Learning Technology Options for Professors at Queen's University

February 1999
Tips for Teaching and Learning with Technology
Using Technology to Teach !"LL# $ig %lasses
&dentifying proble's and solutions
Teaching and learning in really big classes can be a difficult proposition for both students
and instructors( &n a )'ass class*) students are often hesitant to as+ ,uestions or to
interact with fellow students( &dentity and co''unication give way to anony'ity and
isolation( Lecturers* lac+ing obvious feedbac+ fro' students* often feel uncertain whether
they have been successful in conveying infor'ation and whether students have grasped
the point of the lecture( -igh.enrol'ent courses also place heavy de'ands on li'ited
resources ranging fro' library 'aterials on reserve and laboratory space* to teaching
assistants and 'ar+ers* to the 'ain instructor's ti'e( /oreover* ad'inistrative proble's
are co'pounded in very large classes0 with long drop1add periods* class rosters can
fluctuate greatly2 and scheduling laboratories or tutorials beco'es increasingly difficult(
&n addition* how do you assess hundreds of students appropriately and fairly and provide
ade,uate and sufficiently rapid feedbac+3 4ot to 'ention the social and psychological
issues of 'otivation* concentration* and sense of co''unity ((( i'portant for both
students and instructors(
Literature on i'proving teaching and learning in the large and very.large classes
reco''ends that instructors* above all*
prepare carefully
personali5e lectures
include active learning strategies
create co''unity
'aintain close contact with T"'s and support staff
-ow can technology help3
Preparing
Preparing a series of overheads or even 'ore so a co'puter.assisted presentation forces
you to plan the structure and content of your lecture in detail( #ou aren't 6ust lecturing2
you are co'posing and choreographing the class hour(
%onsider posting your lecture slides1overheads in advance of the class for students to
print out and use during class as the outline or basis for their class notes(
Or consider posting a list of ,uestions that will be 7e8plicitly or ine8plicitly9 answered in
the course of the class(
&n the classroo'
%aution: Long co'puter.assisted presentations can create a very passive learning
environ'ent( %onsider interspersing lecture co'ponents with slides1overheads with
)thought brea+s) 7give students a couple of 'inutes to write a su''ary or response to
your lecture92 or with )co'prehension chec+ ,uestions) or discussion ,uestions to be
discussed in.class in s'all groups(
1
&nclude short video or audio clips in class which you integrate 7through preparation
and1or discussion9 into the class period(
&'proving co''unication and co''unity
;et up a class listserv to distribute course infor'ation and 'aterials(
/a+e a course <orld <ide <eb site(
=esign and utili5e a discussion group 7or if possible 'ultiple s'all discussion groups9 for
students to discuss both ad'inistrative and content ,uestions(
>ive out your e.'ail address but to li'it the nu'ber of e.'ails to which you have to
respond repetitively a F"Q section on your web page or chat and direct curious students
to it(
"d'inistration
Use spreadsheets and1or databases to trac+ student progress and to calculate 'ar+s(
;et up a discussion group 7eg( Local chat or Lotus 4otes site9 for all instructors and
assistants 7teaching* technical9 involved in the course to discuss teaching* technical and
ad'inistrative concerns and to post updates such as changes to the course outline(
?
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
The Pennsylvania State University
401 Grange Building University Par! P" 1#$0%
celt&'su(edu
htt')**+++('su(edu*celt
Large Class FAQ: Active Learning Elements
1( -ow can & develop students' writing and spea+ing s+ills3
?( -ow can & develop students' infor'ation gathering s+ills3
@( -ow can & encourage international1intercultural co'petence3
A( -ow can & incorporate active and collaborative learning3
1. How can I develop students' writing and speaking skills
%ollect and give so'e +ind of credit for short* in.class writing assign'ents*
including responses to a ,uestion or proble'* 'inute papers* student profiles* and
group ,ui55es( This gets students in the habit of writing and gives you ,uic+
feedbac+(
"ssign brief out.of.class writing as ho'ewor+ and as+ students to sub'it as e.
'ail or collect only fro' one portion of the class each ti'e( !valuate via a si'ple
chec+* plus* 'inus.type syste'* and encourage students to co'e to office hours if
they have ,uestions(
Focus each short writing assign'ent very carefully on developing a particular
s+ill such as su''ari5ing a reading* defending a clai'* or citing a source(
/a+e your e8pectations clear for each writing assign'ent(
/any participants agreed that 'eaningful interaction need not be directly with the
instructor( "s+ pairs or triads to discuss a ,uestion or proble' for several 'inutes
and then field co''ents fro' various groups(
e,uire groups to give for'al* in.class oral presentations tied to significant out.
of.class pro6ects( "t least one participant finds this particularly effective at
generating discussion when each group wor+s on only one piece of the pu55le or
has only part of the data(
;ee also )=eveloping ;tudents' %o''unication ;+ills()
!. How can I develop students' in"ormation gat#ering skills
"ssign proble's that can be solved only by using specific electronic or print
resources( >ive well.contained proble's at first* and as students beco'e 'ore
co'fortable finding the answers* increase the challenge( For e8a'ple* initial
proble's 'ay direct students to a particular <eb site lin+ 7an on.line newspaper
or periodical9 or a given software pac+age* while 'ore advanced proble's 'ay
@
re,uire so'e searching on L&"; or on the <eb* with a range of suggested
resources given as starting points(
"ssign group or individual field research..e(g(* )Find an on.ca'pus e8a'ple of a
+ind of tree 1 architectural style 1 etc() /a+e it fun for students* and help the'
find resources readily at hand(
;ee also )-elping ;tudents =evelop &nfor'ation Literacy ;+ills()
$. How can I encourage international%intercultural competence
>ive students a variety of reading assign'ents and 1 or content.related e8a'ples
7local* state* national* and international9 whenever possible( For e8a'ple* if you
teach art appreciation* consider including 'ore non.<estern artists than te8tboo+s
or previous syllabi do(
-elp students see the relevance of what they're learning( For e8a'ple* if one of
your labs is relevant to a co''unity issue or enterprise* bring in an article fro' a
local paper and as+ students to analy5e it fro' various perspectives0 scientific*
ethical* socio.econo'ic(
&. How can I incorporate active and colla'orative learning in a large
class
%reate s'all ad hoc groups 7or pairs9 that wor+ in class on a focused ,uestion*
proble'* or e8ercise2 this gives students an opportunity to interact and really
engage the 'aterial* and it also gives the' a needed lecture brea+( Those with
recitation sections so'eti'es assign the group proble's there* and then hear
reports in the lecture( "nother variation is to have group 'e'bers role play
various positions as they debate a given clai' or issue(
&nvite student groups or partners to present the assigned reading and lead the class
in discussion 7they can use ,uestions you provide as a start9( "lthough only a
s'all fraction of the class gets to present* 'any 'ore are willing to participate
when their peers ta+e the lead(
"d'inister so'e +ind of understanding chec+ at the end of class to get feedbac+(
The 'ost popular e8a'ple is the )'inute paper*) which usually consists of two
,uestions0 )<hat was the 'ost i'portant thing you learned in today's session3)
and )<hat did you find 'ost confusing or unclear3) "n interesting variation is to
give a )'inute proble') that re,uires students to apply so'e +ey concept that has
6ust been covered( " portion or all of these are collected* read* and used to plan
the ne8t session(
"s+ students to supply infor'ation 7facts* data* e8a'ples* etc(9 for in.class
proble'.solving( <henever possible* as+ for infor'ation directly related to
students.eating habits* study habits* de'ographics of any sort( This increases
enthusias' and participation(
%onduct de'onstrations that involve all or a subset of your students( For e8a'ple*
>ita ;athianathan 7%he'istry9 passes a lead bric+ and a plastic bric+ of the sa'e
di'ensions around the classroo' during the first part of her lecture and then as+s
students for a co'parison to introduce the concept of density( Peter /aseric+
A
7/athe'atics9 uses a Bava applet showing triangles that 'a+e up a he8agon( -e
as+s students to tell hi' the value of pi to two* three* four* five* etc( deci'al
places( "s he enters each response* the he8agon increasingly rese'bles a real
circle(
Find easy ways to ac+nowledge 1 reward those who participate in class( For
e8a'ple* pass coded inde8 cards to those who as+ or answer a ,uestion2 the
student signs and turns in the card to get credit( ;o'e participants post
participation ,uestions to their course <eb site before class and give bonus points
to those who answer correctly in lecture(
%ase studies0 ather than using case studies of the -arvard $usiness ;chool
variety* 'any teachers e'ploy such things as video scenarios* brief narratives*
students' own e8periences* newspaper articles* 'echanical design snags* graphs*
and even data sets to help students apply difficult concepts to real.world
proble's( For e8a'ple* a single case can be used in con6unction with a related
data set to show that while the data 'ay support a particular theory* that theory
'ay be difficult to apply in the single instance(
" nu'ber of instructors are assigning proble's related to data provided by
current students on the first day of class( This gives students the opportunity to
analy5e data provided by their own cohort and to design data collection for's for
the sa'e group( Laura ;i'on 7;tatistics9 has generously provided ULs so that
you can ta+e a loo+ at two such for's* the first designed by her and the second by
her students0 http011www(stat(psu(edu1Clsi'on1webfor's1for's1instr?DE(ht'l and
http011www(stat(psu(edu1Clsi'on1webfor's1for's1instr?DEb(ht'l
For case studies or any other group proble'.solving activity to be successful*
students 'ust be prepared for the activity ahead of ti'e and 'ust understand how
to tie it bac+ to course ob6ectives once they've co'pleted it( For e8a'ple* one
faculty 'e'ber gives an individual writing assign'ent prior to as+ing students to
wor+ in groups on a related proble' so that the transition to group activities is
gradual( "nother gives a )prepare ,ui5) to 'a+e sure students understand the
goals and procedures for the upco'ing group pro6ect( ;o'e of the integration of
group proble'.solving and course ob6ectives can be done on a course <eb page
and through discussion via a class list(
;ee also )&ntroducing "ctive and %ollaborative Learning in Large and ;'all
%lasses)
D
Large Class FAQ: Assignments
1( -ow can & evaluate ho'ewor+3
?( -ow can & encourage students to read the assign'ent before class3
@( -ow can & prevent students fro' getting too 'uch help fro' others on writing
assign'ents3
1. How can I evaluate #omework
Budy O5'ent Payne 7%he'istry9 offers the following suggestion for 'a+ing
grading 'ore 'anageable0 )& teach a class where one proble' is not enough
practice for the'* but a do5en proble's is 6ust too 'uch to grade when the class
si5e is large( & used to assign 1?.1D ho'ewor+ proble's and then grade only one
or two of the'* by rando'ly selected fro' the 1?( This was seen as being biased
by students who felt that & actually went through and pic+ed hard ones or ones
they didn't co'plete( ;o* & brought a 1?.sided die to class* put a nu'bered list of
the proble's on the overhead pro6ector* and rolled the die 7or had a student roll
the die9 and circled the two nu'bered ,uestions that ca'e up on the die rolls(
This acco'plished two things( 719 &t 'ade a fir' deadline for papers being turned
in 7since papers had to be in before the die was rolled9 and 7?9 it proved without a
doubt that the selection process was truly rando'( ;o'e students still wish that &
would grade all the wor+ they do* but & no longer get any other co'plaints( & do
still grade 48? proble's for each ho'ewor+ set & collect* where 4 has been as
high as ??E* but & grade 48A proble's for each of the four e8a's & give* too( The
ho'ewor+ gives the' low sta+es practice* and they learn the i'portance of
thoughtful proble' solving prior to the high sta+es e8a's()
Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 assigns a =aily Proble'0 )&t's a fairly si'ple proble'
that's not in the te8tboo+( & put it on the overhead one day* and they have to turn
the answer in the ne8t( ;o each day they co'e to class they turn in a proble'(
These are graded on an E.1.? basis0 E if it's not there* 1 if it's there but it's not
correct* and ? if it's o+ay()
"nother ,uestion raised at one of the luncheons was how to evaluate ho'ewor+
and whether or not to allow for collaboration on ho'ewor+ e8ercises( People
shared intricate 'ethods they had used for trying to prevent dishonesty* but 'any
agreed that only the 'ost egregious +inds of dishonesty 7such as students copying
solutions 6ust before turning the ho'ewor+ in9 could be effectively discouraged
7for e8a'ple* by re,uiring that ho'ewor+ be typed9( /any felt that genuine
student collaboration on 'ore difficult proble's should be encouraged as this
connects the ho'ewor+ to learning ob6ectives(
F
!. How can I encourage students to read t#e assignment 'e"ore
class
"t the end of each class session* Peter /aseric+ 7/athe'atics9 assigns his
students five ho'ewor+ proble's* three of which are based on that day's topic
and two of which are on the topic assigned for the ne8t session(
=o not assu'e that students +now how to read for co'prehension( ;chedule ti'e
early in the se'ester to tal+ about how you e8pect students to read assigned
'aterials( >ive the' tips for 'a+ing connections that will enhance understanding
as well as 'e'ory recall( Offer note ta+ing suggestions( Follow up on and
reinforce these tips in your periodic chec+s of students' preparation and
understanding of the 'aterial(
Use the te8tboo+ in class( >et the' accusto'ed to referring to it(
=e'onstrate how to use the te8t( ;tudents who need specific infor'ation to solve
proble's* for e8a'ple* could greatly increase their reading efficiency by learning
how to use an inde8(
>ive an esti'ate of ti'e re,uired to co'plete the reading( This can help students
