Liverpool Hope University
Using Flipped Learning to support mature students studying via HE in FE
The experiences of mature students accessing higher education through further education (HE in FE) is an under researched area. None-the-less, growing this provision has been a policy goal for several governments (Bullock & Henry, 2023). Concomitantly, over the past two decades flipped learning (FL) has come to be appreciated as a pedagogy that is well suited to meeting the pedagogic and employment skills aims of HE (Advance HE, 2017; Griffiths et al., 2018; Lage et al., 2000; Talbert, 2017).
In recognition of the above, this paper presents a phenomenographic analysis of students’ experiences of FL on a HE in FE course. Analysis of ten semi-structured interviews will be presented. Phenomenography was selected as its focus is the people experiencing reality, rather than the phenomena being experienced (Marton, 1981).
Phenomenographic analysis yielded four qualitatively different conceptions of the experience of learning via FL. Students conceptualised their experience of FL as A) having to take responsibility for your own learning, B) engaging with others and taking their knowledge, C) engaging with others and sharing and exchanging knowledge with them and D) acquiring, building and enhancing academic and professional skills.
Findings indicated that FL offers opportunities to be more inclusive than traditional blended learning and is well suited to support students in taking responsibility for their learning. Additionally, findings suggested that FL offers more opportunities for positive emotional engagement with learning than traditional blended learning.