Flipping Excel

The “flipped classroom” model has become increasingly popular in recent years as faculty try new ways to engage students in the classroom. In a flipped classroom setting, students review the lecture online prior to the class session, and spend time in class working on problems or exercises that would have been traditionally assigned as homework. The ability to easily create and consume multimedia on personal computers, tablets, smart phones, and personal media players, and the increased availability of web-based tools for collaboration and communication are two factors that contribute to the popularity of the flipped classroom. This paper presents an implementation of the flipped classroom pedagogy in a first-year introductory Information Technology course, specifically focusing on how these techniques were used to facilitate students’ experiences learning Excel concepts. A survey given to students in three sections of the course suggests that students found the instructional methods captured their interests, challenged them, and contributed to their learning.