The “Flip” Side of Online Course Redevelopment: A Case Study of Flipping a Translation Course

Introduction

The need for universities to be innovative and inclusive in their responses to changing circumstances and to develop high quality courses in a completely online environment was thrown into stark relief by the COVID pandemic. It is true that blended and online course delivery has been a trend in higher education for some time. Prior to the pandemic, however, the vast majority of courses were still delivered primarily or entirely in face-to-face mode. During lockdown, institutions of higher learning were forced to redevelop their courses very quickly in the massive shift to online delivery. Some courses were adapted only slightly in the process. Others, including the course in this case study, underwent significant modifications to course structure and instruction style to ensure pedagogical efficacy and a high quality educational experience for students in the new fully online mode, with course designers taking the opportunity to update course content with more authentic materials and assessment.

In the Australian context, it quickly became obvious that it will be important for the foreseeable future to enable students based in another jurisdiction to enrol and fully participate in courses even when borders are closed; to ensure a valuable and interactive learning experience within the constraints of social distancing requirements; and to preclude discrimination against students who are unable to attend on-campus classes (e.g. because they are immunocompromised). Incorporating flipped learning activities supports these goals, although there is a slight cost in that it adds an element of complexity to course redevelopment.

The current case study describes how an undergraduate English > Chinese translation course at an Australian university was converted for online delivery by building flipped learning into the new course design. This chapter examines some strategies and approaches that can assist in promoting high levels of student engagement and ensuring a positive and effective learning experience for students when a course is both online and flipped. In the process, it sheds some light on the benefits of flipped learning for higher education language courses. These are all issues that are of heightened research and pedagogical interest in the new age of online course delivery.