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Strategies for Teaching

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Strategies for Teaching
Large Classes

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Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
Strategies for Teaching
Large Classes

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Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
Table of Contents

Quick Reference ............................................................................................................................6

A Guidebook for Instructors with Multitudes....................................................................................8

Book Review: Large Classes Create Special Challenges ......................................................................9

Actively Engaging Large Classes in the Sciences ..............................................................................10

Strategies for Large Classes ............................................................................................................11

Tips for using Questioning in Large Classes ....................................................................................12

Large Classes: Approaches Taken in One Discipline ........................................................................13

Virtual Teams with Fluid Membership ............................................................................................14

Tips From the Pros: Managing a Large Online Class ........................................................................15

Virtual Sections: A Creative Strategy for Managing Large Online Classes ..........................................16

Large Courses and Student Expectations ........................................................................................17

What do Students Think about Active Learning? ............................................................................18

Objections To Active Learning........................................................................................................19

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Strategies for Teaching Large Classes

L arge classes are among the most important at any institution because many students
who enroll in these classes are new to the college experience. Yet these courses often
don’t get the attention they deserve and are often taught by the least-experienced faculty
members.
The big challenges of teaching large classes—and some of the reasons senior faculty
often choose not to teach these classes—include finding ways to engage students, provid-
ing timely feedback, and managing logistics.
When faced with these challenges, many instructors are tempted to revert to lecture
mode and multiple-choice tests. There are alternatives.
This special report describes some of these alternative teaching and course management
techniques to get students actively involved without an inordinate amount of work on the
instructor’s part.
— Rob Kelly
Editor
The Teaching Professor

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Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
ACTIVE LEARNING IN L ARGE CL ASSES
Quick Reference
Best Practices compiled from The Teaching Professor and Online Cl@ssroom

Case Studies ave you tried active learning strategies in your large
The Art of Questioning (7)
Daniel J. Klionsky, University of
California-Davis, teaches an introduc-
tory biology course with about 300
H class, only to find learners resisting your efforts? Have
you put learners in groups to work on discussion
questions, only to see most of them sitting silently while a
learners. In a class that size, learners
few make feeble comments?(9) Have you asked if there are
feel a safe anonymity and there is a questions—None.(7) Have you asked for someone to explain
tendency toward reduced participa- a concept, only to face a sea of heads bent over notebooks or
tion electronic devices?
In this type of environment, it is Learners need to be active, engaged, and involved, but how many can participate
not only important to get the students when there are 150 in the class? How many learners constitute a large class? If the
to ask questions, how he phrases his college is small, 50 may seem like the masses. If it’s a research university, 50 may
questions to them is critical. seem small. The perception and reality of size depend on many factors. For exam-
He used to ask, “Where does our ple, if you have 40 students in a foreign language course, it’s large. Bottom line: If
water fall on the hardness scale?” He you believe you teach a large class, you do and you face one of the most challeng-
seldom got more than one or two very ing types of teaching assignments.(5)
quiet responses. The problem was
that he was asking an individual to How Do Instructors Successfully Incorporate
come up with a specific numerical
answer and to commit themselves to
Active Learning Techniques in Large Classes?
that answer in front of the entire • Instructor Preparation is Crucial.
class. Large courses can’t be ad-libbed. Frank Heppner author of Teaching the Large
Now he asks for a show of hands College Class: A Guidebook for Instructors with Multitudes advises that, in a large
and he rephrases his query into sev- class, saying one thing and then deciding to make a change can be a logistical
eral questions, “Raise your hands if nightmare. In large classes, instructor preparation matters a great deal.(1)
you think our water has a hardness of Heppner says a bad policy is better than an inconsistent policy. The masses
less than two. Raise your hands if you quickly become negative if an instructor starts fussing around with a course policy,
think it is between two and six,” etc. especially if that policy pertains to evaluation or grading criteria. Things go much
This generates a huge response. more smoothly if changes are implemented between semesters rather than mid-
This approach turns the large class semester.(1)
into an advantage for the shy learner,
• Put it in writing.
because, if a learner raises a hand,
Written requirements make learners accountable even if they weren’t in class
they participate while maintaining
when something was discussed, even though “a classmate said” that they only
their anonymity – they are just one of
needed three references, even though a learner is “sure” the teacher said chapter
many who are raising their hands at
five would not be on the exam. Besides giving the instructor a way to deal with
the same time.
the plethora of student learner excuses, this practice helps the instructor because
Why bother getting everyone to
it forces decisions about policies and procedures before problems emerge.(1)
raise a hand? In Klionsky’s opinion,
the very act of having to choose an • Use detailed grading rubrics.
answer and make a sign of the com- Rubrics speed up grading and still allow instructors to give learners a clear
mitment to that answer draws stu- explanation of what their grades mean, without having to add commentary.(6)
dents into the discussion.
NEXT PAGE
Online Classroom and The Teaching Professor Editor: Rob Kelly.
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• Set the tone early
Learners need to be presented up front with the design of the course and its
Complex Content?
activities.(4) Studies by Machemer and Crawford(8) and by Messineo, Gaither, Bott
You Betcha!(2)
and Ritchey(9) found that learners who take large classes are more likely to prefer
Imagine 90 veterinary students
and expect a teacher-centered environment where they can be passive observers
singing “It’s Beginning to Look a
and preserve their anonymity.
Lot Like Rabies.”
On the other hand, Heppner(1), Klionsky(7), and Messineo et. al.(9) found that
Deb Wingert and Tom Molitor,
learners will accept almost any rules for how the class is run, as long as expecta-
University of Minnesota, report that
tions for the course; the teaching, learning, and assessment methods planned for
in their large science classes (more
the course; and how to be successful in the course are clear at the outset and are
than 50 students) student groups
consistently applied.
are assigned a virus family to
research and then teach to the rest • Use interactive lectures
of the class. Frequently they use Teaching in large classes should not be restricted to lecture only. Group activities
well-known songs and other can be interspersed with lecture material to enhance learning. Assign learners to
memory devices. groups during the first class meeting and make it clear that these groups will meet
Can students deeply learn com- throughout the course to work on content analysis, problems, and case studies.(2)
plex content this way? Based on Break lecture content into 10- to 12-minute modules. Then, have learner groups
their experience, they say, “You actively process content by talking about it, writing about it, or work on a sample
betcha!” test item or a short problem-based situation. Even though these interactions are
Interactive strategies used in their brief, they help students grasp, apply, and analyze the content rather than just
large science classes: memorize it. These short, interactive “think tanks” also reset students’ attention
• Interactive Lecture — Short span for the next 10- to 12-minute content chunk. End your interactive lectures
lecture segments alternated with an assessment measure, like a one-minute paper on the muddiest point.(2)
with group work. • Keep groups on task
• Cooperative Learning Groups Group discussions must be guided with worksheets and study questions.(4)
— Stable groups meet through- For larger projects, assign roles like recorder, checker, gatekeeper, and divergent
out the course to work on prob- thinker.(2) Always provide learners with a clear direction on what kinds of things
lems, case studies, and research they are hunting for and how they should be processing what they find.(4)
projects. Hold groups accountable for how well they work together as well as for
• Jigsaws — Each learner producing completed assignments.(2) Tie group activities to the learner’s final
teaches content to other group grade. Create rubrics to grade the individual’s contribution, the whole project
members. (if applicable), and peer assessment from the other group members.(6)
• Games — Competitive games
enthusiastically engage learn- • Online considerations
ers, i.e., Jeopardy and Monop- The tasks outlined above also apply to managing large online courses.(3 & 6)
✓ Prepare early and put course policies and expectations in writing.
oly-like games. Winners earn
✓ Use Interactive Online Lectures by interspersing reading components with
course points.
active processing components.
• Constructive Controversies — ✓ Support group assignments with written guidance materials.
Groups prepare positions on ✓ Tie group activities to the learner’s final grade.
polarized topics, and then Note: When there are more than 25 learners who are required to participate in
debate the issue during class. an online course, the discussion boards and chat rooms can become overwhelming
• Group Tests — Learners take for students and difficult to manage for the instructor. Use the virtual groups you
the test individually, and then create to help manage interaction by assigning each group its own set of discussion
they take it again as a group. boards. All learners respond to the same discussion topics but in a more meaning-
Students receive an average of ful and manageable fashion.(6)
their own individual and the • Seek Feedback
group’s score as their grade for In addition to a general course evaluation, ask students for feedback on team-
that test. work projects/exercises, particularly those that are newly implemented. Use the
comments received to adjust, abandon, or confirm the use of specific teamwork
projects. (Roby, p. 23)

