Part 3 in a series featuring some of the many ways Flip can be used in any academic setting—from kindergarten to college. Find links to tips for PreK through grade 8 and high school below. 

Published August 30, 2022

The idea for Flip started at the University level. Back in 2012, our founder, Dr. Charlie Miller, was teaching instructional design at the University of Minnesota. While pursuing his grant work researching education, Charlie was away from his students for several stretches of time. He missed connecting and interacting with them, so with a simple idea and a few lines of code, he developed the first version of what Flip is today—a free social learning platform used by millions worldwide in and out of classrooms. 

In this article, we’ll feature five ways university educators, advisors, and campus groups can use Flip to accommodate busy schedules, remote learning, and support community conversations. Take a look.

Gone are the days of sign-up sheets and fixed schedules. Now, faculty can use Flip to hold asynchronous, video-based office hours with their students. Not only does this help eliminate long wait times, scheduling conflicts, or the potential anxiety some students experience when meeting in person, it also gives educators more flexibility to help students regardless of where they are with our free online and mobile apps.

It’s easy: Create class-specific Flip topics with notes or instructions and invite your class to join. Then, students can record and submit their questions for educators to review and respond.

Provide a space for all students to contribute by asking them to share reflections, demonstrations, or presentations asynchronously using Flip videos. Because these videos will live on Flip, you can review them on your own schedule and provide feedback to help students update and improve them. Add teaching assistants and other classroom support personnel as Coleads on your group to ensure your students get the support they need.

Getting involved in campus life is one of the most exciting and beneficial aspects of the collegiate experience. Flip provides limitless ways to recruit, engage, and communicate with club and organization members. 

• Leaders can use Flip groups and topics to recruit new students by posting Flip QR codes around campus linked to videos about the club and how to join.  
• Students can use the in-camera photo feature to paste still photos into their videos and spread enthusiasm for their club. 
• As new students join, they can make a Flip video to introduce themselves and share how to pronounce their names.
• A new topic can be created for each event. As the semester rolls on, students can keep coming back to document and share their experiences.

Academic advisors can truly make the difference between an average collegiate experience and an amazing one. With Flip "Advisor Check-in" groups, advisors can take the knowledge, resources, and support they provide to another level. This group can host different topics and countless ways to connect with students, wherever they are, with all of their productive ideas and conversations in one central and private location.

Getting teammates physically together can sometimes be a challenge. Flip groups are a great way for teams of any kind to connect and collaborate asynchronously. They can ask a question, get feedback, or plan a future event in this space. Name your Flip group after the team, then create custom topics that are relevant to your needs, such as “Meeting Notes,” “Research,” or “Our Event.” 

Integrating Flip into any university setting is a free and easy way to manage student communications, build team projects, coordinate campus activities, and so much more. As we say around here, if you can think it, you can Flip it. Find more ways to use Flip in this collection of Flip topics created by educators in our community.

Big thanks to our contributing writers and educators, Flip Community Program Manager Elizabeth Schmuhl and Flip Community Engagement Manager Jacob Taylor-Mosquera. 

Find more inspiration in this series to engage your students and get creative with Flip!

• 6 Ways to Use Flip In PreK-8 Classrooms
• 5 Ways to Use Flip In High School
• 5 Ways to Use Flip: Connecting with Families