Last fall I started teaching my intro stats class using the flipped classroom model. I have found many benefits to this approach:

• My students are more active and engaged in class.
• I am able to cover much more material than I ever covered before – including simulations, bootstrapping, and non parametric tests.
• My students level of understanding when it comes to inferential statistics and the “big picture” is higher than ever.

I am currently blogging each day, documenting my progress this semester.
You can check out my progress on this web site: http://georgewoodbury.com/statblog/

There are three portions to consider when flipping your class: pre-class, in-class, and post-class. Today I will write about what my students do before class. (I’ll come back to the other two as the semester progresses.)

In my class we are using the Interactive Statistics online text that I wrote with Mike Sullivan. My students complete an Interactive Reading Assignment (IRA) before they come to class. In the IRAs students read a little, watch a little, and do a little. They read standard text, which is supplemented with concept videos, example videos (including StatCrunch videos), applets, and activities. Along the way, students answer conceptual questions and solve problems and these are recorded into their MyLab gradebook. If you worry about students actually doing the work before class, having some sort of assignment that is submitted before class definitely increases completion.

Students complete an IRA before class on days that we cover a section, but I do not have pre-class assignments for days that we work on projects.

If you have any questions about these interactive reading assignments, please leave a comment or reach out to me on Twitter. I love to share!