ta+e responsibility for their out.of.class preparation(
%onvince students that they 'ay need to read the assign'ent 'ore than once(
Provide a set of ,uestions to guide students in their reading( The +inds of
,uestions you as+ can show students the difference between reading to locate
specific infor'ation* s+i''ing for 'ain ideas* and doing a close reading for the
purpose of te8tual analysis(
One popular 'ethod of encouraging students to read is to give ,ui55es on the
assigned reading 'aterial( Gariations on this old favorite include having students
ta+e ,ui55es in the co'puter lab 7contact UT; for details9 as a 'eans of helping
students prepare readings and other ho'ewor+* assess their own understanding of
+ey concepts* and practice for hard.copy e8a's( "nother alternative is to give
s'all group ,ui55es(
Linda /orrow 74utrition9 uses Qui5 <i5ard to ad'inister open.boo+* out.of.class
,ui55es that target the things she wants her students to get out of the assigned
reading( ;he 'a+es these available on.line for a given ti'e prior to class and
ta+es the' down 6ust before class begins( <ith this software* you can li'it
students to one try or let the' ta+e the ,ui5 several ti'es* counting only the last
score( For 'ore infor'ation on Qui5 <i5ard software* see
http011cac(psu(edu1ets1wi5ard1
"ssign and collect ho'ewor+ 7one reading.based proble' will do9 fro' all or a
rando' selection of your students( e,uire that it be typed* so that students can't
copy fro' each other in the hall 6ust before class begins(
>ive a reading.based )'inute paper) at the beginning of class* rather than a
lecture.based one at the end0 19 'ost i'portant thing you got out of the reading*
and ?9 'ost i'portant ,uestion the reading failed to answer(
e,uire students to sub'it a ,uestion based on the reading prior to or at the
beginning of class* and give the' credit for doing so(
Use the lecture to fill in the 'issing pieces fro' the reading* clarify confusing
'aterial* correct wrong or outdated infor'ation* propose alternative theories or
approaches* and 1 or provide 'eaningful conte8ts(
H
>ive participation points to students who answer correctly 7or ade,uately9
,uestions posed to the class( "s appropriate* as+ students to provide support for
their answers(
"rthur "nderson 7"rchitecture9 gives )ta+e.ho'e) ,ui55es which re,uire students
to answer ,uestions about the design of various structures within wal+ing distance
of ca'pus( &deally* the student would need to both visit the sites and draw fro'
reading and lecture 'aterials to successfully answer these ,uestions(
/any faculty re,uire students +eep reading logs and collect these several ti'es
during the se'ester( To 'a+e the process of giving credit 'anageable in a large
class* so'e use a si'ple chec+1plus1'inus techni,ue* while others divide the
effort by giving written feedbac+ only to a different subset of students each ti'e(
>lenn Bohnson 7!ducation Technology ;ervices9 offers this variation on the
6ournal idea0 )-ave students +eep a noteboo+ where they write a paragraph
reaction1annotation to a reading assign'ent( "s class begins* have students swap
noteboo+s with a neighbor( The neighbor then writes a co''ent based on his or
her own reading of the assign'ent that also responds to what the student has
written( The noteboo+s are returned* and the student writes a final response to the
neighbor's reaction( &n this way students are going over* thin+ing about* and
responding to the reading a few ti'es before classroo' discussion begins()
einhard >raet5er 7Physics9 suggests collecting lecture ho'ewor+ fro' rando'ly
selected recitation sections each lecture period( >rade these pri'arily for effort(
This ho'ewor+ should relate to 'aterial for the upco'ing lecture* so that the
instructor not only encourages students to wor+ ahead but also gets early feedbac+
on what students are having difficulty understanding(
"s+ students to sub'it* as ho'ewor+* e8a' ,uestions based on that day's reading(
Pro'ise to use a certain nu'ber or percentage of these ,uestions on large e8a's(
;tudents could get credit for sub'itting any reasonable ,uestion 7and answer9( &f
you use the ,uestion on the e8a'* the student who sub'itted it will get credit
again* assu'ing he or she re'e'bers the answer:
$ob /itchell 7$iology9 suggests getting to class early and introducing yourself to
one or two people at the bac+ of the roo'( That way* when you call on the' by
na'e* the class thin+s virtually anyone could be put on the spot* and they start
loo+ing at the 'aterials before they co'e to the lecture(
&f no one is volunteering to answer your ,uestions and you are having trouble
re'e'bering students' na'es* use a si'ple ga'e to get students involved and
chec+ their understanding of the day's assigned reading( ;o'e possibilities are
listed below( =o you have others3
o )-at Tric+() ;elect I.1E student na'es at rando' fro' your class list and
as+ those present to wor+ as a tea' to co'e up with ,uestions for the class
7or the instructor9 based on the day's assigned reading( They write each
,uestion on a slip of paper and put the slips into a hat( The tea' gets
points for every ,uestion related to the assigned reading that students
and1or the instructor cannot answer(
o )!raser >a'e() "s+ students to pass an eraser continuously* so that when
they hear a cue 7and you can decide what the cue will be9* whoever has the
eraser in his or her possession 'ust atte'pt to answer the ,uestion(
I
o )-ot ;eat() ;elect one student or a panel of students to be in the hot seat(
"nyone can as+ the' ,uestions about the assign'ent* and they get points
for every ,uestion they can answer(
o )Planting the "udience() "t the beginning of the se'ester* ta+e individual
students aside as they are leaving the classroo' and say* )4e8t class &''
going to call on you and as+ you this ,uestion() The student then prepares
a thorough response to that ,uestion( <hen the rest of the students hear
the ,uality of this response* they infer that everyone else is co'ing to class
as well.prepared and begin to do the sa'e in order to +eep up( "ccording
to the teacher who offered this idea* the tactic establishes a high standard
for both ho'ewor+ and class participation( "s the se'ester progresses* he
no longer finds it necessary to use these student )plants()
Utili5e the <eb to increase student involve'ent and participation( For e8a'ple*
<eb %rossing software pro'otes student interaction with the 'aterial and you(
!ncourage students who are having difficulty to ta+e advantage of the services
offered by the University Learning esource %enter(
$. How can I prevent students "rom getting too muc# #elp "rom ot#ers
on writing assignments
One respondent* who 'ay be spea+ing for a silent 'a6ority* does not thin+ writing
assign'ents should be given at all in large classes* since instructors have so little
ti'e to provide feedbac+ that will help students i'prove their writing s+ills( This
person also argues that when students get help fro' other readers* they are doing
nothing unethical since professional writers often receive such help fro'
colleagues and editors(
/any faculty agree that the 'ost i'portant thing instructors can do to prevent
plagiaris' is to 'a+e sure students +now precisely what your e8pectations are(
>ive the' in writing a description of plagiaris' with e8a'ples* and allow so'e
class ti'e to tal+ about what you consider to be unethical and to answer students'
,uestions(
4ancy Lowe 7!nglish9 writes0 )Part of the plagiaris' handout which all P;U
fresh'en receive through their !nglish A* 1D* @E* or ?E? classes says that 'an
innocent way to plagiari5e is to allow your fellow students and friends to give you
too 'uch rhetorical help or do too 'uch editing and proofreading of your paper(
&f you thin+ you have received substantial help in any way fro' people whose
na'es will not appear as authors of the paper* ac+nowledge that help in a short
sentence at the end of the paper or in your list of <or+s %ited( &f you are not sure
how 'uch help is too 'uch help* tal+ with your instructor* so the two of you
together can decide what +ind of outside help 7and how 'uch9 is proper* and how
to give credit where credit is due(' Perhaps teachers of large classes could reiterate
this policy and re'ind students that it applies to all their written wor+ in the
University( Then of course instructors need to 'a+e clear how 'uch help is too
'uch()
9
Jathy -ood 7-u'an =evelop'ent* <o'en's ;tudies9 writes0 )"n elaborate
state'ent that specifies what plagiaris' is and the penalties* which KstudentsL
'ust sign when they hand in the assign'ent* assures at least that they +now what
they are doing or have done( ;o'e 'ay not +now that it's wrong* incredible as
that see's()
Frederic+ $rown 7-ealth Psychology9 goes even further0 )& have no hesitation in
as+ing students to write a pledge at the top of their product..be it a 'a+eup e8a'*
pro6ect* paper* or whatever( "lthough the wording can be tailored to the product* &
re,uire that they write* 'On 'y honor as a person* & have neither given nor
received infor'ation about this test*' or 'On 'y honor as a person* this is 'y own
wor+ within the guidelines established for its production(' "nd then & as+ the' to
sign their na'e( That's all: <hether the student has a conscience or not to ta+e
personal responsibility for their pledging is beyond 'y ability to enforce( $ut &
+now pledging their wor+ does give 'ost of the' pause to reflect()
"nother faculty 'e'ber avoids the proble' by assigning only in.class writing(
Terry !ngelder 7>eosciences9 writes0 )"lthough & have not done this in 'y large
>!4 != class* it is a 'odel that 'ight have 'erits in that setting( =uring the first
class at the AEE level* & have all students provide a writing sa'ple( This gives 'e
so'e indication of the student's baseline proficiencies( & let the students +now that
& plan on 'easuring later assign'ents against the 'in class' sa'ple( &f later
assign'ents see' wildly out of whac+ with the 'in class' sa'ple* & will as+ the
student for an e8planation( "n unsatisfactory e8planation will result in a 'no grade'
for the assign'ent()
=orothy $lair 74utrition9 offers a si'ilar idea0 )#ou could re,uire each student to
respond spontaneously in class on the last page of their previously written
assign'ent to a ,uestion posed in class( This brief sa'ple of their writing ability
should be enough to co'pare to their assign'ent's style to gauge whether or not
they did their own wor+( #ou 'ight be able to eli'inate cheating in advance by
announcing that you will collect such a sa'ple of their spontaneous wor+()
;everal people see the enforce'ent of deadlines for co'ponent parts in the
writing process as the best way to discourage students fro' plagiari5ing(
on Jensinger 7"ni'al 4utrition9 suggests0 )& thin+ if an instructor brea+s down
the assign'ents into pieces* students 7'ost of who' procrastinate9 are 'ore
li+ely to do the wor+( For e8a'ple* could the instructor have a first deadline to
sub'it the topic* a second deadline to turn in references* a third deadline to turn in
an outline* and then a final deadline for the paper3 ;tudents 'ay be 'ore li+ely to
+eep up under this scenario( -owever* & reali5e that cheating 'ay still occur* if a
student is deter'ined to do so()
%harlotte <ulf 7!nglish9 has tried such a syste' and found it an effective
deterrent0 )The way & li+e to handle this is first to re,uest a proposal fro' the
student* so'eti'es with a short preli'inary bibliography attached 7preferably
annotated9* to 'a+e sure they have a feasible topic and +now where to find
infor'ation on it( KThen &L re,uest that they turn in notes and rough drafts with
their final draft( &t is* & a' sure* 'ore trouble than it is worth to fa+e an entire
pac+age of 'aterials* so & believe this cuts down considerably on cheating( The
downside to this is that it is 'ore wor+ for the teacher: &f they tell you that they
1E
do all of their revising directly on the co'puter* as+ the' to stop and print out a
draft fro' ti'e to ti'e so that they will have it to turn in( & tell the' it is a good
idea to print out and loo+ at the whole thing periodically anyway* because one
tends to get too wrapped up in 'icro.revising if one doesn't do so()
11
Large Class FAQ: Attendance
1( -ow can & encourage greater attendance in 'y class3
?( -ow can & ta+e attendance easily and ,uic+ly in a large class3
@( -ow can & +eep students in class until the end3
1. How can I encourage greater attendance in m( class
&nteract with students regularly2 learn so'e na'es( <hen a fa'iliar face
disappears for several classes in a row* send that person an e.'ail note 6ust to say
you've 'issed hi' or her2 word spreads ,uic+ly a'ong students that you notice
when they aren't there(
/a+e the class infor'ative* interesting* and relevant to students' lives( "dd
variety1entertain'ent to lectures 7ani'ations* slide shows* de'os* video clips*
'usic* guest spea+ers* etc(9(
$ring so'e s'all class routines 7e(g(* filling out inde8 cards with personal info(9
to large classes(
>ive credit for s'all group activities perfor'ed in class(
Put outlines up on your course <eb page* so that students +now what to e8pect
and can use the' as a guide for ta+ing notes(
Use lots of supple'ental illustrations1e8a'ples(
>ive lots of e8a'.directed proble's in class(
%ount participation toward the final grade(
>ive students a topic to thin+ about for the ne8t class discussion(
>ive regular ,ui55es( These should count towards the final grade( They can be
pop ,ui55es or announced( They can be given at the beginning of class and to get
feedbac+ on assigned reading or at the end to test co'prehension of 'aterial 6ust
covered(
Bi' !isenstein 7Political ;cience9 offers a variation of the previous techni,ue0
)"n interesting alternative to the individual ,ui5 is the 'group' ,ui5( "llow s'all
groups to discuss ,ui5 ,uestions before the individuals in these groups sub'it
their answers( 7!stablishing per'anent s'all groups in large class sections can
help 'itigate student alienation and encourage attendance(9 To cut down on
grading* one can rando'ly select sections whose ,ui55es will count on a
particular day()
>ive 'ore scheduled e8a's covering less 'aterial(
/ichael /orse 7Jinesiology9 suggests* )&nvite guest spea+ers to address topics of
interest in applied fields( %reate so'e final e8a' ,uestions based on their
presentations()
=orothy $lair 74utrition9 says* )>ive wee+ly in.class assign'ents that can be
done in ?E.@E 'inutes and that give students the chance to apply what they have
learned( ;tudents can wor+ individually or in pairs( >ive students credit for
1?
