Flippity

Flippity https://www.flippity.net/ is a free resource that allows for the quick creation of quizzes, flash cards, presentations, memory games, word searches, and more. Flippity allows users to customize premade Google Sheet templates with their own content. Instructors can use Flippity as a presentation tool, or to create low- or no-stakes assignments through Google Sheets. Further, students can use Flippity to create their own projects. This resource can be used in face-to-face and online courses, at the individual, group, or whole class level.

This video: briefly describes how many of the templated activities available on the site work.

Flippity is not a plug-in to Google Sheets, so it does not require the creation of a username or password. As such, this tool is primarily recommended for creating activities aimed at engaging students in your course.  Some of the activities can be downloaded as PDFs and distributed to students, in which case they could submit the activity via Canvas or in class.

Microlectures

A microlecture is a brief video or audio recording, or multimedia presentation covering a single concept or topic. Originating as 60-second lectures, they have since expanded to include clear, concise descriptions of a single topic or idea in under 6 minutes. These lectures can be used in online, blended, or face-to-face contexts (see 7 Things You Should Know About Microlectures: https://library.educause.edu/resources/2012/11/7-things-you-should-know-about-microlectures).

Microlectures have several benefits and can raise the awareness and curiosity of students by:

  • Introducing a learning topic and its objectives with personal touch.

  • Providing learners with a brief overview of key concepts.

  • Demonstrating a single problem-solving procedure.

  • Explaining the step-by-step instructions needed to complete a summative assignment.

Watch this microlecture to learn more about the benefits of microlectures (see what I did there?)


Microlectures align with the cognitive psychology concept of chunking, or the capacity of human’s working memory to process or manipulate information.

A great primer on microlectures, with examples and resources can be found here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1niiDNQFKCpZ9QhzV9CYFEnNfU-YExlPPyW6CoayJLgU/edit?usp=sharing It was developed by the California Virtual Campus Online Education Initiative On slide 9 they discuss how to create a quick whiteboard video with Screencast-o-matic + OneNote + a paper tablet. If you recorded your lectures this Fall or Spring and want to extract clips that can be used as microlectures.

Additional Resources