Online Classroom and The Teaching Professor Editor: Rob Kelly.


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would not be on the exam. Besides giv-
A Guidebook for Instructors ing the instructor a way to deal with
the plethora of student excuses, this
with Multitudes practice helps the instructor because it
forces decisions about policies and pro-
cedures before problems emerge.
Start like Attila the Hun; finish as
Mr. Rogers. “Whatever your teaching
By Maryellen Weimer personality, it will be easiest for both
you and your class if you start out the

T he headline of this article is the


subtitle of a new book on teaching
large classes, authored by a biology
and, given the number of students in
the class, the likelihood of something
semester at the most extreme form of
your personality, and then if things
unusual happening. Heppner reports a seems to be working out okay, you can
professor. In the preface, author Frank student experiencing a grand mal relax a bit. On the other hand, if you
Heppner reports that he has been seizure in class, a female student going start out cozy and friendly…and the
teaching large classes (and he considers into labor during a final exam, and a class gets the idea that you aren’t really
300 students a “small” class) for 38 student emailing from prison to ask serious about things like deadlines, if
years. He stopped counting the number what he should do about the final, as you get tough later on, they will feel
of students taught once it reached he was being held without bail. Obvi- like you have turned against them and
20,000. He confesses to having made ously, events like these don’t happen aren’t really as nice as you seemed to
“every horrendous teaching error you regularly but as Heppner points out, be.” (p. 10)
can make” and explains how these mis- managers are the ones everyone turns Don’t try to teach them as you
takes led to his book: “Once I passed to when the unusual occurs. would have liked to be taught when
my 50th semester of introductory biol- Large courses can’t be ad-libbed. you were their age. College professors
ogy, I began to regret that my profes- Heppner thinks it’s a whole lot easier aren’t like today’s typical college stu-
sion doesn’t have a real apprenticeship to “wing it” in a small class. In a large dents, especially those beginning
for teaching—why should every young class, saying one thing and then decid- students who take the large classes.
professor facing his or her first big ing on a change can be a logistical Generally, students in large courses
class…have to make the same mistakes nightmare. This advice is also based on aren’t as motivated as professors were
I did and, perhaps more important, the inability of most people to ad-lib in when they were students. And gener-
why should they not know that every- front of a large audience. In large ally, students in courses do not have
body…has the same problems? I could- classes, instructor preparation matters a the same learning style as their profes-
n’t think of a good reason, and that’s great deal. sors. It is far smarter for teachers to
why I decided to write this book.” A bad policy is better than an find out about the students they are
(p. x) inconsistent policy. All students, but teaching rather than make assumptions
The book covers a host of topics especially beginning students, need about them.
related to large classes, including test- consistency in courses. It helps them Heppner ends his book with this
ing, grading, managing TAs and manage the anxiety that college-level observation, “Teaching large classes
graders, using media effectively, and learning experiences provoke. The well is the most difficult and challeng-
devising activities to use when the masses quickly become negative if an ing task in academia and offers the
classroom is an auditorium. In the first instructor starts fussing around with a fewest tangible rewards. Knowing,
chapter, he describes the large-class course policy, especially if that policy however, that you have a real, positive,
teacher as a course manager and then pertains to evaluation or grading crite- and inspiring effect on hundreds or
suggests how that should affect the ria. Things go much more smoothly if thousands of young people will more
teacher’s thinking about the large class. changes are implemented between than compensate for the liabilities. Do
The following are samples of points semesters rather than midsemester. it right and you will have former stu-
illustrating how these courses should Put it in writing. This bit of advice dents all over the world who will be
be approached from a section aptly relates to the previous suggestion. It grateful to you for the wisdom you
titled “Why Your Class Could Belong to makes students accountable even if gave them.” (p. 150)
the Chamber of Commerce.” (p. 3) they weren’t in class when something
Sooner or later, everything that can was discussed, even though “a class- Reference: Heppner, F. Teaching the
happen, will happen, and you need to mate said” that they only needed three Large College Class: A Guidebook for
think about it and be ready for it. The references, even though a student is Instructors with Multitudes. San Fran-
point here involves the law of averages “sure” the teacher said chapter five cisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007.

