Higher Education: Remote Learning with Flip

Flip is a free video discussion platform from Microsoft that helps educators see and hear from their learners anytime, anywhere. 

In Flip, educators post prompts for their class and learners respond with short videos, forming an asynchronous video discussion around educator-defined topics. Flip was created in 2012 by Dr. Charlie Miller, a professor of design at the University of Minnesota, to use with 12 PhD students. It has since been used by millions of educators and learners around the world, from PreK to PhD and beyond.

Getting Started with Flip

To get started, first create your free educator account at flip.com. Then, follow the steps below:

1. Create your first group

   • • A Group allows you to centralize the conversation by combining multiple Topics in one place.

     • You can set up a Group for a given class and then add a series of Topics throughout the course. Your students will only need to know your Group join code to access all the Topics.

     • You can create a Group at any time and move Topics into and out of your Group.

2. Set Access.

   • When creating your first group, you’ll be asked to select a access type. This is how your learning community will gain access to your Flip discussion.

   • If all your learners have email addresses, choose the “School Email” and add your school’s email domain (everything after the @ symbol in your email address).

   • If learners have different email domains, (many include “stu.college.edu” or “student.college.edu”), add these to the list.

3. Create your first Topic

   • • This is your discussion prompt. You can create as many Topics as you want for anything you would like your learners to discuss. We’ve provided a list of ideas to get started below.

     • In your Topic prompt, include anything you would like your learners to review prior to responding. You can embed videos or link to anything on the internet.

4. Share with learners.

   • Share your unique link or code with your learning community. You can share the link via a Learning Management System (such as Blackboard or Canvas), email, or any way you communicate with your class.

   • Students need a device with a camera to participate.

   • Students join the discussion by clicking the link on a computer or entering your Grid’s code in our free iOS and Android apps.

   • They’ll see your Topic prompt, review any videos or links you include, and then tap the record button to create or upload a video response. Flip’s fun, simple, and powerful camera if packed with everything they need to tell their story including text, emoji, inking, boards, screen recording, and more!

Ideas for engaging with higher education students!

• Class discussions. Many educators create a Flip discussion prompt for any time they would normally engage their class in a discussion. Flip provides a way for learners to share their ideas and reflections on their own schedule. And it allows educators to see and hear from students who normally would not share in class.

• Student presentations. In Flip, you control the maximum length of your students videos, anywhere from 15 second elevator pitches to 10 minute presentations. If you would normally devote a full class (or multiple classes) to student presentations, instead you can create a Flip Topic prompt. If you’d like, you can turn on “Video Moderation” in the Topic settings so that students will not see each other’s videos until you make have reviewed them.

• Conduct project overviews and reflection. Ask learners to summarize a class project. Peers and instructors can respond to their videos with feedback and ideas.

• Field-based learning. When students download the free iOS or Android app, they can document their hands-on learning anytime, anywhere.

• “Office hours.” Allow students to reach out with questions any time and respond with a video when it’s convenient for you.

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