Project Objectives

This project includes four micro-lectures used as a part of Flipped Classroom Teaching in the Faculty Package course “Religion and Contemporary Life.” The micro-lectures aim to help students understand the basic concepts of different religious traditions and cultures before the class. Topics included are: (1) Muslims’ Understanding of Holy War; (2) Catholic Confession Practice; (3) Taoist Understanding of Health and Immortality; and (4) Buddhist Mindfulness: Awakening and Focusing. In the class, discussions are focused on how religions transform or have been transformed by our present world. Special attention is given to some of the important issues, such as the influence of religious beliefs and practices on social conflict and peace, the transformation of traditional religious practices, and the religious and spiritual quests in a world of consumption. The content of each micro-lecture is briefly listed in the below.

Description of process, outcomes or deliverables

	A Brief Description of the Content
MMCD 1	This MMCD introduces Muslim’s basic beliefs and practices and its understanding of Jihad (usually translated as “Holy War”). Why Jihad shifted its meaning as overt military resistance to Western incursions by modern Islamic extremism was elaborated in the class.
MMCD 2	This MMCD introduces the Sacrament of Penance and the Sacrament of Reconciliation of the Catholic Church, where the Sacraments are understood to provide healing for the soul as well as to remove the guilt of mortal sin. Through the cleansing of sins and guilt, human beings are once again made whole and holy. The impact of spiritual confession in context of psychology and spirituality are reviewed in the class.
MMCD 3	Today, more people want to have good health and attain longevity. This MMCD explains Taoist health, healing and longevity practices.
MMCD 4	Mindfulness has been proved to be effective in enhancing people’s capacity to self-regulation. Modern practice of mindfulness has its root in Buddhist spiritual teaching. This MMCD introduces the Buddha’s teachings on karma and mindfulness, respectively referring to our present actions will affect us in the future, and focusing the present moment.

Evaluation

At the completion of the semester, students were asked to complete a 8-question survey about their experiences in flipped classroom. A 5-point Likert scale ranging from “always” (1) to “never” (5) was used to capture students’ perceptions on the learning effectiveness of flipped classroom. Three open-ended questions were used for students to comment on the model.

Dissemination, diffusion and impact

Four MMCDs are output as mp4, and then uploaded as SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) package onto the platform of the course “Religion and Contemporary Life” on Blackboard for students to download.

Overall, students were satisfied with the flipped classroom model. End of course teaching evaluations were high and students frequently shared that they enjoyed the micro-lectures far more than they had expected.