
- Assessment “Research Proposal”
5% of 60% of module (= 3%)

11. Cases in BS2000
• 8 (semi-)fictional cases prepared for 2 hr tutorial
• Students given week to prepare
• Tutors given guidance notes

12. Feedback 2014
• n= 279
• total of 12 out of 116 comments mentioned ethics
• Lectures generally well received (if mentioned)
• Some students unhappy with group discussion time
being “wasted” on bioethics scenarios
• Some staff uncomfortable with ethics teaching

13. Redesign 2015
• Pre-record lectures (using new lecture capture
software) and release online
- free up tutorial slots
- move case studies to “lecture slot”
• Introductory lecture retained
• Other lectures (working with humans, animals and
GMOs) delivered as series of shorter videos via VLE
• Case studies in lectures 2&3
(4th lecture dropped)

14. Flipped lectures
• e.g. Research involving humans
• 5 lectures – 57 mins total

15. Flipped lectures

16. Lectures (n=311)
Live lectures & Case discussions also recorded
Attendance at lectures monitored
• Lectures
~ 40% (n >120) absent, inc. from lecture 1
• Lecture recordings
video watched by max 20 students (>7%)
lectures 2 & 3 watched by n=4

17. Flipped lectures (n=311)
Research involving
human subjects
Duration Watched
any
Watched
>50%
1: Misconduct 8:34 70 (23%) 58
2: Codes of conduct 7:24 52 (17%) 41
3: UK legislation 23:53 43 (14%) 27
4: Local procedures 11:06 37 (12%) 28
5: Principlism 6:20 28 (9%) 26
• e.g. Research involving human subjects

18. Feedback 2015(a)
• n = 311
• questionnaire format STOP – START – CONTINUE
• total of 23 comments re ethics
• Lectures:
- “I found the ethics lectures very interesting”
- “Ethics lectures really helped when writing the
research proposal”
- “[Continue] bioethics lectures as they are really
interesting and can be useful in the future”
- “The case study lectures were really interesting”

19. Feedback 2015(b)
• Lectures:
- “Ethics lectures still seemed rather pointless as
they did not (and could not really) relate to our
particular topic”
- “They were interesting but as they didn’t count
they were not a priority”
- “Less time spent on ethics didn’t reflect marks for
it on project”
- “The bioethics lectures could be cut shorter”
- “Sort out the bioethics lectures properly”

20. Interim conclusions
• Panopto is excellent tool for preparing flipped
lectures
• But… pre-recording lectures is time consuming
(the first time through) – planning script, recording,
re-recording and editing
• You can’t please everyone all of the time
• Assessment “carrot” still main driver of student
engagement

21. Changes in 2016
• Altered scheduling
2015: Intro – Cases 1 – gap – Cases 2
2016: Intro – gap – Cases 1 – Cases 2
• Doubled weighting for ethics component of
Research Proposal assignment (10% of 60% = 6%)
With increase from 500 to 1000 words.
• Blackboard quiz (formative) to encourage viewing of
flipped videos

22. Feedback in 2016 (Students)
• Open text question in formative quiz
• Emerging themes:
- duration v number
- sound quality
- time commitment & priorities
- additional formats

23. Feedback in 2016 (Staff)
• It was noted that students had watched fewer
videos (using Panopto data) than they claimed (in
the formative quiz)
• Academic staff felt the increase 500 to 1000 words
for ethics component had led to more waffle not
valuable content

24. Changes in 2017
• Ethics component kept at 6% of mark, but format
altered to be in style of ethics application form
• Additional video to explain the ethics form
• Several videos altered:
- 2 videos (Humans 1 and Humans 2) re-recorded to
remove irritating buzz, 1 intentionally left unaltered
- Music track added to two videos
(Animals 5 and GMO 3)

25. Summary so far…
• Bioethics in core Research Topic module for all
Yr 2 Bioscientists. Team-based assessment involves
students completing grant proposal, including
ethics form
• QAA benchmarking statements include expectation
that all students have basic understanding of
bioethics issues
• By 2017 there are total of 15 online videos
(duration 3:30 to 23:30 mins)
replacing 3 previous F2F lectures
• Formative online quiz

26. Not so flipping easy?
What factors influence engagement?
 Focus group (n=5)

27. Conclusions (thus far)
• Limited engagement (despite refinements) is
disappointing
• Students are strategic
- intention that 100% would watch all videos
- reality = allocated roles within team
= only watched videos re their topic
• Students are motivated by assessments
- only engaged with “relevant” videos
- saw formative quiz as focus rather than aid

28. Conclusions (thus far)
• Opinion split on Case studies
- Focus group generally liked them
- Several negative comments in module feedback
• Expectation management
- Why are we teaching in this way?
- Advice on how to make most of videos
- Reasons for case study discussions
• Several comments ~ “there was more than one
lecture’s worth of material online”
• 2019 (next week) will reintroduce the 4th lecture,
use time to explain some of the above

29. Considerations for flipped teaching
• Incentivisation? WIIFM?
• What activity will require students to watch?
• Fewer, longer videos v More, shorter videos?
• Additional resources (e.g. transcripts)?
• Delivery schedule Regular release v Glut?
(stagger release over time, even if ready)
• Sound quality and format
- animation? (VideoScribe? Investment)
- on screen appearance?

30. Acknowledgements
• Matt Mobbs
• Gemma Mitchell
• Alan Cann
• David Bridgwood
• University Teaching Excellence Project Fund

31. E-mail: cjrw2@le.ac.uk
Twitter: cjrw
Slideshare: cjrw2
Blogs: www.bioethicsbytes.wordpress.com
www.biologyonthebox.wordpress.com
www.biosciencecareers.wordpress.com
www.lefthandedbiochemist.wordpress.com
Thank you
Any questions?