In the traditional classroom, the instructor lays out the theory and the student goes home and does problems. It is in problem solving that the student really understands the nitty-gritty of applying the theory and realizing the powerful applications of and the dividends from the theory in designing artifacts. This is difficult without instructor presence. In flip-teaching however, the reverse is done – problem solving in class first with the instructor present.

This paper describes flip-teaching a semester long course on  Optimization in the Finite Element Design of Electrical Devices at Michigan State University in 2014. Traditionally each, finite elements for electrical devices and engineering optimization, is a course by itself. However, in a crowded curriculum where courses compete for enrolment, unless students are research students working on both subjects for their thesis, most students cannot enrol in both courses.

Flip-teaching was therefore introduced to tackle the challenges of time and combine the two subjects into one. The traditional order of a) delivering theory and next b) developing the programming ancillary tools (mesh generators, solvers) is flipped to do real design. To do real design, pre-constructed meshes are given to students of devices described by design parameters and ancillary programs (solvers and equipotential plotters) are also given to them to do the homework and final project. In the last three weeks of the semester, each student mastered one optimization method and presented his or her results and taught that specific method to others. Course evaluations were very positive. Enrolment doubled.