RESEARCH DESIGN
The overall goal of the course of “computer-aided landscape design” is to get theory-learning understood and skills mastered. But we do not mean that the content of all the courses is worthy of or suitable for this kindof goal. By analyzing the key and difficult points of the course of “computer-aided landscape design” and the prior knowledge skills of the learners, we will attach teaching focus to the three units: the manufacturing of plane landscape, landscape perspective renderings ,and landscape aerial view of the production.
The content of the three units is both theoretical and practical, in which important theoretical elaboration and experimental operation courses are included. Before the start of research, the over view of computer-aided landscape
design, garden design basis, and basic tools of Photoshop, etc. will be introduced first. After teaching the three units, the experiment was conducted including landscape graphic production, landscape perspective renderings and landscape aerial view of production (Fig.1). The process of the flipped classroom was implemented as shown in Table 1.
Recognizing both the potential value of the flipped classroom and the need for assessment of this type of reform at the undergraduate level, an experiment was run in flipped classroom in Fall semester, 2014. 121 students were divided two groups (control group, 60 students; test group, 61 students). They were taught by the same professor, were run in parallel. There was no significant difference between the sections in either overall or science coverage at the beginning of the course. Accounting for all sources of content, the subject material covered was the same for both sections and assessments of learning were identical quizzes and examinations. We hypothesized that significant differences in learning outcomes and in student perceptions of the course would be observed, demonstrating positive contributions of flipped classroom reform.