co'pleting assign'ents* but don't grade the'( =oing this one day a wee+ creates
esprit de corps and can raise attendance on other days as well()
/ar+ Latash 7Jinesiology9 reco''ends a si'ilar techni,ue0 )%ollect ho'ewor+
assign'ents* and give students credit for handing it in( #ou do not have to do this
every day to encourage attendance( #ou can reduce your wor+load by collecting a
subset fro' different students each day()
;hannon 4ichols 7!nglish9 re'inds us that ta+ing attendance offers the
opportunity for even greater benefits0 )"s a general co''ent* & would say that
straight attendance ta+ing see's li+e a waste of an opportunity to get feedbac+
fro' the students or to encourage the' to +eep up with the 'aterial( "lthough
grading ,ui55es and ho'ewor+s can be ti'e consu'ing* & would 'uch rather do
this than si'ply 'ar+ 'here' in 'y record boo+()
einhard >raet5er 7Physics9 uses the following techni,ue to sample attendance in
order to encourage attendance0 )Te8t proble's are assigned and due at lecture(
Proble's are collected at the end of lecture fro' several 7@ or A9 recitation
sections selected rando'ly( Proble's are ,uic+ly graded by a hired
undergraduate..E points for no effort2 1 point for de'onstrated effort2 ? points for
so'e success 7not necessarily co'plete or correct9( Lecture.ho'ewor+ counts
1FM of se'ester grade..collected every lecture e8cept the first wee+ and wee+s of
evening e8a's( The assigned ho'ewor+ deals with 'aterial to becovered in
lecture( Observations0 Lecture attendance see's higher2 ,uestions as+ed reflect
so'e ac,uaintance with 'aterial2 no co'plaints about additional wor+()
%onvince students that e8a' success depends on attendance( 7One faculty
'e'ber gathered data fro' previous classes to prove it and presented these data
to his students(9
&f you provide an outline of the class in advance* wait to fill in the details during
class(
!stablish a policy that grades will be lowered according to the nu'ber of sessions
'issed( ;o'e faculty report that having attendance count for as little as @.DM of
the final grade still has a significant i'pact on attendance(
Use several short 7one ,uestion* co'puter.graded9 ,ui55es to ta+e occasional
attendance and to assess the level of student's understanding( Full credit 'ay be
given for atte'pting an answer whereas no credit is given for a 'issing ,ui5(
Finally* one faculty 'e'ber encourages us to +eep in 'ind the 'ost funda'ental
principle of attendance0 'a+e it worth their while to be there:
!. How can I take attendance easil( and )uickl( in a large class
-ave students sign in at the door(
;tudents are assigned nu'bered seats and sign a seating chart when it is passed(
Bi' odgers 7!cono'ics9 suggests the following 'ethod for facilitating the use
of seating chart0 )<here assigned seating is practical* cut the seating chart into
seg'ents and circulate seg'ents so that each student can print last na'e and last
four digits of social security nu'ber in the rectangle that represents his or her
seat( T"7s9 can then 'ar+ e'pty seats on the chart during class( ;uch charts
already e8ist for classroo's in the Foru'2 for roo's in other buildings* the chart
'ay have to be created()
1@
T" 'ar+s absences on seating chart(
;o'e instructors ta+e attendance at the end of the session rather than at the
beginning* so as to discourage students fro' signing in or being signed in and
then leaving(
Ta+ing attendance at irregular intervals 'ay suffice* especially if there is a clear
policy for lowering grades when absences are e8cessive(
One particularly innovative syste' for 'onitoring who attends class is to pass out
coded scantron sheets on which students answer feedbac+ ,uestions that the
instructor writes on the board( The scantron for's are coded with a series of
punches that varies each ti'e* and they are counted out by T"s so that students
cannot ta+e 'ore than one( ;tudents' responses to feedbac+ ,uestions give the
instructor a good sense of their progress( This syste' re,uires very little of the
instructor's ti'e* since the for's can be scored by UT;(
Peter >old 7%he'istry9 and Bac+ ;tevens 7/anage'ent and Organi5ation9 both
proposed the following solution0 )The University could purchase co'puters with
electronic scanners to read identification cards as students enter the classroo'(
This has been done in at least one classroo' at /ontana ;tate University( &t
would help in classroo's where seat assign'ents are i'practical or T" support
'ini'al( <ould such a syste' raise concerns about student privacy3)
" nu'ber of instructors suggested 'ethods of 'ontoring attendance at least
periodically* if not daily* including0
o Ta+e attendance at rando' via coded scan sheets(
o %ollect written )e8ercises) periodically 7and 'a+e the' the basis of
discussion9(
o >ive a practice e8a' proble' at end of lecture on scan sheets( This is both
a way to ta+e attendance and to test students' ability to apply +ey concepts(
o %ollect ho'ewor+ one wee+ and return another2 students 'ust be present
both ti'es to get credit(
o Post alphabetical lists of na'es on the walls of the classroo' at various
locations and have students sign in( "nnounce at the beginning that
students can sign in only for the'selves and that by signing they are
co''itting to stay the entire period( Those who need to leave early 'ust
notify the instructor ahead via e.'ail(
$. How can I keep students in class until t#e end
Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 and "llen Phillips 7$ioche'istry and /olecular $iology9
both offered this techni,ue0 )Pose a proble' to be solved by the ne8t class period(
%ollect student solutions at the beginning of the ne8t class to get feedbac+ and
chec+ attendance( >oing over the proble' can increase interaction with students(
&f you have T" support* the collected solutions can be graded()
;hannon 4ichols 7!nglish9 suggests* )"ssign a ,uestion about readings for the
ne8t session( "s+ students to write several paragraphs in response( This helps
generate better ,uestions and co''ents for discussion at the ne8t class session(
%ollect all* so'e* or none depending on how 'uch ti'e you have to loo+ over
the'()
1A
/ichael /orse 7Jinesiology9 volunteered two techni,ues0 )'Question of the day'0
<ithout announcing ahead* have students write a ,uestion at the end of class
based on that day's discussion( The student whose ,uestion is selected gets to
'ban+ the point(' " si'ilar feature is the ';tory of the day(' ;ub6ect.related stories
are popular* and students do not li+e to 'iss the'()
Linda Trevino 7/anage'ent and Organi5ation9 has reco''ended );tudy tips)0
)!nd each class by putting a short list of study tips on the overhead( Let students
+now fro' the beginning of the se'ester that class will always end on ti'e and
with this feature( ;elect tips that will help students understand the 'aterial and do
better on e8a's( ;tudents always copy the tips before leaving()
Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 has used a )/ultipurpose 'inute paper)0 )>et feedbac+
on a particular class session by as+ing students to write the 'ost i'portant thing
they learned and a related ,uestion they would li+e answered( These 'ay or 'ay
not be0 signed to chec+ attendance* pre.announced* counted for credit* collected
fro' every student* returned to students()
1D
Large Class FAQ: Class *lanning
1( -ow can & highlight i'portant points in the lecture3
?( -ow can & prepare a class to 'eet the needs of students with a wide range of
abilities1+nowledge3
@( <hat else can & do in addition to lecturing3
A( <hat decisions should & 'a+e about content when revising or redesigning a
course3
1. How can I #ig#lig#t important points in t#e lecture
%harlotte <ulf 7!nglish9 responded0 )This is a proble' & have been dealing with
this se'ester 7and other se'esters:9* but this se'ester & have e8peri'ented with a
variety of 'ethods and have sought feedbac+ about it..and gotten it( ;everal
things see' to get a positive reaction0
o $efore class begins* write +ey words1concepts1na'es1dates 7whatever is
appropriate9 on the board to facilitate noteta+ing(
o Fro' ti'e to ti'e* prepare a transparency with i'portant review
notes1concepts1ideas and put it up before class begins( Leave it up for the
first @.D 'inutes while you go over preli'inary business* then ta+e it
down and start the day's lecture(
o &f a lecture see's li+e it is going to be especially co'ple8* will introduce a
great deal of new 'aterial* or in particular will cover ,uite a bit of
'aterial which is not available to the students in the boo+ or another
source* prepare an outline on a transparency and have it up while you
lecture( 74ote that there isa danger in over.using such transparencies
because so'e students can easily beco'e too dependent on the'( ;o'e
students see' to want to 'e'ori5e what you put on a transparency instead
of reading the boo+ or learning anything else( &t should never replace
reading the boo+ or ta+ing their own notes* 'erely 'a+e their noteta+ing
easier and perhaps better organi5ed(9
!. How can I prepare a class to meet t#e needs o" students wit# a
wide range o" a'ilities%knowledge
Terry !ngelder 7>eosciences9 offers this techni,ue0 &n choosing the level at which
you teach* follow a sine curve where you spend part of the class teaching to the
'ost talented students and so'e of the ti'e teaching to the less able students(
This practice best 'aintains the interest of both ends of the spectru'(
/a+e use of the learning support services( Tutors fro' the %enter for !8cellence
in <riting and the /ath %enter provide help to students on a drop.in basis in
1F
$ouc+e $uilding and at other locations( /ore for'al assistance is provided to
certain large class sections through the ;upple'ental &nstruction 7;&9 progra'*
where student facilitators attend lectures and lead several sessions per wee+ with
students who opt for the progra'( Luncheon participants whose students have
ta+en advantage of such assistance report that undergraduates understand the
difficulties their peers are having* can often describe the learning process better
than faculty* and can be less inti'idating than so'eone who assigns grades( For
'ore infor'ation on ;& and other UL% resources* go to
http011blue(ue(psu(edu1psu1ue1aap1UL%1inde8(ht'l(
$. +#at else can I do in addition to lecturing
%reate s'all ad hoc groups 7or pairs9 that wor+ in class on a focused ,uestion*
proble'* or e8ercise2 this gives students an opportunity to interact and really
engage the 'aterial* and it also gives the' a needed lecture brea+( Those with
recitation sections so'eti'es assign the group proble's there* and then hear
reports in the lecture( "nother variation is to have group 'e'bers role play
various positions as they debate a given clai' or issue(
&nvite student groups or partners to present the assigned reading and lead the class
in discussion 7they can use ,uestions you provide as a start9( "lthough only a
s'all fraction of the class gets to present* 'any 'ore are willing to participate
when their peers ta+e the lead(
"d'inister so'e +ind of understanding chec+ at the end of class to get feedbac+(
The 'ost popular e8a'ple is the )'inute paper*) which usually consists of two
,uestions0 )<hat was the 'ost i'portant thing you learned in today's session3)
and )<hat did you find 'ost confusing or unclear3) "n interesting variation is to
give a )'inute proble') that re,uires students to apply so'e +ey concept that has
6ust been covered( " portion or all of these are collected* read* and used to plan
the ne8t session(
"s+ students to supply infor'ation 7facts* data* e8a'ples* etc(9 for in.class
proble'.solving( <henever possible* as+ for infor'ation directly related to
students.eating habits* study habits* de'ographics of any sort( This increases
enthusias' and participation(
%onduct de'onstrations that involve all or a subset of your students( For e8a'ple*
>ita ;athianathan 7%he'istry9 passes a lead bric+ and a plastic bric+ of the sa'e
di'ensions around the classroo' during the first part of her lecture and then as+s
students for a co'parison to introduce the concept of density( Peter /aseric+
7/athe'atics9 uses a Bava applet showing triangles that 'a+e up a he8agon( -e
as+s students to tell hi' the value of pi to two* three* four* five* etc( deci'al
places( "s he enters each response* the he8agon increasingly rese'bles a real
circle(
Find easy ways to ac+nowledge 1 reward those who participate in class( For
e8a'ple* pass coded inde8 cards to those who as+ or answer a ,uestion2 the
student signs and turns in the card to get credit( ;o'e participants post
participation ,uestions to their course <eb site before class and give bonus points
to those who answer correctly in lecture(
1H
%ase studies0 ather than using case studies of the -arvard $usiness ;chool
variety* 'any teachers e'ploy such things as video scenarios* brief narratives*
students' own e8periences* newspaper articles* 'echanical design snags* graphs*
and even data sets to help students apply difficult concepts to real.world
proble's( For e8a'ple* a single case can be used in con6unction with a related
data set to show that while the data 'ay support a particular theory* that theory
'ay be difficult to apply in the single instance(
" nu'ber of instructors are assigning proble's related to data provided by
current students on the first day of class( This gives students the opportunity to
analy5e data provided by their own cohort and to design data collection for's for
the sa'e group( Laura ;i'on 7;tatistics9 has generously provided ULs so that
you can ta+e a loo+ at two such for's* the first designed by her and the second by
her students0 http011www(stat(psu(edu1Clsi'on1webfor's1for's1instr?DE(ht'l and
http011www(stat(psu(edu1Clsi'on1webfor's1for's1instr?DEb(ht'l
For case studies or any other group proble'.solving activity to be successful*
students 'ust be prepared for the activity ahead of ti'e and 'ust understand how
to tie it bac+ to course ob6ectives once they've co'pleted it( For e8a'ple* one
faculty 'e'ber gives an individual writing assign'ent prior to as+ing students to
wor+ in groups on a related proble' so that the transition to group activities is
gradual( "nother gives a )prepare ,ui5) to 'a+e sure students understand the
goals and procedures for the upco'ing group pro6ect( ;o'e of the integration of
group proble'.solving and course ob6ectives can be done on a course <eb page
and through discussion via a class list(

4. What decisions should I make about content when revising or
redesigning a course?
%onsider the big picture by deciding what the course can and should acco'plish
within the larger fra'ewor+ of student needs* your discipline and your
depart'ent's curriculu'( Li'it course ob6ectives to a set of desired outco'es.
what should students ta+e with the' at the end of the se'ester3 =eter'ine if the
course will provide a solid base for subse,uent courses to build upon( "s+ how
the course can change your students' thin+ing(
Find out what previous e8perience students have* and where they need help the
'ost( %onduct a bac+ground +nowledge survey earlier in the se'ester( =ecide
what discussion or presentation of easier content can be 'oved out of the
classroo' to reserve ti'e for 'ore difficult concepts and application of
+nowledge( Figure out ways to hold the students accountable for out of class
wor+( One possible solution is low.sta+es co'puter testing2 see the following
luncheon su''ary for a good co'parison of locally available options0
http011www(psu(edu1celt1largeclass1lunches1?.11.99(ht'l
%onsider not only what your students need to +now but also what they need to do(
&nclude both funda'ental and relevant applications( ;everal participants stressed
1I
that once funda'entals are accounted for* you should pursue your own and your
students' interests( $uild selective gaps in the syllabus so that you can ad6ust to
students' needs throughout the se'ester( /a+e optional that which is no longer
re,uired2 so'e students will still find this 'aterial engaging if you invite the' to
engage it(
19
Large Class FAQ: E,ams
1( -ow can & i'prove e8a' procedures in 'y class3
?( <hat alternatives are there to 'ultiple.choice tests3
@( -ow do & handle 'a+e.up e8a's1e8a' conflicts3
A( -ow can & 'ini'i5e cheating3
D( -ow can & be sure students ta+ing 'y e8a's are enrolled in the class3
F( -ow do & handle the logistics of returning e8a's3
1. How can I improve e,am procedures in m( class
To help students prepare for 'idse'ester e8a's* $ob /elton 7"erospace
!ngineering9 gives short 71E.'in(9 'ath.based e8ercises that students wor+ on in
pairs in class( ;olutions are discussed in the ne8t class session and then posted to
the course <eb page( These solutions are evaluated using a si'plified grading
syste' so that they can be co'pared with later test scores( $ecause there is a
close correlation* students are 'otivated to attend class regularly and participate
in the e8ercises(
"s+ students at the end of class to write one e8a' ,uestion based on that day's
lecture( This variation on the 'inute paper not only gives the instructor instant
feedbac+ but 'ay also result in so'e good ,uestions that could be included on
e8a's(
/any participants in our discussions strongly reco''ended ta+ing advantage of
the services offered by University Testing ;ervices(
!d $uss* Professor e'eritus of "griculture* reco''ended using nu'erous e8a's
during the se'ester( %indy $rewer 7>eography9* following his suggestion*
increased the nu'ber of 'idter's fro' one to three with a co'prehensive final(
;he reports0 )& thin+ the course went ,uite s'oothly with this change ( ( ( students
had less to review for each test and they had been tested once on everything that
was on the final e8a'( !8a's were worth enough to be ta+en seriously but were
not worth so 'uch that students got overly nervous about the'()
ay Pal'er 7$iobehavioral -ealth9 puts short ,ui55es on overheads printed in
large type( This saves handing out ?EEN sheets of paper for every ,ui5(
"nother faculty 'e'ber ta+es advantage of co'puter ,ui55es that can be given in
labs( "pparently* UT; can provide a set.up whereby students can ta+e a ,ui5
repeatedly until they achieve a perfect score( The progra' infor's the' of how
'any ,uestions they 'issed* but not which ,uestions( Thus* figuring out which
answers are incorrect beco'es part of the learning challenge(
?E
!. +#at alternatives are t#ere to multiple-c#oice tests
/any instructors include so'e writing co'ponent on their e8a's* fro' an
occasional essay ,uestion that can be answered correctly in 'any different ways
to partial credit* one.line e8planations of 'ultiple.choice answers(
One teacher esti'ates that IE T" hours are needed to evaluate @FE essay e8a's(
To strea'line the process* essay e8a's should have clearly delineated ,uestions*
and all responses to one ,uestion should be evaluated by the sa'e T" for fairness(
Of course* if no T" support is available* essays are not a practical 'eans of
evaluating the largest classes(
;o'e instructors also have students wor+ in groups( The sa'e grade can be
assigned to all 'e'bers of the group* or the grades can be assigned to individuals
on the basis of so'e co'bination of anony'ous self.evaluation of individual
contributions and instructor evaluation of the group product( ;tudents who wor+
together can also be tested individually and assigned an average of individual
scores or 7in one e8tre'e case so'eone had heard of9 the lowest score of the
group(
One participant in our discussions uses T" help with reading and grading* but
loo+s it all over afterwards to be sure that it is done right(
;o'eone else indicated that she allows students to choose between 'ultiple.
choice and essay versions* and that students tend to do better on essays but that*
despite this* 'any of the' choose essays only the first ti'e around(
$. How do I #andle make-up e,ams%e,am con"licts
!stablish course policies that will acco''odate students with legiti'ate conflicts
or e'ergencies and provide strong disincentives to those who si'ply want to
delay ta+ing an e8a'( -ere are so'e state'ents you 'ight include on your
syllabus0
o )&f you have an e'ergency that necessitates your leaving ca'pus
i''ediately* you should contact the "ssistance and &nfor'ation %enter in
the -U$ 7IF@.?E?E9( %ounselors at the %enter will get the relevant
infor'ation and* with your per'ission* pass it along to acade'ic
depart'ents in which you are ta+ing courses* whose staff will then notify
your instructors() 7%ounselors at the Fa'ily !'ergency %enter always
encourage students to contact instructors the'selves if they are able* and
insist on it if the e'ergency occurs during finals wee+( They also 'a+e it
clear to students that such notification is not an official e8cuse and that the
student is responsible for following through in ter's of co'plying with
class policy when he or she returns to ca'pus( This service also notifies
instructors directly when a student has died or in unusual cases in which
the instructor needs to contact the student's fa'ily(9
o )/a+e.up e8a's will be given Kor )will be given without penalty)L only
when docu'entation of hospitali5ation* death in the fa'ily* or other
e'ergency is provided() 7/ost instructors accept an obituary or a
funeral1'e'orial service progra' as docu'entation of a death in the
fa'ily( <hen students +now this policy fro' the start* they do not 'ind
?1
providing such docu'entation when needed( The +ey is clear
co''unication with students before an e'ergency situation arises(9
One can give either a different e8a' after the regular e8a' or the sa'e e8a'
prior to the regular e8a' 7sa'e day* but earlier in the day9(
;o'e instructors give no 'a+e.up e8a's but weight the final 'ore heavily to
'a+e up the difference for those who have 'issed a big test(
&n so'e depart'ents* only one day in the se'ester is scheduled for all 'a+e.ups(
>enerally* instructors are less tolerant of students who 'iss 'a+e.ups* and very
few offer students a third opportunity to ta+e an e8a'(
Pat $uchanan 7;tatistics9 allows the' to drop one e8a'* but cautions that you
need to have several e8a's to do so 7she has D9(
One participant 'ade a policy in her large class that all 'a+e.ups would be essay
e8a's 7different fro' the pri'arily 'ultiple.choice test given in class9( %indy
$rewer 7>eography9 thought this idea sounded good so she set that as a policy
last fall( )& had appro8i'ately 11D students in 'y course and only four students
altogether re,uested 'a+e.up e8a's for the three e8a's that & ad'inistered
during the se'ester( That see'ed li+e a re'ar+ably low nu'ber of re,uests()
;o'eone else noted that scheduling 'a+e.up e8a's on football ;aturday
'ornings also helps decrease the nu'ber of 'a+e.ups(
&f students cannot ta+e the final e8a' before grades are due* refer to the grading
guidelines in the "cade'ic "d'inistrative Policies and Procedures /anual for
infor'ation on deferred grades(
On a related topic* einhard >raet5er 7Physics9 wrote0 )&'' curious whether other
teachers of large courses have proble's with conflict e8a's and how they handle
this proble'( <e have to give evening e8a's because of the large nu'bers of
enrolled students but then so'e are unable to attend for legiti'ate reasons
7evening labs* sports trips* etc(9 <hat to do3 ;uggestions3)
&. How can I minimi.e c#eating
&nfor' students of updates to Penn ;tate's acade'ic integrity policy* particularly
with regards to pursuing suspected cases of dishonesty( For details* see University
Faculty ;enate Policy A9.?E at http011www(psu(edu1dept1ufs1policies1AH.
