FLIPPED CLASSROOM AS INNOVATIVE PRACTICE IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM: AWARENESS AND ATTITUDE

This paper presents analysis of flipped classroom as innovation practice in the system of higher education from the teachers' perspective. Our aim is to study teachers' awareness of this concept and their attitude towards its implementation. We also take into consideration regional differences in the concept penetration, therefore focusing our analysis on universities from different countries, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland and Ural Federal University, Russia. We have conducted structured interviews with twenty professors that teach mostly master-level students from each university. Results of the study show that Finnish professors are more aware of flipped classroom concept, than Russian colleagues, and some of them even use it in their teaching practice. The main barriers for flipped classroom implementation are deficit of time for supporting material elaboration (video lectures, presentations), lack of specialists for course rearrangement, as well as low proficiency of teachers in flipped classroom. Overall, the work sheds light on professors' awareness and attitude to flipped classroom creating strong foundation for its further implementation.