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Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
by faculty with firsthand experience
Book Review: Large Classes teaching large classes. They represent
more than 20 disciplines. However, if
Create Special Challenges you only read about your own, you’ll
miss valuable cross-disciplinary advice.
As with any anthology, some chapters
are better written and more insightful
than others, but all ring with the
By Maryellen Weimer authority of first-person experiences.
This section also ends with a sum-
Engaging Large Classes: Strate- structive feedback, but how can the mary chapter prepared by the editors.
gies and Techniques for College teacher provide it when there are 100 It’s a marvelous distillation of the
Faculty edited by Christine A. essays to grade? Students learn better if whole book, and if your time is lim-
Stanley and M. Erin Porter their connection with the teacher is ited, start with this final chapter. It

T he Book in a Nutshell: Perhaps


the most challenging instructional
assignment involves teaching large
personal and individual, but how can
the teacher even learn an individual
student’s name when there are 75 in
gives you the book in a nutshell and
makes you want to read the rest of the
book.
classes. How many students constitute this class and 275 total in the semes- Who Should Read This Book? The
a large class remains a matter of per- ter’s teaching load. answer to that question is simple: any-
ception. If the college is small, 50 And despite the growing prevalence one who teaches large classes. We
may seem like the masses. If it’s a of large classes, few resources exist haven’t had an if-you-could-only-take-
research university, 50 may seem devoted to supporting those assigned one-book-to-the-moon resource on
small. Likewise, editors of this new to teach large courses. And so the first large classes. This book could well be
volume believe that the perception and beneficial characteristic of Stanley and it.
reality of size depend on many factors. Porter’s book is the topic. And this is A Bit From The Book: From Lynda
They point out, for example, that if no trivial treatment of the subject. This G. Cleveland’s chapter about not being
you have 40 students in a foreign is a 350-page collection containing 29 a class but a small town, based on her
language course, it’s large. Bottom line: individually authored chapters cover- experiences teaching a 500-student
If you believe you teach a large class, ing virtually all aspects of large-course undergraduate course in the manage-
you do, and you can benefit from read- teaching. ment science and information systems
ing this book. The book is divided into two sec- department at the University of Texas-
Large classes are easily the most tions. Part one covers “key concepts,” Austin:
difficult of all classes to teach. Most including designing, planning, and “One approach to mega-classes is to
faculty do whatever it takes to avoid preparing for the large course, lots on approach learning as if you are teach-
teaching them, and they therefore fre- classroom management issues (with ing a small city, not a class. Get your
quently end up being assigned to the the best chapter title prize going to creative thinking into that gear! I dis-
newest and least-experienced faculty in Lynda G. Cleveland for “That’s Not a covered my class has more residents
the department. What an introduction Large Class; It’s a Small Town: How Do than 400 cities in Texas! My introduc-
to college teaching! It’s daunting I Manage?”), using active learning in tion the first day of class begins with
enough to assume autonomous large courses, and working with TA’s. the proclamation that we are not a
instructional responsibility for two, Part one’s final chapter summarizes mega-class; rather, we are a small city.
three, or four classes, to say nothing of both recent and vintage research on Our magical, imaginary city of Cleve-
attempting to develop a teaching style large courses. The effects of class size land [note the author’s last name],
that works, but the problems com- on learning have been studied vari- Texas has a “bank” (incentives for
pound when presenting new content ously over the years with findings that class participation), “insurance and
before 100 students. attest to their mixed results. But fac- credit card companies” (extra credit
Large classes challenge all teachers ulty who know firsthand the learning opportunities), and jail (penalty for
because so much of what we know challenges these courses present to bringing cell phones to class, falling
about effective instruction is just that students will be comforted by the hon- asleep, etc.) to give you a few ideas.”
much more difficult to do in large esty in this chapter and the book: (p.19)
classes. Students need to be active, These editors and their authors do not “By teaching 1,000 students, you
engaged, and involved, but how many sugarcoat what it takes to succeed in develop a public image. My students
can participate when there are 150 in these courses.
the class? Students need lots of con- Section two’s chapters are all written PAGE 11

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Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
FROM PAGE 9