EE(ht'lOA9.?E(
&nvite students to participate in an open discussion about ethics and acade'ic
integrity( $e sensitive to the inti'idating nature of this topic for students( For
e8a'ple* as+ students what acts of acade'ic dishonesty they have observed in
others* 4OT what acts they the'selves have co''itted( Then encourage students
to e,uate cheating with lying* rather than with survival(
One e8perienced teacher reco''ends that you always be alert to new ways of
cheating( -e recently discovered* for e8a'ple* that students were using pagers to
send each other the correct answers( Per'it students to bring nothing to closed.
boo+ e8a's e8cept writing i'ple'ents..no papers* no )<al+'an) 'usic players*
and no cell phones( &f students need scratch paper or blue boo+s* you supply the'(
??
Once the e8a' has begun* don't hesitate to 'ove students whose behavior is at all
suspicious( #ou and1or your proctors do not have to give a detailed e8planation(
$e polite* but fir' when as+ing the' to 'ove(
Tanya Fur'an 7>eosciences9 says* )>ive hard e8a's* and vary the' every year(
Only those who truly studied the 'aterial can succeed* and there is no benefit in
getting help fro' so'eone not currently enrolled()
=esign )open boo+ 1 open notes) e8a's(
%reate color.coded versions of your forced.choice e8a' with ,uestions in various
orders and distribute in rows or colu'ns so that students sitting ne8t to each other
can't easily cheat(
<hen you want students to do individual wor+ in class* separate groups of friends
or assigned tea's so that they are not te'pted to help each other out( One way to
do this is to create a different seating chart for each e8a'( $y putting the chart on
the overhead before class begins* you 'a+e it easier for students to ta+e their
assigned seats for the day as they arrive( <hether students end up in e8actly the
right place is less i'portant than the overall 'essage this sends(
Terry !ngelder 7>eosciences9 'ade the following suggestions0
o ;tudents are particularly interested in ,uestions fro' previous e8a's:
;hare such ,uestions freely with the students( This neutrali5es the
advantage of those with access to fraternity files(
o Present a student with a detailed syllabus( =etails should include a policy
on baseball caps during e8a's* a state'ent concerning the University's
policy on acade'ic integrity 7see the Faculty ;enate Policies for ;tudents
guide9* and a class honor code(
o &f you catch a student cheating* confront hi'1her i''ediately( Personal
e8perience indicates that 6udicial affairs will be of little help with a
conviction based on evidence gathered after the event(
-ow can you help +eep students honest OUT OF %L";;3
o ;pecify the difference between wor+ that is collaborative and wor+ that
you e8pect students to perfor' individually( One teacher e8plains that it
would be counterproductive to collaborate on low.sta+es study drills
because the purpose is to 'onitor learning over ti'e and help the student
prepare for big e8a's(
o !ncourage collaboration whenever possible( "rt "nderson 7"rchitecture9
has created what he calls )sub6ective ob6ective) tests that students
co'plete on their own ti'e( These are 'ultiple.choice tests that allow for
subtle variations based on individual 6udg'ent( They are graded on a scale
so that the )best) answer gets A points* the ne8t best @* and so on( "rt
encourages students to collaborate and hasn't found that the grade
distribution has changed since he started this practice( "lthough "rt will
not argue with students over the grading of their e8a's* he does per'it
the' to write short papers to de'onstrate their understanding of the
particular points in disputed ,uestions(
o >ive students the resources they need to develop good scholarly habits(
/any style 'anuals are now available on.line(
?@
To prevent plagiaris'* listed below are so'e e8cellent resources for instructors
7and so'e for students* too9 that ;haron ;hriver 7$iology9 has generously agreed
to share( #ou 'ay want to add lin+s to so'e of these fro' your course <eb
pages0
o Tools for Teaching . Preventing "cade'ic =ishonesty 7$arbara >ross
=avis* University of %alifornia* $er+eley9
http011uga(ber+eley(edu1sled1bgd1prevent(ht'l
o %opyright* Fair Use* and Plagiaris' 7!ducation =epart'ent of <estern
"ustralia9 "n "ustralian site with fabulous lin+s for infor'ation about
plagiaris'* copyright law* and citation style guides for print and &nternet
sources(
http011www(eddept(wa(edu(au1centoff1c'is1eval1technology1usenet1use1(ht
'Oins
o Plagiaris' and "nti.plagiaris' 7-eyward !rlich* utgers University9
http011www(andro'eda(rutgers(edu1Cehrlich1plagiaris'D9I(ht'l
o %ut.and.Paste Plagiaris'0 Preventing* =etecting and Trac+ing Online
Plagiaris' 7Lisa -inchliffe* University of &llinois at Urbana.%ha'paign9
http011ale8ia(lis(uiuc(edu1C6anic+e1plagiary(ht'
o Two sites for screening ter' papers against co''ercially available
papers( ;ervice available by subscription2 free trial periods available(
1( http011www(integriguard(co'1
?( http011www(plagiaris'(org1

/. How can I 'e sure students taking m( e,ams are enrolled in t#e
class
;o'e instructors report that they do not consider a chec+ of any +ind necessary(
"fter all* they argue* we should be able to trust our students( Others consider a
signature and &= O chec+ to be sufficient(
The instructors who routinely do a photo &= chec+ en6oy the one.on.one contact
with students 7however li'ited9 that a chec+ affords and1or have T" support to
strea'line the process( One instructor recruits students to help chec+ &=s( /any
instructors li+e to chec+ over scan for's to 'a+e sure they have been correctly
filled out* and they do not find chec+ing &=s at the sa'e ti'e to be burdenso'e(
" few report that they chec+ &=s carefully for the first e8a'* but then give the'
only a cursory glance thereafter(
-ere are so'e helpful tips on the routine &= chec+ fro' Linda /orrow
74utrition90 )&t doesn't really ta+e 'e 'ore ti'e to chec+ &=s than to be sure the
scan for' 7which is e,ually essential for a large class e8a'9 is properly filled out
with &= and test for' coded( & announce to the class ahead of ti'e that picture &=
is re,uired so they will bring it with the'( "s students are finished they bring
their tests* scan for's* and &= to 'e at the table( & put the tests in one pile* the
scan for's into another pile 7right side up as re,uired by UT;9 while & chec+ to be
sure the &= and test for' bubbles are filled in* then & ta+e the &= in 'y hand
?A
briefly as & glance at it to see that the na'e is the sa'e* loo+ the student in the eye
and say )than+ you >eorge 7or whatever9*) s'ile* and hand the &= bac+(
)&f the line of students gets long in a class of over ?EE students & have one of 'y
proctors sit beside 'e to help with the chec+ing( The proctors aren't as
e8perienced with catching inco'pletely coded scan for's* but otherwise they are
fine( &f & actually do +now the student* of course & don't need to see the &=(
;o'eti'es & recogni5e a student who regularly sits up front* but don't +now
his1her na'e* so & don't need to see the &= ( ( but & a' pleased to have a way to
learn the student's na'e( "nd if a student doesn't have &= & have that person sign a
sheet & have for that purpose so & can chec+ the signature when s1he does bring 'e
picture &= at the ne8t class 'eeting(
)$otto' line0 The appearance of chec+ing &= discourages the consideration of
substitute test.ta+ers at very little additional ti'e to 'e()
;o'e instructors have students sign a class roll or the e8a' itself in addition to
doing an &= chec+(
Tony Gerstrate 7/anage'ent ;cience P &nfor'ation ;yste's9 is wary of student
atte'pts to beat the syste' and has co'e up with several )%heat "lert) tips that
you 'ay find helpful0 )&t is now +nown to 'any students that teachers in large
sections do not have ti'e to do 'ore than 6ust glance at the &= when collecting
the answer for's( ;o there are so'e co''on tric+s to allow others to ta+e your
e8a' for you( &t happens fre,uently* & believe(
o )%-!"T T&%J 10 >et so'eone to ta+e your e8a' for you( <hen they
hand it in* they fill our T-!& na'e and write in T-!& &= nu'ber* but
they %O=! #OU social security nu'ber( <ho has ti'e to chec+ the
codes3 Of course* the code is the only identifier used by testing services
when the scan for's are run through the 'achine* while the proctor only
chec+s the na'e and 7'aybe9 the written &= nu'ber but never the actual
code(
);OLUT&O4 .. "lways chec+ a few of the code positions against the
student's actual &= card( The entire 9 code se,uence does not have to be
chec+ed( & 6ust chec+ the first few )dots)(
o )%-!"T T&%J ?0 %lai' that you have lost your &= card* and get a
te'porary card issued without a photo( >ive this to the person ta+ing your
e8a'( &f the instructor or proctor as+s for photo proof of &=* clai' you
didn't bring one 7a good alibi is )& lost "LL 'y &= cards at the sa'e
ti'e)9( This is one of the 'ost co''on tric+s(
);OLUT&O4..;o'eone told 'e that Penn ;tate no longer issues
photoless te'porary &= replace'ent cards* but & don't believe that(
"nyway* once the student has the te'porary card* they +eep it as spare
along with the original 'lost' one until they graduate( ;o* "L<"#; de'and
that a student provide a photo id "4= a proof of ;ocial ;ecurity nu'ber
or else refuse to process the sa'e score sheet until they can get proper
proof of &=(
?D
)!ven then there is a tric+( They 'ay assu'e that you won't re'e'ber their face*
so the real student enrolled in the course will co'e bac+ later with their
identification and as+ that the e8a' for' be scored an recorded( One solution to
this is to re,uire that they sign the bac+ of the e8a' for' and then chec+ the
signature against the one on their &= card when they return with their &=(
)Please note that a photo &= such as a driver's license that does not contain a
social security nu'ber allows so'eone else to ta+e the e8a' and code in the &=
nu'ber of the enrolled student( That is a co'bination of the two tric+s listed
above()
;o'e instructors have co'e up with alternatives to a photo &= chec+* because
they feel the chec+ is either inade,uate or too ti'e.consu'ing( Peter Thrower
7/aterials ;cience P !ngineering9 says0 )& attac+ the proble' 7unsuccessfully9 as
follows( First* & always try to get to class early and spend at least ten 'inutes
sitting down in different location and tal+ing with students beforehand( /ost
student sit in appro8i'ately the sa'e place each ti'e so that & end up getting to
+now which faces will appear where( !ven if & don't get the na'e* the face
so'ehow is fa'iliar( &f & see a strange face during an e8a' & can then do a spot
chec+( The second thing & do is to Ktell studentsL during the first class period0 '& a'
well aware that there will be so'e cheating( " student who cheats has to live with
his1her conscience( & don't: -owever* if & discover cheating & will be 'erciless(' &n
the past & have had students dis'issed fro' the University(
)For final and 'idse'ester e8a's & insist on assigned seating( $y that ti'e* one
has one's suspects and can chec+ on the'* but it is not an easy tas+( The best way
is to chec+ &=s but & 6ust don't get enough help to do it( One day we shall have an
eye recognition syste' as is now being tal+ed about for "T/ transaction( !ach
student turning in an e8a' would have to loo+ into the 'achine and their eyes
would i''ediately be 'atched to those on the class list 7or not as the case 'ay
be9( Perhaps we can suggest that P;U lead the way in this technology33333333)
;i'ilarly* =ean ;now 7"nthropology9 says0 )<hen faced with the proble' of
'a+ing sure that students ta+ing e8a's are those registered in the course* & have
ta+en a couple of si'ple steps( & input all student na'es and &= nu'bers into a
data base( Fro' this & generate a sign.in sheet that they are all as+ed to sign on the
first day of class 7or the first day they attend9( Later the data base is used to
generate pressure sensitive labels with their na'es and nu'bers( These are put on
the blan+ tests by 'y assistants( ;tudents are given only their 'own' tests on e8a'
day( "nd they turn these bac+ in at the end of the hour e8a' with a signature on
or ne8t to the address label( &f we suspect proble's we chec+ to be sure that the
signatures 'atch()
0. How do I #andle t#e logistics o" returning e,ams
$ecause of the ti'e re,uired to return e8a's one.by.one* so'e instructors lay
the' out on a table in alphabetical order* so that students can find their own(
?F
-owever* there are so'e concerns about students ta+ing e8a's that are not
theirs..especially those with high scores( Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 has found that
students are less li+ely to do this if grades are not on the front page* and he has
designed a grade sheet that he places inside the e8a' so that students get a'ple
feedbac+ without seeing others' scores(
Tanya Fur'an 7>eosciences9 offers another solution0 )<hen handing bac+
written wor+ 7e8a's* proble' sets9 in 'y class of @EE* & use labeled folders that &
distribute around the roo'( & put a 'ap on the overhead for the first few
assign'ents* and after that the students +now which portion of the roo' will have
the folder with their wor+( & try to use I.1E folders* grouping alphabetically by
last na'e so the folders contain roughly the sa'e nu'ber of papers()
;o'e give students copies of the answer +ey as they e8it the e8a'ination roo'(
This encourages the' to co'pare notes i''ediately after the e8a'(
%orrect answers can be posted to a course <eb page( <eb options for providing
feedbac+ are nu'erous( For infor'ation about creating a course <eb page* see
!T;'s <eb &nstructional ;ervices -ead,uarters 7<&;-9(
&f you create a test ite' database with University Testing ;ervices and use that
database for creating tests scored by the fa'iliar scan sheets* UT; can post each
e8a' with correct responses in %"% labs so that students can review it at any
<indows P% 7the <eb so'eti'e spring 199I9( #ou can also provide ite'.by.ite'
feedbac+ to students by adding co''ents in the test ,uestion database( Feedbac+
co''ents can be associated with individual responses of 'ultiple choice
,uestions* with a correct1incorrect response condition* or with any response( UT;
is currently piloting this progra' with a few faculty 'e'bers( &f interested*
contact alph Loc+lin at rhlQpsu(edu or IFD.?11E(
&f security is a concern* post an e8a' with correct answers behind glass or at
proctor's table outside the e8a' roo' or in so'e other secured location(
The day following the e8a'* go over ,uestions that were 'ost fre,uently 'issed(
/a+e yourself available during office hours to address individual student
,uestions( On a course <eb page* you can post a report on e8a' results that
students can download and use as a study guide for future e8a's(
"nother way to encourage student e8pression is to re,uire that all grade
challenges be in written for' and be sub'itted within one wee+ of ta+ing the
e8a'2 this has the added benefit of reducing the nu'ber of grade disputes(
;elect an honors student to serve as course o'buds'an and have this person
conduct post.e8a' review sessions( This is especially helpful if you don't have T"
support(
>ive participation points to students who 'a+e an effort to review e8a' results*
however you choose to 'a+e the' available( &f you have a course <eb page* you
can +eep records of who logs on to review e8a' results(
To strea'line co''unication about e8a's and other course 'atters* let students
+now your preferences for a first contact( For e8a'ple* you 'ight prefer that
students drop by during office hours* use your office voice 'ail* or use e.'ail..in
that order(
?H
<hile electronic options can strea'line the reporting of scores and feedbac+ on
e8a's* so'e instructors are loo+ing for easy ways to return ho'ewor+ and other
short writing assign'ents( -ere are a few tips for those who want to return such
'aterials0
o -and bac+ a portion of the assign'ent each day* so that you can begin to
connect na'es to faces( &f you have 1DE students* for e8a'ple* give bac+
DE per day over three days( This wor+s especially well for assign'ents
where the sta+es are low and students aren't an8ious to get fast results(
o -ave students label ho'ewor+ so that you can fold* staple* and return
through ca'pus 'ail( 7This gets co'plicated when students live off
ca'pus* but you can give options for those who are not willing to pay
postage(9
?I
Large Class FAQ: Feed'ack
1( -ow can & get 'idse'ester feedbac+ fro' students about the course3
?( -ow can & 'a+e the process of collecting fre,uent feedbac+ 'ore 'anageable3
@( -ow do & respond to 'idse'ester feedbac+3
1. How can I get midsemester "eed'ack "rom students a'out t#e
course
" nu'ber of people in a recent lunch discussion reported collecting feedbac+ fro'
students as a way of gauging how well they were doing as well as providing a conte8t in
which students could reflect on their own learning(
On the first day of class* "rt "nderson 7"rchitecture9 passes around a sign.up
sheet for students interested in one regular e8tra wee+ly 'eeting( -e 'a+es it
clear that this is 4OT for e8tra credit* 'erely for students who want additional
opportunities to learn and give feedbac+ on how the large class is going( The
'eeting ti'e is always the sa'e* but the place shifts as the s'all group visits sites
of architectural interest on or within wal+ing distance of ca'pus( ather than
feeling this e8tra hour is a burden* "nderson en6oys the interaction with students
and uses the ti'e to plan his ne8t lecture(
One faculty 'e'ber reported that as a result of the discussions she had the class
do 'inute papers everyday( ;he only collected a few each ti'e 7i(e(* each student
would hand in only one per se'ester9(
" nu'ber of participants report that they have students fill out open.ended
assess'ent surveys in groups( This gives each student an opportunity to interact
with class'ates and also reduces the instructor's paper shuffling( For e8a'ple* Bill
Patterson 74utrition9 as+s these ,uestions of student pairs0 <hat suggestions do
you have for the instructor that would help your learning3 <hat suggestions do
you have for other students in the class3 <hat suggestions do you have for
yourself3 ;he reports the results of these surveys on her class listserv( &f students
are wor+ing in tea's anyway* regular surveys can help the instructor +eep tabs on
how groups are functioning* as well as how they are responding to assign'ents
and instructor.led activities(
Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 designed a feedbac+ ,uestionnaire to help students
analy5e and reflect on their e8a' perfor'ance(
;tudent feedbac+ can also be folded in with other assign'ents that you routinely
collect* such as ho'ewor+ or e8a's( For e8a'ple* Pat Joch 7$iobehavioral
-ealth9 attaches a bonus sheet 7worth less than DM of the total9 to each e8a' she
gives as+ing students to choose fro' a list of topics covered on the e8a' the one
that provided the' the 'ost beneficial learning* and how they intend to apply that
learning in the future( &n addition to supplying her useful feedbac+* the bonus
gives her students an opportunity to do so'e writing on a forced.choice e8a'(
One tip for writing open.ended ,uestions was to re'e'ber that you get what you
as+ for( For e8a'ple* as+ing students what they li+e least about you or the course
?9
can invite rando' and unhelpful criticis'( Positive ,uestions such as )<hat
would you li+e to see added to the course to facilitate your learning3) stand a
'uch better chance of providing constructive student responses(
Participants agreed that forced.choice feedbac+ for's that as+ students to respond
to state'ents using a nu'ber scale can offer a good overview of how helpful
students are finding course activities* assign'ents* and instructional 'ethods(
7%!LT offers a AE.,uestion* 'achine.scanned 'idse'ester survey that you can
order by calling IF@.?D999( &nstructors who use these for's often supple'ent
the' with open.ended ,uestions( Bi' !isenstein 7Political ;cience9* for instance*
wor+s with a %ontinuous Quality &'prove'ent tea' in his Pl ;c EE1 class to
design regular feedbac+ surveys that co'bine scale.rated state'ents with open.
