Flipped classroom in the higher education system: A pilot study in Finland and Russia

Abstract

This article shows specifics of the transition from conventional educational practice to the Flipped classroom model in modern education system. It is focused on professors’ perception of the video-based teaching approach. Conducted sociological survey involves the teaching staff from one European and one Russian university, namely the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and Ural Federal University (URFU). The survey investigated professors’ awareness of the Inverted classroom, their readiness to employ it and prime barriers they face. Results reveal that teachers from Russia have less information about the model and practically do not embed it in the education arrangement comparing to professors from Finland. Lack of time, lack of support and assistance are shown to be the prime barriers preventing them from flipped classroom implementation. Drawn implications are of use for the integration of the flipped classroom. © 2017, Adam Marszalek Publishing House. All rights reserved.