Enhanced engagement through instructor-created interactive video assignments in a flipped electrical engineering classroom

Blended learning using flipped classroom has emerged as a remarkable model for bridging the digital divide between geographically- and socio-economically–disadvantaged students during the Covid pandemic, especially for those situated in remote locations with limited internet connectivity. This paper presents an investigation of a blended learning framework using flipped teaching through interactive video lectures for an Introduction to Electrical Engineering course held in online mode for a first-year batch of engineering students. The analysis includes observations from two sets of students who took this course over the last two academic years, referred to as control and treatment groups, respectively. The paper also reports a simple preliminary framework for utilizing the analytics available from interactive video assignments for identifying students with poor engagement and understanding so that the instructor may adopt timely measures and interventions to address the need of all students. The success of the video assignments are validated both qualitatively (through student feedback and performance) and quantitatively (using t-test). Results show that the flipped teaching model has both empirical approval and support of a majority of students, especially in the distance learning mode. Statistical analysis shows a significant difference in the performance of students with and without video-based flipped teaching in online mode.