ended ,uestions(
Terry !ngelder 7>eosciences9 'eets with a s'all group of students for feedbac+
on how the class is going( &f you want to do this over lunch* consider telling your
students about the Ta+e #our Professor to Lunch progra' and let your students
+now that you would be interested in participating(
On the 'idse'ester feedbac+ survey* as+ students for tips based on their other
large classes( Let's face it* these students 'ay have 'ore e8perience in the large
class setting than do 'any instructors* so why not ta+e advantage of their
co'bined e8perience3
For additional infor'ation on collecting 'idse'ester feedbac+* see our "ssess'ent
resources page(
!. How can I make t#e process o" collecting "re)uent "eed'ack more
managea'le
ead only a rando' sa'ple of 'inute papers 7or any short response sheet9* or
read se,uentially only until patterns begin to e'erge in the responses(
eport bac+ to your class by providing so'e +ind of su''ary of 'idse'ester
survey co''ents( This helps students feel their feedbac+ is being ta+en seriously*
and it puts outsiders in line( &f you teach the sa'e students in se,uential courses*
you can report the previous se'ester's ;T! results bac+ to the'* as well(
"t 'idse'ester* schedule s'all groups to see you during office hours to gather
their input(
;ee+ enrolled student volunteers to act as a %Q& tea' to gather and analy5e
feedbac+ and present their findings to the rest of the class( ;o'e participants have
gotten support fro' the ;chreyer &nstitute for &nnovation in Learning to train %Q&
tea's( ;tudents on such tea's get one credit of independent study for their
efforts( 7&n the %ollege of $usiness* %Q& tea's are 'ade up of students doing a
one. to three.credit internship(9
;i'plify the grading of ho'ewor+( ;o'e luncheon participants use a chec+* plus*
'inus syste'( &n an interesting variation* one participant ,uantifies the syste' on
a E.?.A scale where E is given to students who hand in nothing* ? is given if the
student has 'ade a reasonable effort* and A is given if 'ore than half of the
ho'ewor+ proble's are solved correctly(
@E
-ave students e.'ail you their assign'ents( &f you have !udora Pro* you can use
filters to sort these notes* forward certain ones to T"s* and partly auto'ate
responses to students(
;et up an on.line course )chat roo') and 'a+e yourself available there during
certain office hours( &f you don't want to go that far* si'ply announce that you
will be chec+ing e.'ail and responding to student notes during your office hours(
7One participant stressed* however* that you 'ust also 'a+e it clear to students
that an e.'ail note is 4OT a substitute for co'ing to class:9
/a+e use of on.line surveys and ,ui55es( There are two readily available testing
progra's that will help you do this( Through the %enter for "cade'ic %o'puting*
there's )Qui5 <i5ard*) and through University Testing ;ervices* there's )Test
Pilot() -ere is a brief co'parison of the two( Test Pilot is good for those who
either a9 already have a large ban+ of test ,uestions* perhaps in <ord for'at* that
they would li+e to have UT; load into the syste'* or b9 don't want to learn a new
syste'( For 'ore infor'ation* call UT; at IF@.?IE?( Qui5 <i5ard* on the other
hand* is fine if you don't 'ind inputting the ,uestions1answers yourself( &f you
li+e to have co'plete control over the ,ui55ing or li+e playing with new
technology* this 'ay be the option for you(
$. How do I respond to midsemester "eed'ack
One group at a recent luncheon pointed out that collecting the data is not nearly as
i'portant as what you do with it( &n other words* don't collect data unless you are
prepared to act on it( These participants felt that an ade,uate response would be a
brief report to students on what is news to you and what you intend to do about it(
&f the data are unclear on certain points* you can follow up by as+ing for 'ore
specific infor'ation( &n general* the consensus see'ed to be that the 'ore often
you collect feedbac+* the less for'al your reporting will need to be(
;o'e 'entioned the frustration of getting such varied responses to particular
,uestions that they didn't +now how to respond other than sharing with students
that individual needs vary widely 7on pacing* for instance9( ;uch reporting is
valuable* even when there is no suggested course of action(
Finally* it was noted by one group that tal+ing with and responding to students
about how the course is going facilitates co''unication and brea+s down barriers
of anony'ity in large sections( /ost would probably agree that this is a good
thing(
@1
Large Class FAQ: Feed'ack
1( -ow can & get 'idse'ester feedbac+ fro' students about the course3
?( -ow can & 'a+e the process of collecting fre,uent feedbac+ 'ore 'anageable3
@( -ow do & respond to 'idse'ester feedbac+3
1. How can I get midsemester "eed'ack "rom students a'out t#e
course
" nu'ber of people in a recent lunch discussion reported collecting feedbac+ fro'
students as a way of gauging how well they were doing as well as providing a conte8t in
which students could reflect on their own learning(
On the first day of class* "rt "nderson 7"rchitecture9 passes around a sign.up
sheet for students interested in one regular e8tra wee+ly 'eeting( -e 'a+es it
clear that this is 4OT for e8tra credit* 'erely for students who want additional
opportunities to learn and give feedbac+ on how the large class is going( The
'eeting ti'e is always the sa'e* but the place shifts as the s'all group visits sites
of architectural interest on or within wal+ing distance of ca'pus( ather than
feeling this e8tra hour is a burden* "nderson en6oys the interaction with students
and uses the ti'e to plan his ne8t lecture(
One faculty 'e'ber reported that as a result of the discussions she had the class
do 'inute papers everyday( ;he only collected a few each ti'e 7i(e(* each student
would hand in only one per se'ester9(
" nu'ber of participants report that they have students fill out open.ended
assess'ent surveys in groups( This gives each student an opportunity to interact
with class'ates and also reduces the instructor's paper shuffling( For e8a'ple* Bill
Patterson 74utrition9 as+s these ,uestions of student pairs0 <hat suggestions do
you have for the instructor that would help your learning3 <hat suggestions do
you have for other students in the class3 <hat suggestions do you have for
yourself3 ;he reports the results of these surveys on her class listserv( &f students
are wor+ing in tea's anyway* regular surveys can help the instructor +eep tabs on
how groups are functioning* as well as how they are responding to assign'ents
and instructor.led activities(
Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 designed a feedbac+ ,uestionnaire to help students
analy5e and reflect on their e8a' perfor'ance(
;tudent feedbac+ can also be folded in with other assign'ents that you routinely
collect* such as ho'ewor+ or e8a's( For e8a'ple* Pat Joch 7$iobehavioral
-ealth9 attaches a bonus sheet 7worth less than DM of the total9 to each e8a' she
gives as+ing students to choose fro' a list of topics covered on the e8a' the one
that provided the' the 'ost beneficial learning* and how they intend to apply that
learning in the future( &n addition to supplying her useful feedbac+* the bonus
gives her students an opportunity to do so'e writing on a forced.choice e8a'(
One tip for writing open.ended ,uestions was to re'e'ber that you get what you
as+ for( For e8a'ple* as+ing students what they li+e least about you or the course
@?
can invite rando' and unhelpful criticis'( Positive ,uestions such as )<hat
would you li+e to see added to the course to facilitate your learning3) stand a
'uch better chance of providing constructive student responses(
Participants agreed that forced.choice feedbac+ for's that as+ students to respond
to state'ents using a nu'ber scale can offer a good overview of how helpful
students are finding course activities* assign'ents* and instructional 'ethods(
7%!LT offers a AE.,uestion* 'achine.scanned 'idse'ester survey that you can
order by calling IF@.?D999( &nstructors who use these for's often supple'ent
the' with open.ended ,uestions( Bi' !isenstein 7Political ;cience9* for instance*
wor+s with a %ontinuous Quality &'prove'ent tea' in his Pl ;c EE1 class to
design regular feedbac+ surveys that co'bine scale.rated state'ents with open.
