JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background The flipped classroom changes the model of traditional teaching and reverses the order of knowledge transfer and internalization. It has received much attention in undergraduate medical education. Pathophysiology courses are critical in bridging basic medical science and clinical medicine courses in the Chinese medical curriculum system. The purpose of this study is to investigate the application of flipped classrooms in pathophysiology courses. Methods In the spring semester of 2018, we carried out a research on flipped classroom teaching for second-year clinical medical students at the College of Medicine in Nanchang University. The chapters on hypoxia and respiratory failure were selected. The effect of flipped classroom was evaluated by classroom performance, final examination and questionnaires. Results Our study found that the students in the flipped group achieved higher scores on their in-course assessments and final exams. The majority of the students reported that the flipped classroom promoted their learning motivation, made them more confident and helped them understand the pathophysiology content. Moreover, the students also improved their problem analysis and teamwork abilities. However, some students from the flipped group also reported that the self-learning and preparatory work before class increased their learning burden, as some of their other courses were following a flipped classroom teaching approach at the same time. Conclusions This study highlights the feasibility of the flipped classroom in pathophysiology teaching. However, further studies are required to assess the broader acceptance and implementation of flipped classrooms among undergraduate medical students.