An exploration of online behaviour engagement and achievement in flipped classroom supported by learning management system

How to promote engagement and achievement in flipped classroom has been a critical research issue. It has been recognized that a course design enticing students' behaviour, emotional and cognitive engagements could promote achievement. Among the different types of engagements, behaviour engagement is relatively easier to measure and collect, especially with the help of learning management systems (LMS). This study focuses on the exploration of how online behaviour engagement affects achievement in flipped classroom with a problem-centered learning flow consisting of activation, demonstration, application, and integration. Learning data collected from ten courses was analysed. All the courses were conducted on the Moodle platform, with a total of 488 undergraduate students enrolled from 2010 to 2015 at a university in Taiwan. A model depicting how online behaviour engagement affects achievement was developed using the partial least squares SEM (PLS-SEM) method. Findings demonstrate that engagement in problem-solving activities has a significant effect on achievement. Furthermore, engagement in self-assessment and self-reflection activities have a significant direct effect on engagement in online studies and social interaction, which in turn have a significant direct effect on engagement in problem-solving activities. Most important of all, the effect of the engagement in self-assessment and self-reflection on achievement is mediated by the engagement in problem-solving activities. Based on these findings, it is argued that the design of attractive and progressive problem-solving activities is at the heart of an effective flipped classroom, and promoting a learning culture of self-reflection and self-assessment helps trigger active engagements in other online learning activities.