Journey to a Flipped Computation Course Using MATLAB

The engineering computation course at Boston University has been taught using MATLAB^® for nine years. The main thrust of the course is basic procedural programming concepts, but the efficient use of MATLAB, including vectorizing code, is also emphasized. The format of the course has evolved over the years from a traditional lecture to a combination of some lecture and some in-class problem sets, and now finally to a flipped format with all active learning in class.

This talk covers the guiding principles of the course itself, the recent transformation of the course format to a blended course utilizing preclass content on edX, the results from this new model, and planned future improvements.

The two main goals for enabling active learning and peer-to-peer instruction in class were to improve the learning outcomes and to improve the engagement of the students in the course. These were achieved systematically over a period of several years, using evidence-based teaching practices.

The results from this blended course included better achievement of the learning outcomes, as evidenced by higher average grades and fewer D/F/W grades, and increased engagement in the course as evidenced by increased attendance.

Future improvements in the course include more assessment questions in the online materials, and increased use of test scripts to allow students to submit solutions to problems online using the embedded MATLAB in edX and Cody Coursework™.

Note: Cody Coursework became MATLAB Grader in July 2018.