fondly dubbed me ‘The Mayor.’ You


Actively Engaging Large Classes
will rarely go anywhere in your com-
munity without running into current or in the Sciences
former students. Your personal life is
now on view. Be aware. You will teach
far more by your actions out of the
classroom than you realize. Many By Deb Wingert and Tom Molitor, University of Minnesota
teachable moments occur outside of
the classroom. Enjoy them. Cherish
them. Remember them. You mold the
future, you teach.” (p. 27)
I magine 90 veterinary virology stu-
dents singing “It’s Beginning to Look
a Lot Like Rabies.” In our large science
dents actively process content by talk-
ing about it, writing about it, and
working on a sample test item or even
classes (more than 50 students) each a short problem-based situation. Even
Order online from http://www.anker- three- to four-member student group is though these interactions are brief,
pub.com assigned a virus family to research and they help students grasp, apply, and
then teach to the rest of the class. Fre- analyze the content rather than just
quently they use well-known songs memorize it. These short, interactive
and other devices. Can students deeply “think tanks” also reset students’
learn complex content this way? Based attention span for the next 10- to 12-
on our experience, we say, “You minute content chunk. We end our
betcha!” interactive lectures with an assessment
We contend that actively engaging measure, like a one-minute paper on
students in the learning process is not the muddiest point.
only essential, it’s the key to deep and
meaningful learning. Increasingly Cooperative Learning Groups—We
research supports this contention. believe that teaching in large science
However, teaching large classes, partic- classes should not be restricted to lec-
ularly in the sciences—introductory ture only. Group activities can be used
biology, physics, immunology, and pro- to enhance learning. We assign stu-
fessional curricula such as veterinary dents to three- to five-member groups.
medicine, for example—offers many These groups meet throughout the
instructional challenges. Rather than course to work on problems and case
responding to these challenges, most studies. In immunology (a class with
math and science faculty opt for the 100-plus undergraduate and graduate
teacher-centered lecture format. One students) we set up these groups dur-
survey suggests that 89 percent of ing the first week of class. The prob-
math and science college teachers con- lems and research projects the groups
tinue to use lectures, even though are assigned are sometimes presented
research indicates that when students orally, other times in writing. We keep
are engaged, more and better learning the groups on task by assigning roles
results. We think the difficulties of like recorder, checker (checks group
involving students in large classes can member consensus and understand-
be overcome. We’d like to use the rest ing), gatekeeper (ensures that all mem-
of this article to share just a few of the bers participate), and divergent thinker
interactive strategies we’ve used in our (responsible for presenting the group
large science classes. with new ideas). Groups are account-
able for how well they work together
Interactive Lecture—Our interactive as well as for producing completed
lectures begin with an attention-getting assignments.
introduction—maybe music, a cartoon,
or even a provocative question— Jigsaws—In these cooperative learn-
followed by 10- to 12-minute lectures. ing groups, students read and share
Then, in groups of two or three, stu- research articles or other reading

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Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
assignments. Each student is responsi-
ble for teaching essential content to
other group members, with under-
Strategies for Large Classes
standing and mastery checked by the
instructor.

Games—Competitive games enthusi-


astically engage students in large sci-
ence classes. Within a “Jeopardy!”-like
By Maryellen Weimer
format, student groups can be ran-
domly selected. They pick a category
and answer each item with a question.
Our teaching assistants ration Monop-
I ncreasing class size continues to be a
reality on many campuses. The two
articles highlighted here both provide
the fifth class session, and a seating
chart is used to ensure that group
members are seated near each other.
oly-like money to group winners, with specific and detailed accounts of how In Environmental Geography, various
the top-producing group earning points instructors are managing to maintain themes are explored. Students com-
applicable to the final grade. A host of robust active learner components in plete a journal assignment (it may be
popular game templates can be found large courses. completed individually or as a group,
online at http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/ Here are the specifications on each of depending on the discussion instruc-
teachlearn/tutorials/powerpoint/games/ these courses: Environmental Geogra- tor) in which they keep track of every-
index.html. phy 201 at Ohio University functions as thing they discard during a seven-day
a “gateway course” into the popular period. The assignment description dis-
Constructive Controversies—The environmental geography major track. tributed to students is included in the
large class can be divided into small It enrolls between 120 and 200 stu- article. To ensure that discussion sec-
groups and given polarized topics to dents. tions remain connected to the course,
debate, with one group for and another Geology 206, Oceans and Nations, a fishbowl strategy is used in which
against. They prepare their defenses is a mid-level undergraduate oceanog- representatives from the various dis-
and then two randomly selected groups raphy course that focuses on human cussion groups gather around a table
debate the issue during the class interaction with the marine environ- at the front of the large lecture hall and
period. The remaining students ment and international relations discuss the results of their most recent
contribute by asking questions. involving oceanic issues. Taught at Ball assignment.
State University, it satisfies a In Oceans and Nations students dis-
Group Tests—In immunology class, global/international studies distribu- cuss readings and video presentations
students take exams two ways: individ- tion requirement. Between 100 and 120 in their groups. They begin with a
ually and as a group. Students first students enroll in this course. Both reading that sets out detailed guide-
take the exam by themselves. After courses have TAs assigned to them. lines for having successful discussions.
submitting their individual tests, they Recently redesigned (with support To ensure that students come to their
meet in small groups to take the same from an internal grant fund), Environ- groups having done the reading and
test as a group. An average of the indi- mental Geography now includes three prepared to discuss, they are given
vidual and group scores represents large lecture sessions per week and worksheets that must be completed
each student’s score for that test. one weekly discussion section. Stu- prior to the discussion. The TA checks
Students report enhanced satisfaction dents are divided into five-member for completed sheets as students arrive
with the test process, and they tell us groups that meet throughout the quar- in class. After a 30-minute discussion
they learn more. We have not estab- ter. In those groups, students exchange of the reading or video presentation,
lished that empirically. information, collaborate on short four to eight groups are randomly
assignments, and evaluate each other’s called on, and a spokesperson from
Active engagement in the learning work. Team photos are taken to facili- those groups reports to the rest of the
process helps prepare students to func- tate name recognition and to develop class on the discussion. Groups must
tion proactively and effectively in our group cohesion. have a new spokesperson for each
global community and to address a Groups are also used in the Oceans report. The group reports are then
host of challenges facing us in today’s and Nations course, but they are con- graded.
world. Our advice? Start small; maybe vened during the course’s regular In both courses, discussion-group
try a think-pair-share strategy. But do lecture sessions. Again these discus- activities count toward the students’
start working to engage and involve sion groups are permanent. Students
students in large science courses. choose group members (four to six) in PAGE 13

