To do this, however, would mean reducing the number of hours students spend in the classroom by two thirds. Many instructors and
administrators believe that reducing instructor-student contact should hinder student learning because the quantity of interaction with faculty membersdasking and answering questions during lecture, for exampledis positively associated with the learning outcomes students
achieve. Theoretically, less time in the classroom should result in lower student performance. The current study was designed to test
this contention, by determining whether the use of active learning spaces in tandem with a flipped and blended classroom model could
overcome the anticipated reduction in student learning outcomes hypothetically to be expected from decreased face-to-face instructional
time. The study has a practical implication as well. Those administrators and planners who are considering building and retrofitting new
spaces are concerned with the financial cost of these classrooms. A secondary concern of this study is to shed light on the potential efficiencies
and cost savings of the blended model in the active learning classroom.