‘Flip Class-based Group Quiz’ – An Active Learning Approach for Engineering Classes: an Overview

By Dr. Sadiq A, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, TKM College of Engineering

Flip class-based group quiz, implemented in engineering classes to actively engage students in the learning process is discussed here. This active learning method incorporates the benefits of both quiz and flipped- classroom learning methods, however with a few differences. This quiz method is thought to be an effective tool to improve learning in the higher education system.

Presented here are the concept, implementation methods and observations of the ‘Flip class-based group quiz’ method, based on its implementation in two large engineering classes of different branches and conducted in two successive years. You can also identify the main advantages and limitations of this method here.

Active Learning: An Explanation

Active learning is a very effective strategy that teachers undertake to involve students directly in the learning process. It makes the students to actively participate in the learning process. Flipped Classroom technique is such an effective method.

Flipped Classroom is a popular method in active learning approaches, involves giving out study materials to students much before the classroom session. Then, students learn the content at their own pace. Later, in the classroom, the teacher and students discuss the material, with students summarizing what they have understood. Students also raise doubts during the interaction, and the teacher clarifies them.

Teachers also pay attention to correct misinterpretations of the learning content that the students formed during self-learning. They also encourage students to work out assignments and questions based on the material.

Flip Class-Based Group Quiz: What is it?

A ‘flip class-based group quiz’ that combines the benefits of a quiz and a flipped classroom, acts as an effective means to bring active learning to a classroom. The procedure by which a flip class-based group quiz conducted shall be modified by teacher to make it suitable for the class. This type of quiz boosts active participation from students and provides them with a platform dedicated to learning, discussion, doubt clarification, and analysis of their performance.

Flip Class-Based Group Quiz: How to implement?

The implementation involves few steps and rules, as follows:

● Handing Out Course Materials to Students in Advance

In a flip class-based group quiz, reference text, different resources, video tutorials, and other course materials are distributed to students in advance. This saves students the time needed to find the right course materials. It also prevents them from grasping wrong information from resources that are unreliable.

Once the students have received the study materials, they are assigned a time frame for preparing for quiz questions based on the material. This helps students learn the course material at their own pace and in deep. During self-learning, students also research their topics of interest to study them widely.

● Allocating Topics to Students:

This is a very crucial part of the flip class-based group quiz method. After students engage in self-learning of the study materials, they are assigned particular topics for the quiz. However, the teacher could decide on topics only by considering the learning capacity of every student in the class. The teacher then allocates particular topics to students to prepare quiz questions.

● Scheduling the Quiz

A convenient time for both students and the faculty is decided for the conduct of the quiz. There is no need to set aside extra time for the quiz, as it could be conducted during regular class hours itself.

● Dividing Students Into Teams

Students are to be divided into teams of equal strength for the quiz. Accordingly, a class with a total strength of seventy to a hundred can have three to five teams of equal strength. This ensures that the quiz is conducted fairly. Further, such as division, make sure that every student in the class is actively involved in the quiz.

● Question Preparation

Once the teams are formed, students are instructed to prepare questions and answers for the quiz. They prepare questions from the assigned topics on their own. During this process, students cover most of the expected questions from a given topic. Thus, flip class-based group quizzes help students reduce the time needed for students to learn these topics during exam preparations.

● Course Material Verification

Students are instructed to bring their study materials to class on the day of the quiz. This is for them to discuss and share the additional information they have collected with the rest of the class. The faculty then carefully verifies whether the information the student has referred to is correct and from the relevant material.

● Marking System

There will be a marking system to award different points to the teams as per the questions they answer. The main aim of this system is to build a sportsteam spirit among the students to encourage them to study their given topics and engage in the quiz actively.

● Quiz Master

It is the instructor who acts as the quiz master. They regulates the session and ensures that the questions asked and their answers are correct and relevant to the topic.
The flip class-based group quiz in the engineering classes starts with the instructor handing the study materials to the students, the day before the quiz. The instructor then assigns specific topics from the materials to teams of students. They also sets out the rules of the quiz. The rules must be announced to the class clearly before starting the quiz session.

Rules of the Quiz

● The quiz will be conducted for sixty minutes.

● Each team will have thirty seconds to ask a question.

● The group to whom the question is asked will have to answer within sixty seconds. If they do, they will receive ten points.

● If a group fails to answer, the question will be passed to next team, and whichever team further answers correctly will receive five points.

● If every team, including the team that asked a question, fails to answer it correctly, the quizmaster will receive five points.

Advantages of Flip Class-based Group Quiz

● Students get an opportunity to self-assess their knowledge

● Every student gets a chance to be the smartest one in the class

● Even the special knowledge of one student will be shared to all students in the class.

● Smarter students will try to develop good analytical type of questions from the given content and thus difficult questions and the corresponding answers will also be discussed in the class as part of the game.

● Boosts the enthusiasm and confidence of the students

● Faculty gets a chance to note down the points to be corrected later during discussions. This could be done without interrupting the quiz.

Challenges in a Flip Class-based Group Quiz

● The quiz would also test the intelligence and knowledge level of the instructor

● The instructor should provide sufficient study materials to the students

● The instructor should be good at moderating the class during the quiz as the session can lead to heated discussions and arguments.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are students given rewards during the flip class- based group quiz?

Winning teams during the flip class-based group quiz are rewarded with toffees or other small gifts as a sign of positive reinforcement.

2. Is it necessary to introduce the flip class-based group quiz technique to students before initiating it?

No, it is not necessary to introduce the flip class-based group quiz technique to students before initiating it. The quiz could be conducted without prior introductions. However, pre-informed quiz can lead to vast reading on a topic.

3. Do students ask hard-to-crack questions during the flip class-based group quiz?

Yes, students ask hard-to-crack questions during the flip class-based group quiz, as an attempt to outmatch other teams.

4. Is it possible to use the flip class-based group quiz for all topics?

No, it is not possible to use the flip class-based group quiz for all topics. The instructor should analyze the syllabus to select suitable topics for this technique to effectively manage time and complete the syllabus.

It is observed that students ask for more such quiz sessions as it goes like a game. Even the slow learners in the class will learn the contents in depth unintentionally. On verification of the outcome of the method, it is seen that the quiz resulted in outstanding performance of students in a later test conducted on the given topic.