Flipping the classroom: a national pilot curriculum for physiology in neonatal–perinatal medicine

Objective: To explore interest, feasibility, perceived effectiveness, and acceptability of a standardized, national physiology curriculum for neonatal–perinatal medicine (NPM) fellows using online videos for knowledge acquisition paired with flipped classrooms (FCs) for knowledge application. Study design: Two educational programs pairing online videos with FCs were developed and peer-reviewed. These programs were piloted at five institutions. Fellows completed surveys, and fellows and educators participated in focus groups after their FC experiences. Results: Thirty-five fellows responded to the survey. Forty-one fellows and six educators participated in focus groups. Fellows and educators preferred online videos paired with FCs over didactic teaching and perceived them to be effective for knowledge acquisition and application. Conclusion: Fellows and educators preferred FC learning over traditional didactics and reported that FCs facilitated creation of a learning community, fostering active learning. The favorable response toward this pilot project and the feasibility of its use supports further development of a standardized NPM physiology curriculum for fellowship training.