Flipped Classroom in an Orthopaedic Assessment Course: Students' Perspective

Context: The flipped classroom, moving lecture outside class time and homework to the classroom, has been researched widely across many disciplines. Athletic training education has little research investigating this pedagogical approach. Objective: To explore students' perceptions of a flipped orthopaedic assessment course. Design: Qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Setting: Focus group interviews with undergraduate students enrolled in an orthopaedic assessment course. Patients or Other Participants: Students (N = 15) enrolled in either the Physical Exam of the Lower Extremities in Athletic Training or the Physical Exam of the Upper Extremities in Athletic Training course participated in a focus-group interview in January or April 2016. Main Outcome Measure(s): Focus group interviews were conducted with a structured interview protocol. Interview data were analyzed inductively to uncover dominant themes by first organizing the data, then summarizing it into codes, and finally interpreting. Credibility was secured through member checking, triangulation, and investigator triangulation. Results: Themes indicated that participants in a flipped classroom found that this pedagogical practice was helpful, allowed for repetition, initially created more work, and was self-paced. Conclusions: Evidence demonstrated that the flipped classroom for this orthopaedic assessment course was favorably received by the participants.