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Ekaterina Pechenkina
Swinburne University of Technology
@DrKatya_Pech

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Wednesday 6 December, 11am – 11.30am
Stream 2
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Abstract

Flipped Classroom is a pedagogical approach in which all or some of direct instruction is moved outside of the face-to-face environment to dedicate more in-class time to ‘hands-on’, experimental and engaging activities. Usually enabled by educational technology, the Flipped Classroom approach draws on the ‘active learning’ philosophy which implies that students must share responsibility for their learning with their instructors, resulting in more impactful learner behaviours. Considering university classrooms are increasingly diverse, with international students forming a significant cohort of learners, instructor perceptions of internationals students in Flipped Classrooms are of interest. This is particularly important because international students, especially those from Asian countries, can be perceived by instructors as ‘passive’ learners’ regardless of students’ actual skills, learning preferences and goals. This presumed ‘passivity’ may clash with instructors’ goals, potentially creating tensions-filled dynamics between instructors and international students in Flipped Classrooms. The proposed article explores university instructors’ perceptions of international students in technology-enabled Flipped Classrooms to understand how these perceptions may influence instructors’ choices for the design of the flip. Findings demonstrate that while some instructors view international students as a barrier to impactful Flipped Classroom, others draw on their classroom’s diversity, using it as a source of inspiration, and designing the flip with international students in mind.

About the authors

Ekaterina Pechenkina

Dr Katya (Ekaterina) Pechenkina is Research Fellow at the Learning Transformations Unit, Swinburne University of Technology. Katya holds a PhD in anthropology from the University of Melbourne and several other degrees. She was a 2003-2004 International Research and Exchange Board fellow at the California State University Bakersfield, where she majored in sociology. Anthropologist and education researcher, Katya’s research interests encompass the discourses of technology, innovation, teaching excellence, and Indigenous experiences in higher education. Katya has published widely and serves as a peer reviewer for several major journals, conferences and publishers. Katya is a member of the teaching team delivering Swinburne’s Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (Higher Education): she convenes and teaches a unit focusing on scholarly teaching designed to help academic staff to explore, evaluate and improve their teaching practices. Katya is an avid social media user and can be found on Twitter @DrKatya_Pech and Facebook @DrKatyaPech