FLIPPING THE CLASS – DEVELOPING A SOCIAL INNOVATION PROJECT; A FLIPPED-CLASS CASE STUDY IN A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM Liat Rogel IES Abroad Milan (ITALY) Abstract In this paper, the author outlines the lessons learned from a case study in class flipping conducted at the IES Abroad centre in Milan. She describes the changes the course underwent and how the innovative use of online platforms, specific flipping techniques, and a new classroom design helped to improve the course and engage students by adapting a learning style to which they are accustomed to the local context. The paper will focus on how flipping the classroom frees up more time for hands-on activities and project development. Time is a particularly important issue for institutions serving students who are studying abroad, as these students often travel when not in class and thus have more difficulty finding ways to productively work together outside the classroom. Keywords: social innovation, flipped classroom, study abroad. 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Generic background This paper describes a case study of a course in a study abroad program. IES abroad is a non-profit study abroad organization offering programs throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South America for college-aged U.S. students. The idea is to combine education with cultural interaction and discovery. IES abroad Milan offers a variety of courses for college students studying in Italy for a period of about 4 months. Arriving in Italy, these students find themselves in a new place, in a new country, often for the first time in their life without their families. This period of study is thus also an important opportunity to learn from local experiences and bring them back to their hometowns and universities. Study abroad students in this program present a different set of learning needs that require a change in teaching strategies on the part of instructors. Students arrive with very different backgrounds and from diverse learning environments. They may choose courses that are not strictly related to their field of study, and beyond studying, they are seeking an immersive experience in a foreign country—and in this case also a foreign continent. Most of their free time is dedicated to traveling around Europe. The table below describes the relationship between the students’ conditions and the instructor needs, while also highlighting opportunities: Table 1. Problem setting Student condition Instructor need Opportunity for improvement Being in a foreign country and not knowing the local culture well More personal interaction with students and more field experience meeting local people and organisations Moving outside the classroom to perform field studies. Coming from different colleges, different study background and different locations Fit course content to student knowledge, respond to different expectations Opportunities for interactions among students of different backgrounds that enrich the class Traveling a lot during the weekends Enable students to learn in different locations and collaborate with group members at a distance. Use technology to enable online access to material in different times and locations Quickly study a brand-new subject, not necessarily related to their study in the home college. Have more hands-on activities to facilitate a better understanding Create a group project to develop during the course. Proceedings of EDULEARN17 Conference 3rd-5th July 2017, Barcelona, Spain ISBN: 978-84-697-3777-4 9344