Abstract
Recent calls for educational reform
highlight ongoing concerns about the
ability of current curricula to equip
aspiring health care professionals with
the skills for success. Whereas a wide
range of proposed solutions attempt to
address apparent deficiencies in current
educational models, a growing body of
literature consistently points to the need
to rethink the traditional in-class, lecturebased
course model. One such proposal
is the flipped classroom, in which
content is offloaded for students to learn
on their own, and class time is dedicated
to engaging students in student-centered
learning activities, like problem-based
learning and inquiry-oriented strategies.
In 2012, the authors flipped a required
first-year pharmaceutics course at the
University of North Carolina Eshelman
School of Pharmacy. They offloaded all
lectures to self-paced online videos and
used class time to engage students in
active learning exercises. In this article,
the authors describe the philosophy and
methodology used to redesign the Basic
Pharmaceutics II course and outline the
research they conducted to investigate
the resulting outcomes. This article is
intended to serve as a guide to instructors
and educational programs seeking
to develop, implement, and evaluate
innovative and practical strategies to
transform students’ learning experience.
As class attendance, students’ learning,
and the perceived value of this model
all increased following participation
in the flipped classroom, the authors
conclude that this approach warrants
careful consideration as educators aim
to enhance learning, improve outcomes,
and fully equip students to address
21st-century health care needs.