The traditional lecture is, on many counts, a poorer pedagogical method compared to active learning strategies (Freeman et al., 2014). One model of "active learning" is the flipped classroom (or inverted classroom). Although a basic definition of the flipped classroom is one where the activities traditionally conducted in class (i.e., lecture) and out of class (i.e., homework) swap places (e.g., Lage et al., 2000), there are cogent arguments that the flipped model’s effectiveness comes from being able to utilize class time for active learning which engages higher order cognitive processes (Bergmann & Sams, 2012; Burke & Fedorek, 2017). The CalStateLA Statistics Teaching Collaboration is an effort to move past efficacy tests of the flipped classroom and towards pragmatic research designed to help instructors improve the flipped model.

The improvement of teaching is in part theory, in part design, and in part concrete products. Our collaboration brings together those elements by developing learning materials and routines for implementing those materials and then improving those elements with research and assessment.