Penn College News

Chemistry Faculty Member Shares Expertise on ‘Flipped’ Classrooms

Monday, March 25, 2013

Kelly B. Butzler, assistant professor of chemistry at Pennsylvania College of Technology, presented a session at the Penn State Symposium for Teaching and Learning With Technology.

Butzler was co-presenter with Lolita A. Paff, assistant professor of business economics at Penn State Berks, of a session titled “Flip Your Class! Strategies and Student Reactions to a Flipped Classroom.”

A “flipped classroom” moves lectures online, outside of class, and moves assignments into the classroom, where teachers can provide guidance and answer questions.



Kelly B. ButzlerThe Penn State Symposium for Teaching and Learning With Technology is both an annual one-day event and a year-round online discussion of ways that faculty are using technology to enhance teaching, learning and research.

Presenters are chosen upon submission of a proposal from faculty and staff across the university. This year, the symposium, held March 16 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, was titled "Unlocking our Potential and the Culture of Teaching and Learning.”

In addition, Butzler was named moderator of two groups in the Flipped Learning Network. The network is a professional learning community for teachers using screencasting in education. The learning community consists of more than 10,000 members worldwide. Butzler was selected to moderate the “Flip Research on Higher Education” and “College Level Flippers” groups.

Butzler, who writes a regular blog titled “Kelly’s 24-Hour Classroom” for Penn College faculty, was one of the first instructors at Penn College to embrace distance education and taught her first online course in 2002. She has developed six online courses and labs, as well as three science-elective courses.

She continues her experimentation with educational pedagogy using new technology and software, integrating emerging technologies into the face-to-face and online environments. Butzler is pursuing a doctoral degree in education, specializing in e-learning.

Butzler has taught at Penn College for 13 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Gettysburg College, as well as a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in organic chemistry from North Carolina State University.

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