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Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
FROM PAGE 11 “Fully honor the students’ discus- component to a large lecture course.
sions work in testing. Test questions Journal of Geography, 103, 231-237.
final grades. In Environmental Geogra- should address both the content mate-
phy, students earn a discussion section rial and students’ developing under- Rice-Snow, S., and Fluegeman, R. H.
grade and in Oceans and Nations, standing of the issues.” (2004). Maintaining a small-group dis-
discussion-related activities count for cussion focus while brining interna-
25 percent of each student’s grade. References: Buckley, G. L., Bain, N. R., tional issues into the large classroom.
Both articles offer advice to other Luginbuhl, A. M., and Dyer, M. L. Journal of Geosciences Education, 52
instructors interested in incorporating (2004). Adding an ‘active learning’ (3), 260-265.
activities like these in their courses.
The Environmental Geography course
describes the evolution of the course
design, including some iterations that
were not as successful as the current Tips for using Questioning in
structure. Both include more descrip-
tions of activities completed by and in
the discussion groups than we have
Large Classes
time to highlight here.
Among the advice offered for others
interested in using discussion activities By Daniel J. Klionsky, University of California-Davis
are these suggestions: Those associated
with the Environmental Geography
course report that adding the discus-
sion section “proved challenging to the
faculty members and teaching assis-
I am frequently asked how I get I explain that if they have a question,
students to loosen up, to feel comfort- in a class of this size, it is likely that a
able asking questions, and to take an dozen other students have the same
tants assigned to the course.” (p. 236). active role in the learning process, espe- question. I proceed to relate an anec-
They say that to ensure a smooth tran- cially when teaching large classes. I dote from when I took Japanese in
sition, those associated with the course teach an introductory biology course college. The instructor said, “To ask a
must be prepared to jump bureaucratic with an enrollment of about 300. The question is a shame of a lifetime. To not
hurdles and that financial support is students feel a safe anonymity amid ask a question is a shame of genera-
needed to ensure continued TA support their classmates, and there is a ten- tions.” The instructor explained that
to guarantee that students have the dency toward reduced participation. while it might be embarrassing to ask a
opportunity to participate in a field-trip Through trial and error, I have learned question, by not asking a question, you
experience and to replace equipment some helpful techniques for engaging pass along your ignorance to your chil-
as needed. the class. Amazingly, much of what I do dren and so on down the line.
The Nations and Oceans team offers all happens on the first day of class. Second, I make the entire class liter-
a long list of keys to success, which Setting the tone seems to be critical. ally raise their hands. I ask them to
includes specific advice for using group In a general sense, I find that students humor me for a few seconds and to just
discussions structured like theirs. Here will accept almost any rules for how I raise their hands — first the right half of
is some of what they recommend: run a class, as long as I make them the room, then the left half, then the
First, students need to learn up front clear at the outset and am consistent in middle. They will actually do this if
about the design of the course and its their application. This includes how I asked. I point out that they are clearly
activities. The course needs to be want the class to interact with me as an capable of raising their hands and that I
scheduled in a room without fixed instructor. I have become a strong pro- want them to do so if they have any
seating so that discussion groups can ponent of cooperative learning. I want questions. Perhaps they are willing to
circle together. Group discussions must the students to be an active part of the raise their hands on the first day
be guided with worksheets and study class, to be thinking while they are sit- because they are doing it as a group and
questions. “Never in this class are stu- ting there and not simply writing down not individually.
dents presented with a reading or every word I say. When I was a teaching assistant, the
video presentation, without having On the very first day I make it clear instructor told the class to hiss if they
some clear direction on what kinds of that I want them to ask questions and did not understand. It worked. The
things they are hunting for and evalu- interact with me during lecture. I do this students found it easy to hiss because
ating within it.” (p. 264). And they in five ways. First, I tell the students
conclude with this recommendation: that I welcome questions. PAGE 14

13
Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
FROM PAGE 12 Now I ask for a show of hands and I are just one of many who are raising
rephrase my query into several ques- their hands at the same time. In a
they did not have to specifically identify tions, “Raise your hands if you think small class, you cannot count on
themselves. It is also hard to ignore a our water has a hardness of less than any other hands going up. Why
group of students who are hissing at two. Raise your hands if you think it is bother getting everyone to raise a
you. I opt for a slightly different between two and six,” etc. This gener- hand? In my opinion, the very act of
approach and ask students to yell ates a huge response. This approach having to decide and make a sign of
“stop.” I tell students that with this turns the large class into an advantage, the commitment draws students into
many people, I might miss a raised because, if you raise your hand, you the discussion.
hand, but I will hear a shouted “stop.”
Amusingly, I have on numerous occa-
sions heard a student yell “stop” only to
look up and see him or her pointing at
someone else whose raised hand I had
Large Classes: Approaches
missed.
Third, I get the students to interact
that very first day. I give an example of
Taken in One Discipline
science that comes from their everyday
lives and then ask for feedback. I very
briefly discuss water hardness — an By Maryellen Weimer
appropriate topic for the area where we
live — and ask them to guess where our
water falls on the hardness scale. There
is no obvious right or wrong answer, so
there is no harm in guessing.
I n this article we summarize a
research project with some
exploratory descriptive work that seeks
which these preferred approaches were
being used. About 30 percent of the
faculty in this sample employed tradi-
Fourth, I coax the questions. If I think to establish the state of practice with tional lecture formats exclusively.
there is some confusion but I am not respect to large class in the field of Another 50 percent enhanced lectures
sure exactly why, I might ask a series of criminal justice. We summarize some with multimedia presentations of mate-
questions: “Are there any questions?” of the findings of interest below rial. The rest used different approaches
None. “So you all understand the prop- because we don’t think that the way in such as Socratic dialogue. Only 25
erties of carbohydrates?” Still nothing. which large courses are taught in crimi- percent of the sample reported using
“That means if I were to ask you on the nal justice is all that different from how active learning techniques, although
midterm whether a carbohydrate would they are taught in lots of closely, and more than 40 percent reported using
be more soluble in oil or water, you even in some not so closely, related learning groups.
would know how to answer?” This usu- fields. But even more important, we Even though literature on teaching
ally elicits a response — several, in fact. highlight the work because the article large classes recommends “personal-
Why go to this length to get a question? models an approach that could be prof- ization,” that is, faculty getting to
In my experience, the questions usually itably replicated across all academic know their students, nearly 66 percent
exist. Hearing them gives me a better disciplines. How do faculty approach of this sample reported that they did
sense of what the students might have large classes in your discipline? How nothing to get to know the students.
misunderstood, or more likely, what I useful is it for large-course instructors Interestingly, class size was not a rele-
might have explained poorly. to have these benchmarks? How useful vant variable here. Sixty-two percent of
I want to add a fifth point. To me, it is is it for disciplines to have descriptions the faculty with class sizes below 80
not only important to get the students of current practices that might prof- reported that they did nothing; 58 per-
to ask questions, but it is also critical itably be used to develop standards— cent of instructors with classes larger
how I phrase my own questions. I used not for the purpose of making all than 150 students reported that they
to ask, “Where does our water fall on practice the same, but for the purpose did nothing.
the hardness scale?” I would seldom get of establishing the basic tenets of good Over 90 percent of these faculty
more than one or two very quiet and best practice within a discipline. reported that they did encourage
responses. The problem was that I was This research team started by survey- participation, although 40 percent
asking an individual to come up with a ing the literature for techniques reported that the amount of participa-
specific numerical answer and to com- advocated for use in large classes. tion in their large classes was lower
mit themselves to that answer in front Then they surveyed large-course
of the entire class. instructors to ascertain the extent to PAGE 15

