Sydney Parks completed a Masters program in Ecological Economics with a Flipped Classroom model at the University of Edinburgh last year. Before completing this program in Scotland, Sydney had earned a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego, and worked as a Synthetic Biology researcher in the biotechnology sector. In that work she encountered scientists who had an in-depth understanding of their subject area, confidence from that deep understanding, and fluidity in the way they could speak about it. She realized that the way she learned in school–taking in lectures with content determined by the teacher, memorizing facts, and competing and striving for good grades–a passive learning model, did not give her the same kind of confidence or fluency. When considering graduate programs, Sydney sought a more active learning experience, which led her to choose the University of Edinburgh's program because of its use of the flipped classroom.

In this episode, Sydney shares how through this education model she unlearned former habits and beliefs about education and became a more inclusive and empathetic teacher and student with her peers.

For more on the Flipped Classroom model:

https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/flipped-classroom-pros-ands-cons/

For more on Ecological Economics at the University of Edinburgh:

https://geosciences.ed.ac.uk/applicants/postgraduate-taught/ecological-economics

https://economicpluralism.org/pluralist-courses/ecological-economics-sruc-the-university-of-edinburgh/

For more on active learning:

https://cei.umn.edu/teaching-resources/active-learning