CIDR - Teaching Large Classes

Large Classes are common for many foundation courses. These classes present a unique set of opportunities and challenges. Many instructors in small classes have successful strategies for encouraging active participation, interacting with students during class, and fostering a sense of community, but it can be difficult to imagine applying these same strategies with a larger group of students.

Large classes don’t need to be limited exclusively to lecture-based teaching. Other activities can be designed to get students actively solving problems, interacting with one another and/or the instructor, or reflecting on the concepts that have been presented in the course. Even a technique as simple as asking students to jot down in their notes how they would approach a problem, before continuing with the lecture, will work to engage students’ attention and help them retain the material better. Resources linked from this page provide examples of the wide variety of ways you can engage students in a large class.

CIDR Resources

	CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin More and Better Class Participation CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 4(1). Planning Guide for Faculty and TAs CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 9(1). Teaching and Learning in Sections and Labs CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 7(1). Using Power Point CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 10(3). Actively Engaging Students in Large Classes CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 12(3).

	Consult with CIDR CIDR consultants are available to meet with you and discuss your questions about teaching large lecture classes. See our Consulting pages on exploring teaching issues, designing courses and assignments, and collecting student feedback for more information. To schedule a consultation, call 206-543-6588, or contact us by email to arrange an appointment.

Additional Resources

Beating the Numbers Game: Effective Teaching in Large Classes
by Richard M. Felder, Department of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University

Classroom Performance Systems
A series of short video clips by UW Austin Professor Dee Silverthorn on interactive teaching in large classes

Teaching Large Classes
A 15-minute video offering practical suggestions for facilitating learning in large classes, featuring Graham Gibbs, Open University (U.K.), produced by the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Dalhousie University.

Active Learning with PowerPoint
including discussions of Active Lecturing, Active Learning Strategies, Effective Handouts, Games in PowerPoint, and Formative Assessment, from from the Center for Teaching and Learning Services at the University of Minnesota

Six Ways to Discourage Learning
by Douglas Duncan, American Astronomical Society Education Office, and Amy Singel Southon, Chicago Botanic Gardens:

"One way to improve your teaching is to become aware of very common things teachers often do which don't help the learning process, and avoid them! This usually takes some practice, and discussion with others who teach. Six of these behaviors you should note and avoid are:

Insufficient 'Wait-Time'

The Rapid-Reward

The Programmed Answer

Non-Specific Feedback Questions ('Does anyone have any questions?')

Teacher's Ego-stroking and Classroom Climate

Fixation at a low-level of Questioning"

A Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching with Excellence,
by Barbara Gross Davis, Lynn Wood, Robert C. Wilson

Section 4: Emphasizing Conceptual Understanding
Section 5: Explaining Clearly
Section 6: Being Well Prepared
Section 7: Giving Lectures That Are Easy to Outline
Section 8: Summarizing Major Points
Section 9: Identifying What You Consider Important

Available in the CIDR Reading Room

CIDR Reading Room logo

What's the Use of Lectures?
Bligh, D.H., San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Teaching and learning in large classes.
Bridges, G. S., & Desmond, S. (Eds.), New York: American Sociological Association, 2000.

Strategies for energizing large classes: From small groups to learning communities.
MacGregor, J., Cooper, J. L., Smith, K.A., & Robinson, P. (Eds.), New Directions for Teaching and Learning: No, 81. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Teaching large classes (You can still get active learning!)
In W. J. McKeachie & M. Svinicki (Eds.), Teaching Tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (12th ed., pp. 254-265). Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

Engaging large classes: Strategies and techniques for college faculty.
Stanley, C. A., & Porter, M. E., Bolton, MA: Anker, 2002.