Large Lecture: Active Learning

Brief Overview

Large lecture courses are a staple in many disciplines, varying in size from 40 students up to 400+. They are often viewed as an effective and economical way to guide students through foundational courses, and when delivered by a talented instructor, they can even be inspirational. However, large lectures have been increasingly criticized as ineffective for a variety of learners. For instance, students who arrive at college well-prepared are likely to find large lectures boring, while students who are less prepared for university-level learning are sometimes frustrated when they are unable to ask questions during class.

To address these critiques, instructors have turned to course configuration alterations, including pairing large lectures with small group discussions or embedding learning assistants, usually students who passed the course successfully, into the course to hold office hours and lead homework sessions.

Other instructors are increasing student engagement by introducing active learning practices borrowed or adapted from discussion classes during large lectures. In "Learning that Lasts a Lifetime: Teaching for Long-Term Retention and Transfer," Diane E. Halpern and Milton Hakel (2002) observe that "what professors do in their class matters far less than what they ask their students to do." Active learning, when employed intentionally, can turn a large lecture classroom into an engaging learning space.

At the heart of active learning in the large lecture classroom is focusing "your lecture on analyzing issues or problems, rather than on conveying factual information" (Berkeley). Students will learn factual information more readily when they are asked to apply it to real world scenarios. In the Quick Tips section below, check out ways to make problem-based active learning part of your large lecture class.