Teaching Large Classes

 

Teaching Large Classes

Jump to: Challenges of Teaching Large Classes; Creating a Sense of Community; Lecturing in Large Classes; Activities to Promote Student Engagement; Alternatives to Lecture in Large Classes

Challenges of Teaching Large Classes

A large class is any class that has 50 or more students. In some disciplines, classes can have as many as 400 students (and more!). Large classes are a challenge for new and seasoned faculty alike and perhaps even more daunting for graduate teaching assistants who have minimal teaching experience. There are many challenges involved for both teaching and learning in large classes.

For the instructors, teaching a large class presents unique issues related to grading assignments and homework, keeping students engaged, managing discussions, getting to know your students and incorporating active learning strategies - to name but a sample. For the students, being in a large class can lead to feelings of isolation and anonymity. The following sections provide ideas for teaching and managing the large class.

Creating a Sense of Community

To help students feel like members of a learning community rather than anonymous, nameless individuals in a large lecture hall, provide opportunities for students to interact with you and one another from the beginning of the semester. Try to get to know as many names as possible during the first two weeks of class. Know who your students are and why they are taking your class. What are their expectations for this course? What learning objectives did they set for themselves before coming to class? What background knowledge and life experience will they rely on during this course? Who in the class can they turn to for support throughout the semester?

Giving the students an opportunity to get to know you and each other will only enhance the sense of community in class. We have compiled a list of some Icebreakers for setting the tone and establishing community from Day One. And here are some additional tips for preparing for the first day Links to an external site., which will ensure that you create the learning community you hope for from the start!

Lecturing in Large Classes

Rather than re-write a perfect chapter, we suggest you read the chapter entitled Preparing to Teach the Large Lecture Course in the text Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis. She covers the key areas for consideration when giving a lecture, including: General Strategies, Organizing the Course, Preparing the Lecture Notes, Structuring the Lecture and Managing the Large Lecture Course.

Activities to Promote Student Engagement

Please visit our Active Learning page for a list strategies to promote student engagement through learner-centered instructional practices. 

Alternatives to Lecture in Large Classes

CTLE hosted a workshop entitled Alternatives to Lecture in Large Classes. You can view the PowerPoint slides for this workshop below. Also, here are a few ideas for shaking up the traditional lecture paradigm. Each links to a new page within our resources site. We hope you find the ideas useful.

• Flipping Your Course - Reverse the Homework/Lecture Paradigm
• Instant Expert - Peer Instruction Approach
• Jigsaw - Peer Instruction Approach
• Team-Based Learning
• Problem-Based Learning
• Case Study Approach

 

Workshop Materials