An empirical study of flipped classrooms in an open university: A case study on translation theory and practice

Xiaoyang Shu
Zhejiang Radio & Television Univerisity
Zhejiang, China

A flipped classroom is a new form of blended learning in which students learn new content online by watching video lectures, usually at home; and what used to be homework (assigned problems) is now done in class with teachers offering more personalized guidance and interaction with students, instead of lecturing. But from the perspective of ecology, education can be developed in a harmonious and dynamic-balanced ecological system. Therefore, this project exemplifies the constructs of a flipped teaching model based on an ecological perspective that distance learners in an open university will adapt to after revisiting the flipped classroom. Through the teaching experiment in the course Translation Theory and Practice, the author highlights that a good ecological relationship should be established in the translation subject, the translation object, the objectives of a translation course, translation sources, and the requirements of the translation market — based on which the basic teaching process of a flipped classroom and specific operational matters are established. After a one-year experiment using questionnaires and interviews, it was found that the flipped teaching model with the integration of modern information technology (with functions of interaction, virtual simulation and social networking) into translation teaching can help students to learn language through translation, and then acquire the necessary knowledge by language in order to express their professional thoughts, so that the harmony and unity of the translation teaching eco-environment is realized.