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ABSTRACT
The concept of formative assessment is considered by many to play an important role in enhancing teaching in higher engineering education. In this paper, the concept of the flipped classroom as part of a blended learning curriculum is highlighted as an ideal medium through which formative assessment practices arise. Whilst the advantages of greater interaction between students and lecturers in classes are numerous, there are often clear disadvantages associated with the independent home-study component that complements timetabled sessions in a flipped classroom setting, specifically, the popular method of replacing traditional classroom teaching with video lectures. This leads to a clear lack of assurances that the cited benefits of a flipped classroom approach are echoed in the home-study arena. Over the past three years, the authors have sought to address identified deficiencies in this area of blended learning through the development of database-driven e-learning software with the capability of introducing formative assessment practices to independent home-study. This paper maps out aspects of two specific evolving practices at separate institutions, from which guiding principles of incorporating formative assessment aspects into e-learning software are identified and highlighted in the context of independent home-study as part of a flipped classroom approach.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on contributors
Liam Comerford graduated with a Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Liverpool in 2009. He received his PhD in 2015 from the Institute for Risk and Uncertainty at the University of Liverpool. He is currently a Research Associate in Leibniz University Hannover, Germany, within the Institute for Risk and Reliability.
Adam Mannis trained in construction engineering and management, working from the early 1990s in civil engineering industry, and then embarking on a career in higher education that commenced in Belfast. Following secondments to government and a widening of training in early 2000s, he moved to Imperial College London, later transferring ten years ago to the University of Liverpool. His current position is in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and his research focuses on aspects of change management, urban sustainability and educational development; the latter involving co-operation with the authors in multidisciplinary initiatives relating to complex systems and risk/uncertainty.
Marco DeAngelis holds a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Structural Engineering (2008) and a Master's Degree of Science in Engineering for Protection from Natural Hazards (2010), both with distinction, from the University of Rome, Italy. While working as a teaching and research assistant in Italy, Marco got an EPSRC scholarship in 2012, awarded by the Liverpool Institute for Risk & Uncertainty, to pursue a Ph.D. project titled ‘Robust Design of Structural Systems’ within the University of Liverpool. Marco obtained the Ph.D. degree in Risk & Uncertainty in November 2015. At the same time he joined the Liverpool Institute for R&U as Research Associate before being permanently appointed, in February 2016, as Manager of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Quantification of Risk and Uncertainty in Complex Systems and Environments.
Ioannis A. Kougioumtzoglou received his five-year Diploma in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in Greece (2007), and his MSc (2009) and PhD (2011) degrees from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University, USA. In 2011, he started his academic career as a Lecturer in Uncertainty and Engineering at the School of Engineering, and as a member of the Institute for Risk and Uncertainty at the University of Liverpool, UK. In September 2014, he joined Columbia University, USA as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics.
Michael Beer is Professor and Head of the Institute of Risk and Reliability, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany, since 2015. He obtained a doctoral degree from the Technische Universität Dresden and pursued research at Rice University, supported with a Feodor-Lynen Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation. From 2007 to 2011 Dr Beer worked as an Assistant Professor at National University of Singapore. In 2011 he joined the University of Liverpool as Chair in Uncertainty in Engineering and Founding Director of the Institute for Risk and Uncertainty. His research is focused on non-traditional uncertainty models in engineering with emphasis on reliability analysis.