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A flipped classroom approach was implemented in an undergraduate fluid mechanics course. Students watched short, online video lectures before class, participated in active in-class problem solving sessions (in pairs), and completed individualized online quizzes weekly. In-class activities were designed to develop problem-solving skills and teach subject content. The instructor and assistants provided critical "just-in-time tutoring" during the in-class problem solving sessions. Comparisons were made with a simultaneous section offered in a traditional mode by a different instructor. Students in the flipped-classroom section demonstrated greater gains on the Fluid Mechanics Concept Inventory (pre-test versus post-test). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that students in the flipped-classroom section had a significant relative gain on the Fluid Mechanics Achievement Score, which was an aggregative measure of problem solving ability and conceptual understanding. Student feedback on the flipped-classroom section was very positive both in terms of the course format and their perceptions of the amount learned in the course.

This paper examines the effects of hands-on learning in an undergraduate circuits class that is taught to non-majors; i.e., students outside of electrical and computing engineering. The course, ECE3710, is taught in a blended format facilitated by the video lectures prepared for two Massive Open Online Courses developed for the Coursera Platform. Because of the video content covered outside of class, the face-to-face portion of the class is enhanced with a number of active and collaborative learning techniques, including the inclusion of small-scale, mobile, hands-on labs. The assessment results show that the laboratory experiences play a significant role in the enhancement of student performance. The labs also have the benefit of improving students' confidence in course topics that are related to lab exercises.