ended ,uestions(
Terry !ngelder 7>eosciences9 'eets with a s'all group of students for feedbac+
on how the class is going( &f you want to do this over lunch* consider telling your
students about the Ta+e #our Professor to Lunch progra' and let your students
+now that you would be interested in participating(
On the 'idse'ester feedbac+ survey* as+ students for tips based on their other
large classes( Let's face it* these students 'ay have 'ore e8perience in the large
class setting than do 'any instructors* so why not ta+e advantage of their
co'bined e8perience3
For additional infor'ation on collecting 'idse'ester feedbac+* see our "ssess'ent
resources page(
!. How can I make t#e process o" collecting "re)uent "eed'ack more
managea'le
ead only a rando' sa'ple of 'inute papers 7or any short response sheet9* or
read se,uentially only until patterns begin to e'erge in the responses(
eport bac+ to your class by providing so'e +ind of su''ary of 'idse'ester
survey co''ents( This helps students feel their feedbac+ is being ta+en seriously*
and it puts outsiders in line( &f you teach the sa'e students in se,uential courses*
you can report the previous se'ester's ;T! results bac+ to the'* as well(
"t 'idse'ester* schedule s'all groups to see you during office hours to gather
their input(
;ee+ enrolled student volunteers to act as a %Q& tea' to gather and analy5e
feedbac+ and present their findings to the rest of the class( ;o'e participants have
gotten support fro' the ;chreyer &nstitute for &nnovation in Learning to train %Q&
tea's( ;tudents on such tea's get one credit of independent study for their
efforts( 7&n the %ollege of $usiness* %Q& tea's are 'ade up of students doing a
one. to three.credit internship(9
;i'plify the grading of ho'ewor+( ;o'e luncheon participants use a chec+* plus*
'inus syste'( &n an interesting variation* one participant ,uantifies the syste' on
a E.?.A scale where E is given to students who hand in nothing* ? is given if the
student has 'ade a reasonable effort* and A is given if 'ore than half of the
ho'ewor+ proble's are solved correctly(
@@
-ave students e.'ail you their assign'ents( &f you have !udora Pro* you can use
filters to sort these notes* forward certain ones to T"s* and partly auto'ate
responses to students(
;et up an on.line course )chat roo') and 'a+e yourself available there during
certain office hours( &f you don't want to go that far* si'ply announce that you
will be chec+ing e.'ail and responding to student notes during your office hours(
7One participant stressed* however* that you 'ust also 'a+e it clear to students
that an e.'ail note is 4OT a substitute for co'ing to class:9
/a+e use of on.line surveys and ,ui55es( There are two readily available testing
progra's that will help you do this( Through the %enter for "cade'ic %o'puting*
there's )Qui5 <i5ard*) and through University Testing ;ervices* there's )Test
Pilot() -ere is a brief co'parison of the two( Test Pilot is good for those who
either a9 already have a large ban+ of test ,uestions* perhaps in <ord for'at* that
they would li+e to have UT; load into the syste'* or b9 don't want to learn a new
syste'( For 'ore infor'ation* call UT; at IF@.?IE?( Qui5 <i5ard* on the other
hand* is fine if you don't 'ind inputting the ,uestions1answers yourself( &f you
li+e to have co'plete control over the ,ui55ing or li+e playing with new
technology* this 'ay be the option for you(
$. How do I respond to midsemester "eed'ack
One group at a recent luncheon pointed out that collecting the data is not nearly as
i'portant as what you do with it( &n other words* don't collect data unless you are
prepared to act on it( These participants felt that an ade,uate response would be a
brief report to students on what is news to you and what you intend to do about it(
&f the data are unclear on certain points* you can follow up by as+ing for 'ore
specific infor'ation( &n general* the consensus see'ed to be that the 'ore often
you collect feedbac+* the less for'al your reporting will need to be(
;o'e 'entioned the frustration of getting such varied responses to particular
,uestions that they didn't +now how to respond other than sharing with students
that individual needs vary widely 7on pacing* for instance9( ;uch reporting is
valuable* even when there is no suggested course of action(
Finally* it was noted by one group that tal+ing with and responding to students
about how the course is going facilitates co''unication and brea+s down barriers
of anony'ity in large sections( /ost would probably agree that this is a good
thing(
@A
Large Class FAQ: 1esources
1( -ow do & wor+ best with 'y T"s3
?( -ow do & 'anage without T"s3
@( <hat do & do if there's a proble' with 'y classroo'3
1. How do I work 'est wit# m( 2As
/a+e your e8pectations clear at the beginning of the se'ester( Faculty agree that
getting off to a good start is critical( &n your first 'eeting* it's a good idea to
provide answers to the following +inds of ,uestions0 -ow does your relationship
with T"s fit into the broader conte8t of graduate education in your depart'ent3
<hat opportunities for develop'ent does this wor+ing relationship provide both
you and the'3 <hat are the course ob6ectives* and how do you intend to wor+
with T"s to fulfill these ob6ectives3 /ore specific issues to address 'ight
include0 <hat +inds of student ,uestions and situations do you want to handle
yourself* and what +inds would you li+e the T" to handle 7or at least have a first
try at93 =o you e8pect T"s to regularly attend lectures in the classes they assist3
/aintain close contact with T"s throughout the se'ester( &f your T" is sharing
'any basic instructional responsibilities 7attending class and ta+ing notes* giving
occasional guest lectures* preparing ,ui55es* grading* holding office hours* etc(9*
you are probably co''unicating regularly and often( -owever* if T"s are
wor+ing with your students in separate recitation1lab1discussion sections* consider
'eeting for'ally with the' at regular intervals..participants suggest 'eetings
before giving 'a6or e8a's* collecting big assign'ents* or introducing difficult
concepts( -ere are so'e ,uestions that you 'ay need to discuss with T"s as the
se'ester progresses0 -ow do you run an e8a' review session3 <hat are the
ground rules for responding to student wor+3 <hat criteria will be used for
evaluating specific assign'ents3 <hat are the general procedures for addressing
issues such as re,uests for 'a+e.up e8a's and grade disputes3
Facilitate the flow of feedbac+( ;everal faculty noted the i'portance of providing
a foru' that encourages T"s to +eep you infor'ed of what students already +now
and what they are having difficulty understanding( ;i'ilarly* they reco''end
providing T"s with regular feedbac+ on the wor+ they are doing( &f T"s are
leading s'aller sections* for e8a'ple* consider visiting these sections throughout
the se'ester2 this is also a good way to 'eet and interact 'ore directly with
students((
%reate opportunities 7e(g(* brown bag lunches9 for T"s to share ideas with one
another(
-elp T"s balance their wor+ for you with their research responsibilities( For
e8a'ple* $ob -ale 7!ducation P ;chool Psychology1;pecial !d(9 as+s his T"s to
+eep trac+ of their hours and to let hi' +now when the wor+load e8ceeds
e8pectations( #ou 'ay need to 'a+e slight ad6ust'ents in what you're as+ing of
T"s* or the proble' 'ay be how the wor+ is shared by the T"s the'selves( For
@D
e8a'ple* if students li+e wor+ing with a particular T" 7and word does get
around9* they 'ay inundate that T" with re,uests for help( The solution 'ay
si'ply be learning how to say* )4o()
;it in on at least one of each T"'s recitation sections* discussion groups* or labs
during the course of the se'ester( 7#ou will get feedbac+ on students' learning as
well as provide guidance to your T"s on their instruction(9
;hare your e8perience0 give T"s tips on how to get students actively involved in a
discussion or proble'.solving session(
/odel a positive attitude towards students and T"s in your interactions with
the'(
-ave T"s attend each class lecture and write one to three possible e8a' ,uestions
based on their reaction to the class lecture(
&f students co'plain about an &nternational T"'s !nglish* attend the &T"'s session
yourself before 'a+ing any specific reco''endation( &n so'e cases* you 'ay
want to reco''end courses such as ;peech %o''( 11H and 11I* which have
been designed to help &T"s i'prove their spo+en !nglish( "dditional University
resources for &T"s are listed in %!LT's =irectory of esources for &nternational
Faculty and Teaching "ssistants(
Finally* if you cannot provide the help that T"s need to do their 6ob well* direct
the' to so'eone who can( &nfor' the' of depart'ental resources for teaching
and learning( University.wide resources are listed in our =irectory of esources at
Penn ;tate
!. How do I manage wit#out 2As
/any instructors have had success using undergraduate assistants who 'ay or
'ay not be ta+ing the course and who receive either pay or credit for the 6ob they
do( /ost luncheon participants agreed that undergraduate assistants cannot be
as+ed to do all the things co''only as+ed of graduate T"s( -owever* their
+nowledge of the course* fa'iliarity with the institution* and pro8i'ity to their
peers can allow undergraduate assistants to play an i'portant and uni,ue role
both in and out of the classroo'( They also benefit directly by learning 'ore
about the course sub6ect( Undergraduate assistants can do 'any things to increase
contact hours with students and facilitate co''unication and learning( They can
provide additional feedbac+ opportunities to students by e8tending the instructor's
office hours 7although they 'ust have an appropriate space to do this9( They 'ay
also help evaluate student wor+ such as ho'ewor+ and other short assign'ents(
Finally* undergraduate assistants can help the instructor 'onitor electronic 'ail
and <eb.site discussion progra's(
<ithout T"s it is difficult if not i'possible to have one.on.one contact with every
student during office hours( -owever* so'e faculty report that listservs and
course <eb pages are providing students increased contact with instructors and
peers( ;o'e post answers to fre,uently as+ed ,uestions to the entire class or
create and 'onitor a foru' in which students are encouraged to answer each
other's ,uestions( "nother possible solution is to enlist the help of an
undergraduate T"( &n e8change for pay or credit* an undergraduate who has done
@F
well in your course in a previous se'ester can serve as an e8cellent resource for
other students( For an e8a'ple* see ebecca %orwin's account in the Teaching
Large %lass ;ections chapter of The Penn ;tate Teacher &&(
<ithout T"s to lead s'all brea+.out sessions or lab1recitation1discussion sections*
instructors are concerned that students in large sections do not get enough
opportunities to apply what they are learning( One partial solution is to as+
students to spend several 'inutes wor+ing in pairs or s'all groups to solve a
proble' or discuss and report the +ey points of an issue( %arol -a''er
7%o''unication =isorders9 uses video clips to present students with cases that
they respond to in class applying what they have learned thus far(
$. +#at do I do i" t#ere's a pro'lem wit# m( classroom
&f students are having difficulty seeing and1or hearing* have T"s sit at bac+ of
roo' and 'onitor instructor's voice and writing(
&f des+s are i''ovable and too close together for ad'instering e8a's* give color.
coded e8a's with ,uestions in different order(
4otify the University %o''ittee on &nstructional Facilities 7U%&F9( #ou can
e'ail the' at L.U%&%Qpsuv'(psu(edu( %!LT also regularly sponsors events that
bring together teachers of large class sections and 'e'bers of this co''ittee(
;u''aries of previous large.class luncheons with representatives fro' U%&F are
available on.line(
#ou can prevent 'any proble's ahead of ti'e by indicating your preference fro'
a variety of seating options 7a list is available at
http011www(psu(edu1registrar1gpc(ht'l9( "dditionally* you can actually re,uest a
nu'ber of other features that will support your particular course* such as AE feet
of blac+board or two pro6ection screens( These re,uests should be 'ade when
your depart'ent sub'its its schedule of classes for the ne8t se'ester( This is also
the ti'e to re,uest a technology classroo'( The technology classroo' re,uest
for'* which 'ust be filled out each se'ester* is available on.line at
http011www(psu(edu1registrar1ourfor's1schedinde8(ht'l(
@H
Large Class FAQ: 3tudent
Involvement%*articipation
1( <hat does )student participation) really 'ean in a large section3
?( -ow can & overco'e the anony'ity of large classes3
@( -ow can & encourage students to participate3
A( -ow can & get students actively involved and interested in the class3
1. +#at does 4student participation4 reall( mean in a large section
There are ways of participating other than spea+ing in class( %o'ing to see an instructor
during office hours* or attending an out.of.class lecture and writing a response paper are
so'e e8a'ples( Teachers of large classes have found that student participation can be
defined in ter's of three +inds of interaction0 student to professor* student to student* and
student to 'aterial(
;tudent to Teacher0 ;tudents who successfully interact with their professors often
contribute to class discussions* go to office hours* or send e'ails( They beco'e
involved in what is happening at the ti'e the class 'eets by as+ing for additional
course content infor'ation* sharing a personal e8perience in relationship to the
topic* or volunteering to de'onstrate an activity( Participation is )being there) in
'ore ways than 6ust attending by0 co'ing to class on ti'e and staying the entire
period* participating in e8peri'ents* and getting to +now the instructor or T"(
;tudents who are attentive* laugh at 6o+es* and wor+ on proble's with the teacher
during class are showing their desire to be an active learner(
;tudent to ;tudent0 ;tudents can interact with one another by discussing ideas in
s'all groups* or by helping one another during labs when the professor is busy
with others(
;tudent to /aterial0 ;tudents successfully interact with their 'aterial by
co'pleting the assigned readings* reaction papers* case studies* and class
activities( <hen wor+ing in s'all groups* it is helpful to have students +eep a
written co'pilation1'inutes of their discussions(
!. How can I overcome t#e anon(mit( o" large classes
"l'ost every participant in these discussions has e'phasi5ed the i'portance of
learning at least so'e of the students' na'es even if you can't learn all of the'(
;o'e tips for doing so include0
o <hen you tal+ with students* record infor'ation about the' in a
noteboo+(
@I
o "s each student turns in an e8a'* ta+e a few e8tra seconds to try to 'atch
a na'e to a face(
o Use a seating chart(
o Linda /orrow 74utrition9 has students photocopy their &= cards as their
first assign'ent for the course( ;he particularly li+e to have the pictures so
that when students e.'ail her she can place a face with the na'e(
o ;chedule 'andatory office appoint'ents one wee+ early in the se'ester(
=uring these 'ini.conferences introduce yourself* snap the student's photo
7with per'ission9* and answer students' ,uestions(
o Ta+e students' pictures( Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 uses a digital ca'era on
the first day and then posts the' on the class <eb page so that students
can learn each other's na'es as well(
o =on Leon 7"rchitecture9 gives a student interest survey early in the
se'ester to collect infor'ation such as preferred na'es or nic+na'es*
high schools* leisure activities* and interests related to the course sub6ect(
For e8a'ple* he as+s students to na'e their favorite building in the world*
as well as their favorite building at University Par+( $esides helping hi'
learn who his students are* this interest survey also gives Leon a class
profile that he can share with students and 'a+e use of throughout the
course(
o "d'inister a background knowledge probe in the first wee+ of classes to
assess how 'uch students already +now that applies to the course sub6ect(
This probe can also chec+ for 'isconceptions about the sub6ect or
discipline* study habits* and learning strategies( 7For on.line e8a'ples* see
our &ntroduction to %lassroo' "ssess'ent Techni,ues(9 One teacher has
students interview each other on the first day* which not only gives her
i'portant bac+ground infor'ation* but also helps students get to +now
each other(
Use si'ple ga'es to encourage students to spea+ up in class and introduce
the'selves( The reward can be the ga'e itself or so'e +ind of participation
credit( One ga'e is to have students pass a tennis ball or toss a 4erf ball so that
whoever has it when the instructor as+s a ,uestion 'ust atte'pt to answer(
"rrive early and stay late after class and use this ti'e to tal+ with individual or
s'all groups of students(
eturn e8a's by hand and follow with brief discussion(
%all on students* even if you don't +now na'es( "s+ students to give their na'es
when you call on the'* and then use their na'es in your response(
"s+ provocative ,uestions and repeat the'(
-ave students wor+ in groups so they get to +now each other(
#ou could try using )seating 5ones() <hen the large class is bro+en down into its
recitation classes* the 'e'bers of these sections could be assigned to sit together
in the auditoriu'( !very wee+ or so* the sections get assigned to a different part of
the classroo'* but the sa'e people are always together(
@9
On the first day of class* "rt "nderson 7"rchitecture9 passes around a sign.up
sheet for students interested in one regular e8tra wee+ly 'eeting( -e 'a+es it
clear that this is 4OT for e8tra credit* 'erely for students who want additional
opportunities to learn and give feedbac+ on how the large class is going( The
'eeting ti'e is always the sa'e* but the place shifts as the s'all group visits sites
of architectural interest on or within wal+ing distance of ca'pus( ather than
feeling this e8tra hour is a burden* "nderson en6oys the interaction with students
and uses the ti'e to plan his ne8t lecture(
;tephany o'ano 7-ealth Policy P "d'inistration9 has established a )%offee
%hat) ti'e in the -U$* one hour each wee+ when she will be there( )& have told
'y students & would li+e the opportunity to get to +now the' better( /y advisees
are also invited()
Bohn Frant5 7-istory9 gets to class early to tal+ with students* particularly the day
after an e8a'( -e 'a+es it a point to locate students who did well 7he uses a
seating chart9 and to tal+ with the' before class and congratulate the' on their
wor+(
Terry !ngelder 7>eosciences9 suggests that the 'ore that a student +nows about
an instructor the 'ore co'fortable the student feels with the instructor( ;tart the
se'ester by giving the students a good picture of your research interests and so'e
personal details about yourself* and encourage students to stop you on ca'pus to
identify the'selves as 'e'bers of your large class( ;o'eti'es students will wait
several se'esters before getting the courage to do this(
$. How can I encourage students to participate
"s+ friendly ,uestions 7)<ho can help 'e out on this3)9* listen carefully* and find
so'ething good to say about even )incorrect) or off.base replies(
