Why The Flipped Lecture Is Not A ‘One Size Fits All’ Solution To Undergraduate Medical Education.

Abstract

Lectures underpin most medical school curricula; however, due to their frequently didactic nature, their pedagogical efficacy and value are continually questioned. The “flipped” lecture is one approach with the potential to increase student collaboration and interactivity within the lecture theatre environment. Increasingly, medical teachers are introducing flipped lectures, reflecting the increasing use of active learning techniques and digital technologies across the higher education sector more generally. This intervention is seen as a solution to the problems of a traditional lecture, yet whether the use of flipped lectures in medical school programmes enhances learning for all students is not clear. This study investigates whether flipped lectures are perceived as a valuable learning resource by undergraduate medical students. By introducing a flipped lecture at two stages of the curriculum to three student cohorts, and determining students’ observations and perceptions of each experience, we discuss why a flipped lecture does not always meet the needs of the increasingly diverse range of students in medical education and propose exercising caution when considering the introduction of flipped lectures to undergraduate programmes.