Blending Inverted Lectures and Laboratory Experiments to Improve Learning in an Introductory Course in Digital Systems

Contribution: An improved inverted lecturing (IIL) framework based on blending flipped lectures and hands-on experiments provides instructional benefits, compared to traditional teaching (TT) and inverted lecturing (IL), in an introductory course in digital systems. Background: IL has proven more effective than TT in improving student learning in engineering courses, but has mostly been used for theory sessions. The impact of combining inverted lectures and hands-on experiments on student learning has not still been thoroughly assessed in engineering courses. Intended Outcomes: Attendance, marks, and satisfaction should improve for students in IL-based theory lectures, compared with those receiving TT, and should improve still further for students receiving the IIL-based method. Workload both for student and instructor should not increase significantly. Application Design: The three methods were compared in six consecutive offerings of the course. In the first two, TT was used for both theory and laboratory classes; in the next two, IL was used for theory lectures; and in the final two offerings the IIL-based scheme was used. The instructor, intended learning outcomes (ILOs), course syllabus, and student grading scheme were constant over the six semesters. A total of 184 students with similar backgrounds participated. Findings: Students under the IL- and IIL-based frameworks were more engaged than those receiving TT, and were more satisfied with their learning process. The IIL-based learners achieved the deepest conceptual understanding. Finally, the IL- and IIL-based methods did not significantly increase workload for either the students or the instructor.