One instructor suggests having students )ta+e a 'inute) to list ideas* steps* etc(*
noting that once students have so'ething written down* it see's easier to engage
students(
-ave an open ,uestion or polls section at so'e point during each class(
$uilding e8pectations into the syllabus will help let the students +now how
i'portant participation is(
>ive e8tra credit in a variety of ways so that all personality types are
acco''odated(
"t a recent discussion* teachers agreed that the +ey to pro'oting interaction is
patience( #ou 'ust be willing to wait what see's li+e an eternity after posing a
,uestion( &f no one responds after @E seconds have passed* try rephrasing the
,uestion or as+ing students what they would need to +now to answer the ,uestion(
;everal teachers suggest paying particular attention to your verbal and nonverbal
feedbac+( <hen so'eone gives a helpful response* be sure to congratulate the'2 a
little praise goes a long way( <hen so'eone gives an unhelpful response or as+s a
,uestion that you feel you 6ust answered* try to react positively 7even if you feel
frustrated9( For instance* so'e suggest inviting others in the class to answer the
,uestion* rather than repeating yourself( This gives you feedbac+ and also gets
other voices involved(
AE
To pro'ote interaction a'ong students the'selves* teachers of large classes agree
that a good first step is to create s'aller groups( ;o'e students who will not
interact in a class of ?EE will participate if the group si5e is reduced to ?E( One
way to create s'aller groups in class is to have students for' 1E.'inute bu55
groups or si'ply have the' turn to a neighbor to introduce the'selves and
discuss a ,uestion or proble'(
%hristophe $as 7!lectrical !ngineering9 brea+s his students into s'all groups for
a first.day ,ui5 that tests their understanding of +ey concepts fro' the prere,uisite
course as well as co''on 'ista+es 'ade by students in the previous se'ester(
Then he as+s groups to volunteer answers* which the rest of the class 'ust defend
7even if they disagree9( !ventually* the correct answers e'erge* but the point of
the e8ercise is to brea+ the ice and get students tal+ing(
$ob /elton 7"erospace !ngineering9 contributes another activity0 )Once or twice
a wee+ & as+ students to divide up into pairs and give the' a ,uesiton to answer(
This is usually in the last 1E 'inutes of class( ;o'eti'es & as+ the pairs to write a
one.'inute paper together* stating a +ey idea that they've learned that day2 then
they also have to pose a ,uestion for 'e( 7& ,uic+ly review the e8ercise at the
beginning of the ne8t class and answer a few of these ,uestions(9 & assess their
written responses using a rough scale of 1.@* but these scores do not count toward
their final grades( & chec+ the correlation between these scores and their test
scores..it's usually rather high..and tell the' this as a 'eans of encouraging their
participation in these e8ercises()
/any have pointed out that a cordless 'icrophone can facilitate class
participation( They reco''end wal+ing around and up the aisles* so that students
can no longer hide in the bac+ of the roo'( This 'a+es it appear that everyone is
a potential participant(
;i'ilarly* so'eone re'inded that you should repeat student co''ents and
,uestions 7when you are the only one with a 'icrophone9* so that everyone can
follow..and participate in..the dialogue(
"nother option is to encourage participation and discussion outside the classroo'
through the use of e.'ail* electronic listserves* and <eb.based discussions li+e
%ourse Tal+( 7;ee Large %lass F"Q0 Technology for e8a'ples(9
&n The Penn ;tate Teacher* Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 offers the following
techni,ues0
o Participation points0 & tell the class at the beginning of the se'ester that
&'' going to collect participation points* and if they end up one or two
points below a grade.line at the end of the se'ester* these points can put
the' over( & give points for any +ind of participation* such as as+ing a
,uestion out loud in front of the whole class or answering a ,uestion that &
as+( & want to get the' tal+ing( &n a class of 1HE students* there's a certain
reluctance to spea+ up in front of so 'any people( &t's surprisingly easy to
+eep trac+ of who said what( &f they spea+ out in class* they co'e down at
the end of the period and give 'e a little piece of paper with their na'e on
it( & si'ply ta+e these papers bac+ to 'y office and put a red dot by each
na'e on 'y grade sheet( This 'ethod also helps 'e get to +now who's
A1
who* which 'eans the ne8t ti'e they raise their hands* & can call on the'
by na'e( That 'a+es a big difference in the general feeling of a large
class(
o )>otcha:)0 & tell the class at the beginning of the se'ester that &'' going to
'a+e a 'ista+e each day* and whoever detects the 'ista+e first and shouts
)>otcha:) gets a candy bar( This techni,ue wor+s well( &n fact* & always
carry a spare candy bar because so'eti'es students will catch 'e 'a+ing
an unintentional 'ista+e in addition to the one &'ve planned( & especially
li+e to use )>otcha) when &'ve warned the' about a co''on 'ista+e( For
e8a'ple* we tal+ about solving proble's and the necessity of balancing
the e,uation in order to get the right answer( $ut it's very easy for students
to wor+ with an e,uation and not chec+ first to see whether it's balanced(
;o & present a proble' and then start to solve it without first balancing the
e,uation( ;o'e students will pic+ up on it* and the students who don't +ic+
the'selves because it's so obvious(
o The %andy $ar Qui50 The idea is to show the' part of a ,uestion and let
the' get ready to thin+ about the answer( Then show the' the final part of
the ,uestion( The first student to shout )&'ve got it) and correctly e8plain
the answer to the class gets a candy bar( & use this strategy to show the'
the ,uic+ and dirty way to get an answer as opposed to grinding through
so'e long co'plicated calculation( $ecause the candy bar ,ui5 can be
figured out in your head* it encourages students to thin+ conceptually
instead of relying on for'ulas(
&. How can I get students activel( involved and interested in t#e
class
%all for a vote( "s+ for a show of hands0 )-ow 'any of you believe this3) Then
select so'eone fro' each side to 6ustify his or her response( These polls get
everyone involved* despite the fact that the 'a6ority never get to spea+ to the
entire class(
>ive students 'ore responsibility( "s+ for volunteers to 'a+e short presentations
and lead the discussion for a change( -old students accountable for the reading(
Find out what ,uestions students have and what they consider relevant2 for
e8a'ple* on the first day of class one participant creates posters with +ey topics
written across the top and as+s students to write their related ,uestions on stic+ie
notes and post the' under each topic(
" nu'ber of instructors report that anything that helps students relate the 'aterial
to events outside the acade'ic setting is useful for learning( For e8a'ple* short
clips fro' popular fil's can generate good discussions and help students relate
their own culture to course.related issues( Others have had success using ga'es*
debates* role plays* panel discussions* short lecture ,ui55es* and guest spea+ers(
Participation is easier in a large classes if you have a )target) section for each
lecture that gives its feedbac+ in written co''ents to a representative who
synthesi5es the' for the class to hear(
Bohn Lowe 7%he'istry9 also offers the techni,ue of using )The =aily Proble'()
!ach day* he'll provide a fairly si'ple proble' related to the lecture that's not in
A?
the te8tboo+ and collect the responses the following class( The students are very
attentive when you show the' in class how the proble' is solved because they
want to get it right( &t's also a 'arvelous way to get the' all together and off on
the sa'e foot at the beginning of the period( "nd it encourages the' to +eep up in
the course rather than 6ust studying for an e8a' every three or four wee+s(
Terry !ngelder 7>eosciences9 suggests drawing upon recent news events to 'a+e
relevant points during lectures* or giving one lecture a se'ester outside the
classroo' 7e(g(* the Penn ;tate Obelis+ as the sub6ect for an outdoor lecture9(
A@
Large Class FAQ: 2ec#nolog(
1( -ow can & best use the overhead pro6ector3
?( <hat ways can & use e.'ail in 'y class3
@( <hat can & do with a class <eb page3
A( -ow can & 'a+e the 'ost of audio.visuals3
D( -ow can & facilitate using a co'puter in the classroo'3
1. How can I 'est use t#e over#ead pro5ector
Participants in a recent discussion suggested the following0
$egin by placing the overhead pro6ector in the best position for clarity of
pro6ection.not so close to the screen that transparencies are too s'all to see fro'
the bac+ of the roo'* but not so far away as to distort the i'age(
%hec+ to be sure the pro6ector is not bloc+ing students' view of the screen.as+
students to 'ove if so'e obstruction is unavoidable(
=on't overcrowd transparencies( &t is difficult to read s'all fonts and cra'ped
lines* so a cluttered slide 'ay be less effective than no slide at all( &nstead* use
large fonts and plenty of space between ite's to help students read and follow the
infor'ation(
$e careful not to scroll through prepared overheads too ,uic+ly( ;low the pace by
stopping regularly to as+ students for ,uestions(
Use only blue or blac+ in+s when writing on transparencies.red and green can be
difficult to see fro' the bac+ of the roo'(
&f possible* avoid turning off all the lights in the classroo' when using the
overhead( Jeeping so'e lights on helps students stay alert* as well as letting the'
see to ta+e notes($egin by placing the overhead pro6ector in the best position for
clarity of pro6ection.not so close to the screen that transparencies are too s'all to
see fro' the bac+ of the roo'* but not so far away as to distort the i'age(
%hec+ to be sure the pro6ector is not bloc+ing students' view of the screen.as+
students to 'ove if so'e obstruction is unavoidable(
=on't overcrowd transparencies( &t is difficult to read s'all fonts and cra'ped
lines* so a cluttered slide 'ay be less effective than no slide at all( &nstead* use
large fonts and plenty of space between ite's to help students read and follow the
infor'ation(
$e careful not to scroll through prepared overheads too ,uic+ly( ;low the pace by
stopping regularly to as+ students for ,uestions(
Use only blue or blac+ in+s when writing on transparencies.red and green can be
difficult to see fro' the bac+ of the roo'(
&f possible* avoid turning off all the lights in the classroo' when using the
overhead( Jeeping so'e lights on helps students stay alert* as well as letting the'
see to ta+e notes(
AA
!. +#at wa(s can I use e-mail in m( class
$onnie "shcroft 74ursing9 uses electronic listserves to facilitate collaborative
learning in a class of ID students( !ach student is assigned to a group..1 of 11..
and all assign'ents are co'pleted through the list serve.eudora syste'2
asynchronous co''unication( !ach student belongs not only to the class list* but
also to a s'aller list consisting of their assigned group( The group wor+ is done
through the group list* and a facilitator is elected by the group for each assign'ent
and posts the final product to the class list( Thus sharing of infor'ation occurs(
The instructor is a 'e'ber of all lists and 'onitors the activity(
;a' ichards 7;ociology9 also uses a class listserve to get 'essages to students
regarding issues in the course and specific things he wants the' to do( -e
co''ents* )& have a class news page and &'ve been trying to get students to post
'ore on it( ;o & sent an e'ail to everyone saying that & +now they're on the
co'puter since they're reading 'y e'ail( so 6u'p over to 'y web page and get
on class news and say so'ething( &t's nice to have access to so 'any people(
%ertainly not everyone is reading their e'ail so & can't say so'ething i'portant*
but it's good for general postings()
;o'e instructors suggest using a )classnews) news group not only for electronic
co''unication but also for posting assign'ents and ta+e.ho'e e8a's(
Others e8pressed disappoint'ent with classnews* and said they have had better
luc+ with listserves or si'ply corresponding via regular e.'ail(
$. +#at can I do wit# a class +e' page
For help setting up a basic class <eb page* go to !T;'s <eb &nstructional
;ervices -ead,uarters 7<&;-9(
One faculty 'e'ber suggested creating a F"Q on your class <eb site and post
both ,uestions and answers there to 'ini'i5e ti'e spent answering electronic
,uestions fro' students( !ach se'ester* you can add to or subtract fro' this list
as needed(
!8periences with class <eb pages see' to be the 'ost successful at generating
interaction a'ong students* with class 'aterials* and between students and
instructors(
obert -ale 7!d( and ;chool Psych and ;pecial !d(9 has a <eb page for !=P;#
1E1( -e reports that the 'ost successful features of this page are0
o 'a+ing the graduate student and instructor available by e.'ail lin+s
o 'a+ing the grade boo+ available
o creating a class roster
o putting up a pretest
o lin+ing out to other interesting sites
o lin+ing to a student.only listserv in statistics
o 'a+ing the te8tboo+ a web docu'ent
AD
o putting the overheads on.line
For additional ideas* chec+ out the following course <eb pages by faculty who
teach large class sections at Penn ;tate
o Terry !ngelder* >eosciences
o Tho'as Fo8* !cono'ics
o obert L( -ale* !ducational and ;chool Psychology and ;pecial
!ducation
o B( !dward Jet5* "ccounting
o Peter /aseric+* /athe'atics
o ;usan /ess'an* ;peech %o''unications
o Linda /orrow* 4utrition
o L6ubisa adovic* Fuel ;cience
o "nthony Gerstraete* /anage'ent &nfor'ation ;yste's
o =o you have a <eb site3 ;end us your UL(
Terry !ngelder posts the answers to student e.'ail ,uestions on the ho'epage
and has students review these answers as e8a' 'aterial in order to assure that
'ost students will beco'e fa'iliar with the use of the <eb(
<hat solutions have you discovered3 Use our F"Q esponse For' to share ideas or as+
,uestions(
&. How can I make t#e most o" audiovisuals
Order e,uip'ent fro' /edia P Technology ;upport ;ervices well in advance
7the earlier the better* but at least two full wor+ing days before you will need it9(
/a+e sure students understand why you are showing fil's* videos and slides(
&ncorporate 'aterial fro' the' in subse,uent discussions and evaluated wor+
such as tests or papers( Otherwise* students 'ay regard the' si'ply as
entertain'ent(
One piece of e,uip'ent that 'any participants consider worth its weight in gold
is the docu'ent ca'era( This piece of e,uip'ent can be used with a standard data
pro6ector for showing any solid ob6ect..fro' photographs to three.di'ensional
'odels..on a large screen( ;o'e technology classroo's are e,uipped with
docu'ent ca'eras* but /T;; has only one(
/. How can I "acilitate using a computer in t#e classroom
Teachers who have used co'puters suggest the following0
Ta+e advantage of the services available through !T;'s <eb &nstructional
;ervices -ead,uarters( Faculty can use the <&;- site to download class lists 7in a
for'at suitable for reading into a spreadsheet if you wish9* set up a classnews
group or an electronic 'aillist 7through listserv9* sub'it your library reserve list
electronically* create a course web site* and 'ore(
AF
!T; has also created a series of On.Line Learning Tutorials for students( &f you
would li+e to integrate technology into your classroo' but have students who
don't +now how to use !udora* 4etscape* or /icrosoft <ord* these interactive
tutorials provide si'ple* step.by.step instruction(
<hen you are assigned a technology classroo'* find out what software is
installed or can be installed( " current list of hardware1software can be found on
the /ulti'edia Technology %lassroo's ;erver(
/a+e bac+.up overheads in case the co'puter does not function properly(
%ontact %"% to see what infor'ation1training wor+shops 'ay be available(
<hen there isn't a co'puter in your classroo'* contact /edia P Technology
;upport ;ervices or the classroo' e,uip'ent technician 7in buildings such as
Tho'as9 to schedule delivery on the days you will be using it(
AH
Student Writing in Large Classes
One fre,uent casualty in large classes is i'prove'ent of student writing s+ills( $ecause
reading and grading essays is ti'e consu'ing 'ost faculty 'e'bers are forced to
eli'inate or reduce writing assign'ents in such classes( There are several ways* however*
by which students in large classes have the opportunity to write . so that they engage
actively in the class* and instructors can obtain feedbac+ about how the students are
doing(
<ilbert B( /cJeachie 719II9 suggests the ''inute' paper which* as its na'e suggests* is a
paper written in a 'inute( "t so'e point in a lecture the instructor announces a topic or a
,uestion which the students 'ust address in writing( "t the end of one 'inute the
instructor either collects the papers and evaluates so'e or all* of the'* or the class brea+s
into s'all groups to discuss what has been written(
The 'five 'inute entry'* suggested by Tho'as B( /orrissey* 719I?9 is a si'ilar idea but
gives the students 'ore ti'e to prepare what they write( "t the start of each class students
write for five 'inutes in response to a ,uestion about the assigned reading for the day(
>ra''ar and organi5ation are not penali5ed and papers receive an ; or U0 the criterion
being that students 'ust de'onstrate that they have read and thought about the te8t( This
practice* /orrissey reasons* encourages regular attendance and* by reading the students'
papers* the instructor has the chance to identify poor student perfor'ance(
'<riting for testing' is also possible in large classes . and is worth doing since so'e
studies indicate that essay e8a'inations are superior to typical ob6ective e8a's in their
effect on student learning( &f students are assigned groups and essay topics at the
beginning of the ter'* each student will have the chance to write one essay during the
se'ester but they will not all be on the sa'e topic and they will not all be due at the sa'e
ti'e( Out.of.class group pro6ects can also be assigned that will produce si'ilar a'ounts
of wor+ to grade2 and a written essay can be assigned on the final e8a' with the
stipulation that it will only be read and graded if it would affect the letter grade for the
course(
!ric+son and ;tro''er 719919 report that several faculties have turned to co'puters for
help in responding to students' written wor+( Using the 'erge capability of word
processing progra's they can produce a letter tailored to each essay and save the'selves
the ti'e of writing the sa'e co''ent over and over again( Une8pected i'prove'ents in
their grading procedures* 'any reported* were that they were actually responding in
greater detail to students' wor+* and that they were aware of the rate of negative versus
positive 'essages they were sending bac+ to students(
Providing the opportunity for students to do written wor+ in large classes is a challenge(
<ith so'e ingenuity and planning* however* it is possible and provides a valuable and
productive lin+ between instructors and students(
AI
eferences0
/orrissey* TB( "7he Five-Minute Entry." Exercise Exchange 27: 7Fall* 19I?9 pp( A1.A?
