Implementation of a flipped classroom: Nursing students’ perspectives

The need to update nursing curriculum has prompted the development of new pedagogies designed to engage students and help them develop clinical reasoning skills. This descriptive phenomenological study explored student experiences of “flipping the classroom” in two Medical/Surgical courses. “Flipping the classroom” is in contrast to a traditional class where lecture is given in class and assignments are sent as homework. Instead, with the flipped classroom, lecture is sent as homework and class time is devoted to active learning assignments. By making the lecture available to students outside of the classroom, class time can then be spent on innovative learning activities designed to engage the students in actively learning the lecture material. The flipped classroom can enhance the learning experiences of nursing students in Medical/Surgical courses; however, there are challenges related to this transformative process. The shift from a traditional, passive learning approach to a non-traditional active learning method is discussed through the lived experience of students as recipients of this innovative teaching strategy.