The flipped classroom is a blended learning approach in which students review learning materials asynchronously before attending a synchronous class. Flipped classroom intervention studies have reported mixed findings on student satisfaction, which may be related to differences in synchronous classroom activities. The purpose of this study was to gather undergraduate student perceptions of synchronous activities in a highly-structured flipped classroom. A single course instructor led online weekly interactive synchronous lecture review sessions. In an anonymized, two-part survey, students first rated their experience on whether activities had been beneficial to their learning on a 7-point Likert scale (strongly disagree, disagree, slightly disagree, neutral, slightly agree, agree, strongly agree). Four major activities were rated, including participating in whole-group synchronous lecture activities (e.g., active learning activities), participating in small-group synchronous lecture activities (e.g., break-out rooms), watching introductory concept videos on social media during synchronous lectures (e.g., TED-ED, Amoeba Sisters), and participating in live Mentimeter practice quizzes. Students also responded to two open-ended survey questions: "Describe which activities, if any, have been most helpful/beneficial to your learning during the synchronous lecture review sessions" and "Describe what possible changes could be made, if any, to improve your learning during the synchronous lecture review sessions." In part one of the survey, respondents (n=146 students in total) included 76% of undergraduate students enrolled in a first-year human anatomy and physiology course (n=75 participants / 99 enrolled in the course) and 85% of students enrolled in a second year altered physiology course (n=71 participants/84 enrolled in the course). Aggregated data (e.g., grouped by positive, neutral, and negative affect) from survey responses were analyzed. About three quarters of participants had a positive perception of viewing and discussing introductory concept videos on social media and participating in Mentimeter practice quizzes. Over 50% of participants had a positive perception of the whole-group active learning activities. About one-third of participants had a positive perception of participating in small-group structured breakout room activities. In the second part of the survey, relevant themes emerged from survey respondents (n=105 comments) regarding their perceived benefits of the flipped classroom instructional design on learning. Nearly 45% of respondents had positive responses to the integration of digital tools (e.g., Mentimeter). About one-fifth of respondents indicated a neutral or positive response reflecting satisfaction with the current design. Yet, a small number of respondents wanted more in-depth content review, a traditional lecture delivery mode, and additional synchronous activities (e.g., desire for more small-group interaction and discussion). In summary, a highly-structured flipped synchronous classroom design may incorporate a variety of interactive activities to promote undergraduate student satisfaction.

Keywords: Flipped classroom, instructional design.