Blended learning is taking over the training world, proving to increase information retention among learners. Now the latest and greatest in learning, the flipped classroom, is inspiring different ways of training.

A flipped classroom is another form of blended learning that essentially reverses the traditional classroom setup. Learning begins online and then students engage in concept mastery in the classroom with the help of an instructor.

But, as with anything, there are keys to making this type of training successful. Here are three useful tips for utilizing SharePoint to employ this type of training.

Tip #1: Create an all-inclusive classroom for your learners with a Team Site in SharePoint.

Team sites are a great way to provide all the details of your training course including document libraries, videos, calendar, discussion boards and tasks.

Videos are the key ingredient to a flipped classroom and SharePoint makes it easy to set up a media solution, no coding necessary.

• Activate the video and media features under site settings in SharePoint.
• Set up an asset library within your SharePoint site.
• Add video content and use the video player and player page.

Be sure that your videos aren’t too long or risk your learners not watching the entire training video.

Tip #2: Make sure students are prepared and set due dates.

There is one big catch to successful classroom flipping – if it’s going to work, the at-home learning must happen. It’s difficult to let go of the reigns and let students learn at their own pace before the in-classroom portion of the course. An easy way to ensure that it gets done is utilizing the calendar and task list in your team site. By doing this, reminders can be sent to your team members as the due date nears.

Tip #3: Constant communication is critical.

The flipped classroom is fairly new and so in order for students to embrace it there needs to be a little hand-holding. Having an open door to communication helps for better adoption. A team site is already prepped for just this type of situation and gives an opportunity for peers and teachers to collaborate through blogs, wikis, discussions and surveys.

Flipped learning has been praised for being ‘learner-centric.’ Many students experience frustration when it comes time to do homework because they don’t understand the material they learned in the classroom to begin with. However, by watching the training beforehand, they can gather any questions they have and bring it with them to the in-classroom session to discuss and gain more clarification.