Delivery of music research methods instruction through a flipped classroom lens: Enhancing library instruction in a digital learning environment

The flipped classroom is a teaching methodology that is well documented within the education research literature, growing within the academic environment, and quickly making its way into library instruction. It flips the traditional classroom by presenting lecture content in advance as homework in a digital format, while using face-to-face class time to focus on assessment, handsͲonͲactivities and class discussion. This paper will include a summary of the flipped classroom research literature and its value for application to music library instruction, an overview of the development and design of a new research methods course for undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan, and presentation of results from an initial survey of student learning and engagement. Findings show that the flipped classroom is a highly adaptable method for delivering music research methods content, which takes advantage of educational technology and online learning to enhance the student]s learning and engagement within the class. The course at the center of this case study prepares undergraduate music students to find, use and evaluate information resources in physical and online environments, and to prepare students to complete a research-based program notes. writing assignment as part of their yearͲend recital requirements. The design of the research methods course relied on a collaborative and consultative approach with the Department of Music and the University Centre for Teaching Effectiveness. Learning objectives were informed by current information literacy standard including the Information Literacy Instructional Objectives for Undergraduate Music Students (Music Library Association) and the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (ACRL), with a nod to the Draft Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (ACRL), currently in development. The course aims to meet undergraduate students where they already are, in a continually evolving digital environment, and to position them to better understand the evolving practices of music research in the digital age