Flipped Webinars for Online Psychology Students: Is Attendance an Appropriate Quality Indicator? Insights from a Practice-Based Evaluation

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on New Trends in Teaching and Education

Year: 2026

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Flipped Webinars for Online Psychology Students: Is Attendance an Appropriate Quality Indicator? Insights from a Practice-Based Evaluation

Helga Fjærvoll

ABSTRACT:

Interaction and collaboration support satisfaction and learning in online education, yet participation in synchronous activities can be challenging for online students due to work and family obligations. A flexible, voluntary flipped webinar series was implemented for online psychology students over three semesters, with the aim of supporting student motivation through active learning and collaboration. A student evaluation collecting quantitative and qualitative data revealed high perceived learning and moderate perceived social benefit, and participation was positively associated with both outcomes. However, attendance remained low across the semesters, with levels similar to those observed in other voluntary synchronous webinar series. Low attendance raises questions about how the effects of flexible, synchronous teaching interventions should be interpreted, and this poster discusses the role of attendance as a quality indicator in online education. Self-determination theory (SDT) was used as a conceptual framework for the pedagogical design of the flipped webinar series. Three single-item statements were adapted, translated, and contextually adjusted from an established SDT instrument to serve as exploratory indicators of need satisfaction. The results presented in the poster address whether perceived need fulfilment may serve as a relevant supplementary quality indicator.

Keywords: Flipped Classroom; Higher Education; Online Learning; Quality Measures; self-determination Theory