14
Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
FROM PAGE 13

than it was in their smaller classes. In


Virtual Teams with Fluid
this faculty group, 89 percent reported
that they had no discipline problems.
Membership
One respondent shared a rather novel
approach to managing disruptions. If a
student is marginally disruptive, the
instructor pulls out a yellow piece of
By Maryellen Weimer
paper and hands it to the student as a
warning. If the disruption persists or
becomes major, the student is handed
a red piece of paper, which functions
H ere’s an interesting model for
group work: form the groups in a
large class; give members the option of
simply received an e-mail announcing
that they had been reassigned to
another group. They could no longer
just like an ejection in soccer. If you working face-to-face, by phone or access their previous group’s bulletin
get it, you’re out of class. online; and change the membership board and were given access to a
Basically these researchers found across the life of the group. Brian new one.
that faculty who teach large classes in Dineen opted for this model in his Dineen looked at the impact of this
criminal justice did not use the tech- upper-division organizational behavior group work design across a number of
niques and practices recommended for course because he felt it closely repli- different variables. He collected data
large-class instruction. This is not sur- cated conditions now common in pro- from students before the experience,
prising, given the response to the final fessional contexts. Employees work on weekly surveys and on the anony-
survey question that asked if the with others in a virtual environment, mous end-of-course evaluation. From
respondent could “recommend any lit- and frequently, as tasks evolve, mem- the data gathered, Dineen discovered
erature that had helped them instruct bership in working groups changes. that most of those who responded to
their large classes. The overwhelming In the article (reference below), the surveys did not have previous
majority (90%) of professors knew of Dineen provides complete logistical group experience in a virtual environ-
no such literature.” (p.118) Norms details for the assignment, including ment. The inexperienced group
expecting that practice be informed by the following important elements that reported significantly higher degrees
anything other than experience con- were used: groups were made up of of learning outcomes and confidence
tinue to be absent in higher education. three to five members; for each of eight than those who had worked in virtual
weeks they analyzed short cases rele- groups before.
Reference: Morabito, M. S., and Ben- vant to course material and answered Among a number of interesting
nett, R.R. (2006). Socrates in the mod- two questions related to the case; and findings, Dineen learned that social
ern classroom: How are large classes group work, which counted for one- loafing, where team members rely on
in criminal justice being taught? Jour- fourth of their grade, included a peer other group members to do the work
nal of Criminal Justice Education, 17 evaluation component. Even though for them, was less of an issue on the
(1), 103-120. students had the option of meeting teams with fluid membership. He
face-to-face or by phone, 70 percent explains this finding by citing other
reported that they completed the entire research documenting that when
exercise without ever meeting face-to- groups contain strangers, team mem-
face. Instead, they used private bulletin bers tend to be on their best behavior
boards that the instructor set up for because they are somewhat inhibited
them within WebCT. by people they don’t know. Quantita-
For comparative purposes, Dineen tive data indicated that social loafing
kept membership in half of the 26 was isolated to less than 5 percent of
groups stable. Those students worked possible cases. However, levels of
together from start to finish on the cohesion reported by group members
project. In the other groups, Dineen were higher in those groups with stable
changed group membership weekly; membership. Interestingly, students in
in the second week, groups gained and groups with fluid membership did not
lost one member, and in the third and report lower levels of internal commu-
fourth weeks they gained and lost two nication or decreases in their perceived
members. Students did not know how
long they would be in the group. They PAGE 16

15
Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
FROM PAGE 14

abilities to influence group decision


Tips From the Pros: Managing a
making.
Also of note were some findings
Large Online Class
related to extraverted and introverted
team members. Results “show that
introverts actually felt more influence
than extroverts during this exercise and
By Rob Kelly
perceived a greater cohesiveness and
better internal communication.” This
finding held true regardless of whether
group membership was stable or fluid.
T he following tips from Susan Ko,
director of the Center for Teaching
and Learning at the University of Mary-
• Don’t feel obligated to respond to
every student. You may be able to
combine responses to more than
(p. 613) Dineen suspects that the land University College, can help you one question or encourage stu-
virtual environment somehow “levels maintain course quality and interaction dents to respond to their class-
the playing field,” making it easier for in high-enrollment online courses: mates’ questions.
introverts to contribute during group
interactions. “This is important • Use study groups for some dis- • Use group assignments. Turn an
because it suggests that conducting cussions. Have students in groups individual assignment into a group
online team exercises might bring more of up to 10 members conduct assignment, and grade both the
equivalent contributions from all team threaded discussions. Let them individual contribution and the
members.” (p. 613) know that you will be observing whole project.
This article is exemplary not only for these discussions, and have them
the creative design of the group work, post a summary of their discus- • Use peer review. Create a rubric
but also for the comprehensive way in sions to a classwide discussion for students to assess one
which the impact of the approach was area. another’s work.
analyzed and assessed. This is an
impressive piece of practitioner peda- • Divide topics into manageable • Use a detailed grading rubric to
gogical scholarship. units. Keep the number of main provide feedback. This will allow
topic threads to a minimum in a you to give students a clear expla-
Reference: Dineen, B. R. (2005). single discussion to avoid confu- nation of what their grades mean,
TeamXchange: A team project experi- sion. You can create a new topic or without having to add commen-
ence involving virtual teams and fluid even a new discussion if needed. tary.
team membership. Journal of Manage- But be sure to explain how these
ment Education, 29(4), 593–616. discussions are organized, so stu- Reference: Ko, Susan. “Tips for Man-
dents can follow them easily. aging Larger Online Classes.” DE Ora-
cle @ UMUC. November/December
• Explain the protocol for respond- 2007. Accessed March 19, 2008, at
ing to a post. Make sure that stu- http://deoracle.org/online-pedagogy/
dents know to accurately title each classroom-management/
posting to correctly reflect the sub- tips-for-managing-larger-online-
ject they wish to discuss. Also, classes.html.
have students quote the section of
a previous posting to which they
are responding.

