The University sponsored a class in D.H . Hill yesterday to help teachers learn tips on how to engage students in a large lecture class, though some professors have already mastered the task.
Every semester, multiple sections of large lecture classes are held across curriculums. With the recent budget cuts, this is a trend that seems to be sticking around. In light of that information, the University held a one-hour session on incorporating technology and group work to maximize learning and engage students.
Sharon Joffe , teaching assistant professor of English, teaches a 120-student course in studies in fiction, along with two other lecturers. Having taught the course for nine semesters, Joffe is no stranger to the challenges of teaching a highly populated class.
“It takes a lot of work. I like to have a good lesson plan, but I also have to plan a recitation that engages students and is kept at a good pace,” Joffe said.
Joffe said she fully supports the idea of helping professors learn new teaching techniques.
“When I began the lecture course, I hadn’t taught one before and there were resources available to me to introduce me to different methods I could use to teach such a large course,” Joffe said.
In Joffe’s course, she utilizes PowerPoint slides to keep the pace of her lectures quick and entertaining. On the slides, she almost always includes an image and bullet points to make the concepts concise. In addition, Joffe splits the class into three small lecture groups every Friday, giving students a chance to interact in a smaller setting and discuss the course material.
Halyee McLean, sophomore in nutrition science, said she feels Joffe does a good job of making such a large class interesting.
“I have been in lectures before where the teacher stands in the middle behind a podium and it’s been awfully boring,” McLean said. “Joffe , however, moves around and engages each student with open ended questions and discussion in a big lecture hall.”
According to psychology professor David Martin, movement is key in gaining students’ attention in a large class.
“I try and prevent things from getting between me and the students, so I don’t stand at a podium, and I don’t use a microphone,” Martin, who has taught a 400-person intro to psychology course for many years, said.
By pacing the aisles and moving around the room, Martin attempts to make eye contact with students and to be within a few feet from every student at one point or another during the class.
“If you keep things somewhat personal, you keep from becoming an inanimate object to your students,” Martin said.
Martin recognizes the importance of helping students to succeed in large classes where learning is, for many, a more difficult task.
“I provide learning evaluations on Moodle, which are 10-question quizzes the students can take after each class. They’re optional, but it’s a good way for them to keep on track and make sure they’re understanding things,” Martin said. “I also use the entire class period before a test to review the material they’re expected to know.”
According to McLean, another helpful hint for lecturing professors is to keep things relevant to student life.
“Joffe does a great job of incorporating modern examples and references which make the class enjoyable,” McLean said.
While these professors may have seemingly mastered the art of teaching a large class, they both admit it’s no easy task.
“In smaller classes, you can end up talking about one person’s point for the whole class period, but in a large class, you really have to keep things moving. It’s a very different preparation,” Joffe said.
Martin would agree, but thinks of his teaching style as a performing art.
“It is a lot of work, and it physically takes a lot out of you,” Martin said. “In a way, I think of it like being on Broadway, it’s a performing art in some respects.”