I just returned from the Course Hero Education Summit, and it was an educator’s dream. I’ve been an accounting professor for almost twenty years, and have seen my fair share of accounting conferences and I can’t say they are always the most exciting. The Education Summit, however, was a breath of fresh air. Educators were introduced (or reacquainted with) with Course Hero in a truly organic way. Course Hero is an education platform that provides resources for students who may be struggling in class. This conference, unlike many, encourages natural conversations and connections made with people you would normally not have the opportunity to meet.

After 2 hours at the Course Hero headquarters, I realized that most educators are grappling with the same issues regardless of major. That issue being student resistance. Resistance to read, resistance to come to class, resistance to participate, resistance to raising their hand to ask questions, and resistance being engaged. Resistance to everything because sometimes life gets in the way of class. The Course Hero Education Summit was an opportunity to bring a group of educators from various disciplines committed to solving this resistance dilemma.

One topic that was discussed multiple times during the 2-day conference was using the flipped classroom model to enhance and engage the classroom experience. As I listened to presenters talk about flipping the classroom, I started asking myself, “what the flip is a flipped classroom?” By definition, a flip classroom intentionally shifts instruction to a learner-centered model in which in-class time is used to explore topics in greater depth. Learning opportunities should be more productive, and students more engaged in the flipped environment. As I listened more, I began to wonder. Why isn’t the flipped classroom used more in accounting education? Perhaps we educators are scared to fail. It’s risky to change your approach to teaching, and if it flops, trust and believe it will be communicated on RateMyProfessors.com by many of your students.

I think that the flipped class can flop because of several reasons. First, using the wrong content in a flipped classroom can easily result in a flop. Traditional end-of-chapter textbook content can be tricky content to flip. I liken the traditional textbook to a mass-produced clothing store like the Gap compared to a bespoke suit. The textbook is a one size fits all solution for a large student population, whereas bespoke classroom materials allow for a made-to-need approach to teaching. In efforts to encourage more educator developed content, the Summit had a workshop to help instructors design custom content. The “You Too: YouTube: How to Engage Students with Video” gave conference attendees time in the Course Hero studio to create quality YouTube content.

Given that YouTube receives billions of daily viewers with half of those visits being from students, it’s critical for instructors to create shareable content that lends itself to flipping. This need for flippable, curated classroom content inspired me to develop Red Flag Mania. Along with my co-creator and University of Chicago lecturer Roni Jackson, we developed a flipped classroom curriculum without realizing we were flipping the classroom!

In addition to attending multiple workshop sessions such as how to have difficult student conversations and assessing student wellness and mental health, I had the opportunity to facilitate the accounting workshop at this year’s Summit entitled Using an Edutainment Curriculum to Revamp Your Accounting Courses. During my workshop, I noticed some distinct characteristics that I think you can use if you are trying to gauge if your flipped classroom is working.

1. The classroom will be loud.

My workshop session attendees were so excited and talking so much, one professor from Columbus State University covered his ears to avoid the noise! Using teaching tools like the think-pair-share model discussed by Education Summit keynote speaker Distinguished Professor Cathy N. Davidson can help transform the traditional quiet classroom into a vibrant, engaged class.

2. You will run out of time.

Your class will be so engaged that you will not be able to cover everything initially planned due to the positive classroom energy and excitement. In one of Roni’s workshops with 150 accounting students from across the United States attending the AICPA Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop, she had students’ high-fiving each other from across the room as the students took charge of their learning and were competing to complete the Red Flag Mania game. Plan for the class to run over because a flipped class is much harder to predict and time than a traditional class.

3. People will not bolt out of the door when class is over.

Be prepared to hang around and listen to how much people enjoyed being spoken with and not spoken to. Given that the average attention span is eight seconds, the appropriate flipped curriculum is critical. I always felt like I’ve had a successful class when class is over, and students don’t want to leave. Fortunately, I’ve experienced this multiple times using my own content.

Now that I’m back home and planning out my fall courses, it’s time to implement my Education Summit training. Instructors are aware of the problems with higher education and are all seeking solutions to combat both student and faculty resistance. I commend Course Hero for creating the “LinkedIn of Higher Education” by offering a platform where instructors and students from all backgrounds can learn and share from one another. The work never ends.

This article was written by Kelly Richmond Pope from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.