If you have taken any sort of online learning course within the past five years or so, you must be somewhat aware of, at least aware of in a de facto sort of way, the concept of the “flipped classroom.” The flipped classroom is the term now used to describe a learning environment where students are responsible for reviewing subject matter outside of the classroom; for example, by viewing prerecorded lectures or assigned reading materials. This saves time, places more responsibility on the learner and — what is especially important for hybrid learning environment — (one that involves both online and face-to-face student-teacher interaction), allows for more in-class time to be spent on activities involving higher learning.
Some examples of discussions about the topic can be found at:
Flipping the classroom can also be useful for information literacy classes. What if you are supporting a research and writing class and you need to teach your students how to use the library’s databases? It would be a great time-saver to have students review a prerecorded video on YouTube, for example, which they could then review as many times as they might need to before meeting for the in-class portion of the workshop. It seems that when instructors take on more the role of facilitator, and students take on more responsibility for their learning, the possibilities for reserving classroom time for higher learning are abundant.