Flipped Learning
In the academic year 2022-2023, prompted by the initiative of our Department Chair, Koray Tunç, we commenced research on how to integrate Flipped Learning into the curriculum of our school. We decided to pilot this learning model with our student group, which consists of departments that are 100% English-taught and at the B2+ or Pre-Advanced proficiency level. In the design of this learning model, we combined Flipped Learning with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model, aiming to facilitate our students' active, production-based learning of English at the highest level by proactively addressing their individual needs. The success of our pilot implementation last year, coupled with students expressing significant improvement in various skills through this model at the end of the module, has led us to continue implementing Flipped Learning in the 2023-2024 academic year.
At the B2+ level, we implement Flipped Learning in two dimensions. The first dimension comprises activities related to vocabulary acquisition. Students engage with the words they will learn in class that day, along with visuals, through a platform we upload before the morning class. They complete various activities involving these words. As a result, when they attend the class, they can understand the words used in reading/listening texts without difficulty and actively participate in the class. The second dimension of Flipped Learning involves production-based activities. We provide students with various inputs related to the theme of the week, which could be a video, podcast, or article. Students choose one of these and, depending on the nature of the task, complete the production-based activities individually, in pairs, or as a group, uploading their work to the platform.
Our Flipped Learning implementation at the C1 level is conducted on a broader scale. The first dimension, referred to as Academic Studies, consists of the field of study where students learn the most commonly used academic vocabulary and take various tests. The second dimension, called Departmental Studies, is designed to provide insights into the faculties for students in their final steps before starting their faculties. Within the scope of Departmental Studies, separate materials have been prepared for each English-medium department/faculty in our university (English Translation and Interpretation Department, Software Engineering Department, and The Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences). Students, during their task days at school, engage in academic research related to their provided departments, read a current article, listen to a podcast, or watch a video. Subsequently, applying the UDL method, we offer options to enable productive work on their task days. To provide an example for each department, these tasks are as follows:
- Software Engineering Department: Form a group of 4 and then research the newest software bugs and how they have affected cybersecurity. and finally present your findings in a video recording.
- English Translation and Interpretation Department: Prepare a 3-minute presentation on the cultural nuances of a foreign language. You should research idioms, slang, and other lexical items unique to the language and explain how they can pose challenges for machine translators. You should also provide examples of how human translators can overcome these challenges.
- The Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences: Write a 400- words persuasive essay arguing for or against the digitalization of brands. Support your ideas with the examples from the article, podcast, or video that you have read or watched.
We aspire for our endeavours to foster the enhancement of our students' English proficiency in a constructive manner, enabling them to commence their academic journeys well-prepared and evolve into individuals who actively employ the English language.