• Reconsider posting requirements.


In a small class, you may require
students to respond to an initial
prompt and then to the posts of
two classmates. In a larger class,
this amount of posts may not be
appropriate.

16
Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
mitment I have invested into creating
Virtual Sections: A Creative the virtual sections has been well
worth it. I have noticed that when
Strategy for Managing Large students were a part of a smaller class,
the overall quality of the interaction

Online Classes within the course improved immensely.


The result has been more meaningful
interaction that is more manageable for
all involved.

By Lisa Panagopoulos, MS CE Lisa Panagopoulos is an instructor at


the University of Massachusetts Lowell
in the IT department. She teaches com-

W hen there are more than 25 stu-


dents who regularly participate
in an online course, the discussion
tion. With my class size of 40, I split
the class into two separate groups. Stu-
dents with last names ending in A–K
puter-related courses both online and
on campus. She also teaches the “Intro-
duction to Online Teaching Strategies”
boards and chat rooms can become were placed into Group 1, and those course to instructors as part of the
overwhelming for students and difficult with last names ending in L–Z were UMass Lowell Online Teaching Insti-
to manage for the instructor. Weekly placed in Group 2. For each week of tute.
chat rooms become crowded, which the course, I set up a separate set of
makes it difficult for everyone in the discussion boards for Group 1 and
chat room to keep up. Weekly discus- another set for Group 2. The groups
sion boards become populated with so also had their own set of weekly chat
many postings that students and fac- rooms as well. Approximately 20 stu-
ulty feel inundated with the amount of dents were placed into each group,
information to read through and/or which is what created the two “virtual
reply to. While the discussion and chat sections” within my single course.
tools are critical to successful online When splitting online classes into
courses, creative strategies need to be groups for the purpose of more man-
identified to help manage large online ageable interaction, only the chat and
classes. discussion components are affected.
In a recent semester I found myself This is good news for the instructor.
with 40 students in my Introduction to E-mail, lecture notes, assignments,
Information Systems Course. As a way assessments, and all other course com-
to avoid having my students possibly ponents are visible to the entire class.
feel overwhelmed and inundated in my No additional modifications were made
course, I came up with a simple solu- in order to keep track of the “groups”
tion to managing the challenge of such for any other component of my online
a large course—I created virtual sec- course.
tions. The “virtual section” is a way to Incorporating virtual sections into
achieve all the benefits of a smaller my online course came with some
class within a large class. minor added responsibilities that
To create my virtual sections I used needed to be addressed. Once the
a feature available in most course man- course had started, it was important
agement tools that allows the instruc- that I was aware of any students who
tor to split the class into multiple were added late to the course. These
groups. Rather than splitting the class students needed to be quickly placed
with the intent of having the students into one of the groups, so that they
work in “teams,” which is often the would have access to a discussion
rationale for grouping students, I split board and chat room. Also, by splitting
the class with the intent of grouping my class into two groups, I was
students into multiple sections for the responsible for conducting two chats
purposes of chat and discussion only. per week, rather than just one.
Here’s how I set up my virtual sec- With that said, I feel that the com-

17
Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
students start experiencing active
Large Courses and Student learning activities in large courses, they
will at some point come to expect

Expectations them. In addition to a number of other


helpful strategies the researchers are
now using successfully in their large
classes, they conclude with an impor-
tant reminder: “Not all students are
By Maryellen Weimer prepared for active learning experi-
ences. ... Therefore, we are very open

H ave you tried implementing some


active learning strategies in a large
course only to find students resisting
More troubling, those experienced
students were less committed to their
large courses. Researchers support this
at the beginning and throughout the
semester in discussing our expectations
for the course, the teaching, learning,
those efforts? You put students in conclusion by pointing to data indicat- and assessment methods planned for
groups and give them some challeng- ing that these students more strongly the course, and how to be successful in
ing discussion questions, only to see preferred lectures, were more likely to the course.” (p. 132)
most of them sitting silently while a skip large classes, wanted to be told
few make feeble comments to which what to do in large classes, didn’t want Reference: Messineo, M., Gaither, G.,
no one in the group responds. Faculty to work in groups, were less willing to Bott, J., and Ritchey, K. (2007). Inexpe-
authors of the study referenced below do ungraded work, and had less inter- rienced versus experienced students’
had students in their large classes tell est in large classes that offered a mix of expectations for active learning in large
them that discussion was a waste of classroom activities. classes. College Teaching, 55 (3), 125-
time. “I’m not going to be tested on Both new and experienced students 133.
what other people in class think!” expected that lower skill levels would
(p. 125) This kind of resistance can be important to success in large
quickly dampen faculty commitments courses. For example, more than 90
to active learning strategies. These percent in both groups expected that
faculty honestly reported that they they would be given multiple choice
wondered if it might just be easier to exams in large courses. Very few
return to straight lectures. expected that they would have to write
However, before making that retreat, essay exams.
they decided to try to understand why If large classes challenge students
students were responding so nega- less and if students resist being
tively. They designed a 136-item survey involved in them, then the authors
that inquired about all kinds of atti- worry about those beginning students
tudes and experiences in large classes. who take mostly large courses. Given
They administered the survey to stu- all the research that establishes a con-
dents in 14 sections of courses offered nection between involvement and
by five departments: music, history, retention, they question the viability of
math, psychology, and sociology. The making all introductory courses large
survey asked about large courses gen- courses, wondering if class size might
erally rather than about the courses in not contribute to students’ decisions to
which it was administered. drop out.
A number of interesting results Their findings helped to explain the
emerged from the data. For example, student responses they were seeing
the researchers compared the answers in large courses. The findings also
given by students in their first semester rejuvenated their commitment to use
of college with those of students who strategies that involved students in
had already taken large courses at that these courses. However, the findings
institution. They found that those stu- raise the question of how students’
dents who had already experienced expectations as a result of previous
large courses “were more likely to experiences in large classes can be
prefer and expect passive-learning changed. They decided that change
approaches in large courses.” (p. 130) happens one classroom at a time. If

18
Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
resist various forms of active learning
What do Students Think about because they require students to work
harder. We think that is the very reason
Active Learning? faculty ought to be using them.

