Flipped classroom-based blended learning in histology education: investigating the effectiveness of applying a new approach to improve medical students’ learning

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Histology is among the most complex and challenging courses for medical students. Utilizing new approaches to teaching this course can help enhance the pedagogical and psychological aspects of student learning. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of the flipped classroom teaching method, a blended learning model, on the learning performance of medical students in a histology course. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This randomized educational trial was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences. A total of 120 medical students participated in a histology course, divided into two groups: control (n = 60) and intervention (n = 60). Students in the control group were taught using a conventional teaching method, and students in the intervention group were taught using the flipped classroom method. Therefore, within the framework of this method, electronic histology content was provided to the intervention group students before participating in the in-person class, and during the in-person session, the instructor's role was purely facilitative. The learning performance of students in both groups was evaluated based on the scores received from the end-of-course exam. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to assess students' attitudes and experiences regarding the histology course based on the flipped classroom method. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS-26 software and descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 20.73 ± 0.92. The mean score of the histology course in the blended learning group (16.43 ± 1.02) was higher than the mean score in the conventional teaching group (13.28 ± 1.67). Therefore, this difference was statistically significant (t=-12.42, P < 0.01). The majority of students evaluated their experience with histology instruction through the flipped classroom method as positive. CONCLUSION: Teaching histology through the flipped classroom had a notable impact on medical students' learning. The flipped classroom provides significant pedagogical benefits, contributing to a more sustainable and effective educational experience for students. It is recommended that instructors in medical schools use this approach.