Who watched pre/post-lecture tutorial videos? Does flipped learning help beginners in economics?

Abstract

The modern-day classroom is characterized by academic diversity, with students from varied backgrounds and with different levels of prior knowledge. To cater to the diverse abilities of students, this paper explored the use of flipped learning as a teaching approach in an introductory economics course. We investigated the effectiveness of 40 pre-lecture videos covering basic concepts and 27 post-lecture tutorial videos focusing on practice in improving students' exam outcomes, especially for beginners in economics who may require more support from instructors than other students. We collected data about video engagement and students' grades in progress assessments. Surveys were conducted to gather students’ feedback regarding the usefulness of the videos on their learning. The findings showed that beginners engaged more with those videos, spent more time watching them compared to non-beginners. Furthermore, the study observed an improvement in beginners' exam performance, with their average grade increasing as a percentage of the average of non-beginners. These findings hold significance for instructors aiming to offer personalized assistance to students with varying levels of prior knowledge, thereby advancing educational practices in the field of economics.