Reference: Machemer, P. L., and


Crawford, P. (2007). Student percep-
tions of active learning in a large cross-
By Maryellen Weimer disciplinary classroom. Active Learning
in Higher Education, 8 (1), 9-30.

D o students understand why faculty


members work so hard to get them
engaged with course material? Is it
work with others, that diminished the
value of the activity in their eyes.
Machemer and Crawford attribute
clear to students that involvement and these results to the anonymity that is
learning (deep, lasting learning, that characteristic of large courses. “Asking
is) go hand in hand? students in a large class to learn collab-
One good place to look for answers oratively forces them to lose their
to these questions might be a required, anonymity. Students may select a large
general education course. And that is class because they seek a teacher-
precisely the venue Patricia Machemer centered environment, where they can
and Pat Crawford chose in order to be passive observers and preserve their
study student perceptions of active anonymity.” (p. 24) Moreover, students
learning. They replicated their study are reluctant to share responsibility for
four times in classes that ranged in learning with a group. Researchers
size from 125 to 180. Eight different wonder if the desire not to be involved
activities were used in this integrated with others is part of the general per-
studies course in social and behavioral ception that general education courses
sciences; five cooperative learning are something students have to get out
activities (involving group work), two of the way, that they are a “diversion
independent active learning activities from their actual plan of study.” (p. 27)
(students used a Web-based program They are not the courses students take
to prepare for exams, for example) and most seriously, not the ones in which
the traditional lecture (the usual 50 they want to expend extra effort.
minutes, delivered from behind a Supporting these suppositions about
podium, enhanced with PowerPoint attitudes toward general education
slides). Students rated these various courses was the finding that students
activities on a five-point scale. valued any activity (active, coopera-
Overall, across the four different tive, or traditional) that improved their
classes from which data were exam performance. The most highly
collected, students rated traditional valued activity of the eight was the
lectures significantly higher than coop- exam preparation program, followed by
erative learning activities, and they a cooperative learning exam review
rated the active learning activities session.
higher than the cooperative learning Do these findings mean that teachers
work. Researchers were surprised by should abandon the use of group
these results. They explain how the work? The researchers point out that
course objectives and format were ide- this study measured students’ percep-
ally suited for the use of cooperative tions of the value of the activities. That
and active-learning approaches. may be quite different from the actual
Despite that, students valued the tradi- value of the activity as it relates learn-
tional lectures and active learning ing outcomes. Students may not always
activities virtually equally and did not want what is best for their learning. As
value the cooperative learning activi- has been pointed out many times in
ties as highly. When students had to this publication, sometimes students

19
Strategies for Teaching Large Classes • www.FacultyFocus.com
Objections To Active Learning

By Maryellen Weimer

Quick Reference
I f you think everybody’s pretty much
on board with the idea of active
learning, think again. An article in
studies) and then objects to educa-
tional jargon. Would you presume to
read a research journal in physics,
Sources:
Academe describes active learning sociology—name a discipline—and
as “a philosophy and movement that then decry the author’s use of 1.A Guidebook for Instructors
portends trouble for the future of language? with Multitudes (pg.8)
higher education and the American Educational research, like that in
professoriate.” (p. 23) countless other fields, is not written to 2.Actively Engaging Large Classes
The author acknowledges that active be read by outsiders, and yes, that does in the Sciences (pg.10)
learning is a movement and describes relate to why so much research has so
how faculty will experience it— little impact on practice, but that’s a 3.Virtual Sections: A Creative
through workshops that address how different problem. The point here is Strategy for Managing Large
to incorporate writing and discussion that the research on active learning is Online Classes (pg. 16)
in large classes. “You’ll also be exposed immense, and its implications for prac-
to vast numbers of books and articles tice have been ably translated (see 4.Strategies for Large Classes
promoting active learning, including an Prince, M. (2004, July). Does active (pg. 11)
international journal with the straight- learning work? A review of the
forward title of Active Learning in research. Journal of Engineering 5.Book Review: Large Classes
Higher Education. The movement Education, 223–231). Create Special Challenges
has thus acquired academic and We need to be reminded that much (pg. 9)
professional legitimacy.” (p. 24) of what we believe and take for
Recognizing the origins of active granted is still up for grabs in other 6.Tips From the Pros: Managing a
learning in theories of education like sectors of the academy. Reading an Large Online Class (pg. 15)
that proposed by Dewey, the author article like this behooves and prepares
notes, “There are some good ideas us. You never know when you might 7.Tips for using Questioning in
among the reams of articles and books be called upon to answer objections Large Classes (pg. 12)
about active learning.” (p. 26). But he like these.
contends active learning is a smoke 8.What do Students Think about
screen designed to cover deeper prob- Reference: Mattson, K. (2005, Janu- Active Learning? (pg. 18)
lems in higher education—like class ary–February). Why “active learning”
size, where if active learning principles can be perilous to the profession. 9.Large Courses and Student
are used, they can make the large class Academe, 23–26. Expectations (pg. 17)
seem smaller and therefore make large
classes more likely.
The logic is convoluted, and the case
supporting a connection between
increasing class sizes and the interest
in active learning rests more on corre-
lation than causation. It is not substan-
tiated with evidence. Even more
distressing is the author’s ignorance of
the research that justifies approaches
that engage students in learning. The
author makes one reference (two

20
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