Ralso available in 'icrofiche0 !=?@FFEA >overn'ent Publications & /icrofil'* /"&4
/cJeachie* <ilbert B( !eaching !ips: " #uideboo$ %or the &eginning 'ollege !eacher.
()th ed.* Le8ington* /ass0 -eath* 19IF( L$1H@I /?D 19IF /"&4
!ric+son* $( and =( ;tro''er( !eaching 'ollege Freshmen. ;an Francisco0 Bossey.$ass*
1991( L$?@@1 !HF 1991 /"&4
A9
2EACHI67 EFFEC2I8E6E33 *1971A: ; <6I8E13I2= 9F 91E796
#ttp:%%tep.uoregon.edu%works#ops%teac#ingsupport%largeclasses%lct"a
)%lct"a).#tml
How can I keep students from getting bored and not paying attention
during my lecture?
;tudents can beco'e bored for 'any reasons(
he instructor has not established good rapport with the class.
he instructor fails to use relevant e!amples.
Students may have no interest in the sub"ect matter.
he instructor has weak and ineffective presentation skills.
he instructor reads from a scripted lecture with little or no contact with the
audience.
he instructor has not established good rapport with the class.
The first day of class is an i'portant ti'e to begin building a relationship with your
students( Tell the' a little about yourself and about your research interests in this field..
where your passion lies( Tell the' why you thin+ this course is i'portant and how it will
add value to their lives(
Learn as 'any na'es as possible and use students' na'es in class
whenever you can( For e8a'ple* as+ a student's na'e when you call on
hi'1her( efer bac+ to students' co''ents when appropriate* 7)That's in
line with what /argaret said earlier()9
$e clear and fair about your e8pectations for students( ;et high standards
and provide the support and resources students need to reach those
standards(
$e friendly( Try to arrive early and stay a few 'inutes after class so that
students can as+ ,uestions( $e in your office ready for students during
your designated office hours(
Provide a website for the course with useful resources..handouts* study
guides* sa'ple test ,uestions* etc(
=e'onstrate in as 'any ways as you can that you care about your
students' success in your course(
KTopL
DE
he instructor fails to use relevant e!amples.
"s often as possible center i'portant ideas and concepts on so'ething to which your
students can relate( &f you are e8plaining so'ething about business practices* pic+ a local
ca'pus business as an e8a'ple( %hec+ area newspapers for events* editorials and other
news stories that 'ight tie in with the 'aterial you are covering(
Use 'etaphors and analogies which tie difficult concepts to so'ething that students 'ore
readily understand(
KTopL
Students may have no interest in the sub"ect matter.
;tudents 'ay have no interest in the sub6ect 'atter( "t the outset* convince students that
there is a good reason they should be studying and learning about this sub6ect 'atter( Tell
the' how +nowing this will 'a+e a difference in their lives(
Use e8a'ples and illustrations which are relevant to your students' lives whenever
possible(
=o not overload your students with content( >ive the' an opportunity to reflect* to apply
what they have learned to other situations* to solve a proble' and thin+ critically about
the 'aterial in the course(
KTopL
he instructor has weak and ineffective presentation skills.
%onsider being videotaped with a follow.up viewing and consultation with a 'e'ber of
the Teaching !ffectiveness Progra' to assess the strengths and areas of i'prove'ent of
your presentation style(
Pay attention to your pacing* the use and ,uality of your voice and gestures* your
'ove'ent in the roo'* eye contact with your students* the a'ount of interaction you
have with your audience* the variety of tools you use to present 'aterialSvideo* slides*
overheads* visuals* 'usic* storytelling* 'etaphors and analogies(
!8a'ine the organi5ation of the presentation* the use of 'ultiple e8a'ples and
illustrations to clarify concepts* how connections are 'ade* the periodic use of internal
su''aries to help students understand the 'ost i'portant points you are trying to 'a+e(
D1
T!P has two e8cellent videos on how to lecture and spea+ effectively( One is a lecture on
E%%ective +ecturing by ,usan #laser (-. ,chool o% &usiness** the otherS/ow to ,pea$
with 0atric$ 1inston %rom the 2ere$ &o$ 'enter %or !eaching Excellence at /arvard(
Please contact >eorgeanne %ooper if you are interested in viewing these tapes(
#ou can access the transcript of ;usan >laser's !ffective Lecturing online(
KTopL
he instructor reads from a scripted lecture with little or no contact with the
audience.
Try to wor+ fro' a good outline and present this as an overhead so that students can use
it as an outline for your presentation( /a+e sure you use a ?A pt( type si5e and a readable
font 7si'ple serif fonts are best9(
=on't 'a+e the entire focus of the class session a lecture with all the pressure on you to
perfor'( Thin+ of ways to wor+ with the 'aterial you want your students to learn in a
variety of for'ats..presentation* s'all group wor+* individual reflective writing* video
clips* slides* or internet sites(
&f you do not feel co'fortable and confident with the 'aterial you are presenting* 'a+e
an appoint'ent with T!P to consider other delivery strategies(
How do I keep from being intimidated by the sheer number of
students?
First reali5e this is a natural reaction( Focus on a few students scattered about the roo'*
loo+ for those who see' to be engaged in the class( This will help 'a+e the roo' feel
s'aller(
Plan well( -aving a well.organi5ed lesson plan will allow you to co'e into the classroo'
with a certain level of confidence( "rrive early to anticipate any pre.class set up that
needs to be done( Put a short agenda on the board so that students will +now what to
e8pect( >reet students and be ready to answer any ,uestions they 'ay have( This will
allow you to get to +now a few students and ta+e the edge off feeling li+e the class is a
sea of strangers(
e'e'ber that teaching is about good co''unication( %oncentrate on co''unicating
clearly about so'ething which you feel is i'portant for your audience to +now and
understand(
;o'e suggest acting yourself into feeling 'ore confident* act self.assured* even though
you aren't ,uite there yet( The 'ore you do this* the 'ore confident you will truly begin
D?
to act and feel( $efore class* visuali5e yourself doing well 7this needs to be done a
nu'ber of ti'es before it will be effective9(
How will I know whether or not I'm doing a good job?
$e willing to as+ for feedbac+( There 'ay be no perfect 'ethod for getting useful
feedbac+ fro' our students about their learning e8perience in our classes* but 'any
for's of feedbac+ are helpful indicators which we can use to i'prove that e8perience(
"nd the best ti'e to get that feedbac+ is early in the ter' 7wee+ A or D9 while there is still
plenty of ti'e to 'a+e changes(
The Teaching !ffectiveness Progra' can help you to get useful feedbac+ fro' your
students and wor+ with you to design successful learning e8periences for the'( <e are
available for teaching consultations throughout the year(
<e offer four options for student feedbac+( "ll these services are free and co'pletely
confidential(
1( <e can co'e in and observe your class and then 'eet with you to discuss the
observation( %ontact >eorgeanne %ooper to arrange this(
?( <e can videotape a class session and 'eet with you to watch and learn fro' that
tape(
@( &f you are teaching a class of DE or less* we can co'e and do a short 71D.?E
'inute9 interview with your students while you are out of the roo' and get
co'prehensive* student.driven feedbac+ on how the class is going and what could
be i'proved(
A( For larger classes 7above DE9* we can help you produce custo'.designed feedbac+
through the use of the /idter' "nalysis of Teaching(
How do I create a more intimate environment despite the large class?
/ost of us have been in large classes that felt anything but inti'ate( -owever* the sa'e
has been true of 'any s'aller classes as well(
%lasses will see' 'ore inti'ate when students +now each other* when they +now you
and you +now the'( $egin the very first day of class by sharing a bit about yourself and
why you are interested enough in this sub6ect to 'a+e it your lifeTs wor+( -ave students
begin to +now each other by wor+ing together in s'all groups throughout the ter'( Pose
so'e ,uestions* have the' write individual responses* and then let the' share their
responses with one or a few students sitting nearby(
-ere are so'e 'ore suggestions for getting to +now your students0
Learn as 'any of their na'es as you can and use the' in class(
"s+ a student's na'e when he1she 'a+es a contribution to the discussion(
D@
e'e'ber and refer bac+ to things students have said in class whenever
appropriate using that student's na'e(
Use a friendly and conversational style in your co''unication with students..
both in class and through any online co''unication(
$e positive and affir'ing( <hen students spea+ up in class* find value in what
they are saying or atte'pting to say( eali5e that it is difficult and inti'idating to
spea+ up in a large class and be encouraging(
Use 'aterial that is relevant to your students lives as often as possible( =raw the'
in by lin+ing ideas to things that they understand and value(
-ave students fill out so'e +ind of infor'ation card that gives you so'e insight
into who they are* why they are ta+ing your course and what they hope to gain
$e fair and consistent with your grading and your policies(
/a+e it obvious that you respect your students and value what they have to
contribute(
>et feedbac+ fro' your students during the 'iddle of the ter' to see how the
class is going fro' their perspective( T!P offers a variety of ways to do this
through classroo' observations* class interviews* the /idter' "nalysis of
Teaching and videotaping(
How do I lead small group exercises in a large class?
The first thing to decide is why you want your students to wor+ in s'all groups( #our
goal will deter'ine which +ind of group wor+ 'ethod will be 'ost helpful( For e8a'ple*
if you want to use groups to give yourself a brea+ fro' presenting and to re.energi5e the
audience any of the classroo' assess'ent techni,ues 7%"T9 will wor+ well(
The %"Ts will also wor+ well if you want to use s'all group wor+ to deter'ine whether
your students are grasping a certain idea or concept that you have been trying to e8plain(
#ou can get a good sense of this right during class rather than finding out on a 'idter' or
final(
;o'e teachers* li+e Larry /ichaelsen at the University of O+laho'a* feel that consistent
group wor+ 7rather than strictly lecture9 produces a richer learning e8perience for
students and he conducts all his large classes using a tea' learning for'at that he
developed and refined over the last @E years( Find out 'ore about this approach online(
&n large classes* wor+ing in pairs* threes or fours see's to wor+ best( Locating groups
close to each other eli'inates a lot of 'oving around( %reating groups within your
discussion sections and as+ing the' to sit together during lecture can also facilitate this
process(
How do I teach critical thinking without devoting my entire life to
grading papers?
eaching critical thinking through writing
eaching critical thinking through #uestioning
eaching critical thinking through structured activities
DA
eaching critical thinking through writing
;tudents can be taught to thin+ critically in a variety of ways( &f you want to do this
through writing and want to reduce the nu'ber of papers you are grading* here are so'e
suggestions0
#ou can assign wee+ly papers and then let students +now that of the U O
of papers for the ter'* only a certain nu'ber will receive a grade( This
way students will get wee+ly writing practice and you will not be
co'pelled to grade each paper( ;tudents will not +now which papers will
be graded so* hopefully* they will put so'e effort into each paper(
%onsider using a class listserv( This 'ight best be done with a separate
listserv for each discussion group( -ave students post a certain nu'ber of
contributions to an online discussion over the course of the ter' and as+
the' to archive these responses( $y wee+ I they should review their
contributions and sub'it for grading what they consider to be their best
thin+ing and 'ost valuable contributions to the co''unal dialogue( -ave
the' hand in copies of all their postings with U nu'ber of postings
sub'itted for a grade( #ou can place para'eters around the nu'ber of
postings sub'itted each wee+* the length of the postings and the nu'ber
turned in for a grade(
#ou can give e8tra credit if students turn in papers early or allow the' to
rewrite if they turn the' in early( This way you can at least spread the
grading tas+ out over several days(
On a related point* students also learn about critical thin+ing by reading
e8a'ples of what you consider to be well.written papers( Post so'e
e8a'ples of assign'ents which 'eet your e8pectation and include
annotations about what 'ade the' good papers(
-elp students by providing the' with a structure( &f you have a preferred
for'at1style in which you want papers developed* let the' +now this and
give the' opportunities to practice this for'at several ti'es on s'aller
assign'ents(
KTopL
eaching critical thinking through #uestioning
%ritical thin+ing is also taught through the ,uestions you as+..the ones you pose to the
group as a whole for consideration* or the ones on which a s'all group discussion can be
centered( These can be ,uestions that give students 1E 'inutes on which to reflect and
write and turn in( #ou don't need to give a grade for these( #ou 'ight also consider
DD
putting a provocative ,uestion on the board each ti'e they co'e to class and on which
they are as+ed to ponder a possible response for the discussion at the beginning of class(
;tudents learn critical thin+ing each ti'e you listen to their responses and then as+ the'
to go deeper with their answer through 'ore ,uestioning( The way in which you engage
each student in class has an i'pact on all the other students( &f this is done with
encourage'ent and respect* students will be willing to participate( "n e8a'ple response
'ight be..)That's an interesting perspective on Freire* but how do you thin+ he 'ight
respond to the position Bohnson is ta+ing on this()
KTopL
eaching critical thinking through structured activities
%ritical thin+ing can also be taught through structured debate and role playing as well as
a variety of s'all group activities where students need to co'e to consensus on a
particular proble' or case study solution(
-igher.order thin+ing can also involve the use of sy'bols and 'etaphors( %onsider
as+ing students to bring in an ob6ect or i'age which represents a particular idea or
concept in your course( Use these ob6ects and i'ages to create short writing assign'ents*
to sti'ulate a discussion* to show the diversity of thin+ing within the class* or to use as a
centerpiece for a s'all group discussion(
When I'm nervous it's hard for me to be "dynamic" What can I do
about that?
Feel that what you have to offer your students is of value to the'( Use e8a'ples and
illustrations that relate to their lives( /a+e the sub6ect 'atter /"TT!( Find ways to
engage students during your lecture1presentation in a structured 'anner( For e8a'ple*
after you have presented a concept for 1D 'inutes or so* put an overhead up with a
'ultiple.choice ,uestion that tests whether students have understood what you have said(
"s+ the' to consider the ,uestion and 'a+e a guess as to the right answer( Tell the' the
'aterial is new and that you don't e8pect the' to necessarily get it right* but you want to
+now how successful you have been in 'a+ing your point( =o a poll by having the'
raise their hands( This is good feedbac+ for you and for the'(
#our interest and passion in your sub6ect 'atter will override your nervousness once you
get into your 'aterial( #ou will find that it is possible to interact with a large group if you
are able to read and respond to your audience well( To do this you need to get to +now
the'( efer to so'e of the suggestions reco''ended in )-ow do & create a 'ore
inti'ate environ'ent despite the large class3)
DF
How do I motivate students to do their best work and to learn the
material?
!stablish high and reachable standards of e8cellence and provide the ti'e and
resources to help your students reach the standards you set(
$e clear about your e8pectations by telling your students* having this in writing in
the syllabus and on your website* and providing sa'ple1'odels of wor+ that
'eets the standards you e8pect(
>ive your students fre,uent opportunities to provide evidence 7wee+ly
assign'ents that de'onstrate their understanding* proble'.solving ability*
writing s+ills* etc(9 and useful feedbac+ which helps the' i'prove( 7This
feedbac+ doesn't necessarily have to be individual( #ou can give general feedbac+
at the beginning of class or through e'ail..i(e( )&'ve been noticing a few co''on
'ista+es that people are 'a+ing and want to give you so'e tips on how to avoid
the' in the future()9
=esign wee+ly assign'ents in for'ats si'ilar to what they can e8pect in other
'ore i'portant assess'ents 7for'al papers* 'idter's* finals9(
Jeep students accountable for staying current in the course through ,ui55es*
response papers* s'all group wor+ and being interactive in class with as 'any
students as possible(
"s often as possible relate the course 'aterial to so'ething which is 'eaningful
for your students* so'ething to which they can relate( Use 'etaphors and
analogies that help anchor i'portant concepts for the'(
How can I have a lot of one!to!one interaction with students in a large
class?
&t is probably not possible to have a lot of one.on.one teacher1student interaction unless
you are allowing only a few students to do'inate discussionsSwhich often happens in
large classes( " s'all percentage of students are willing to spea+ in this conte8t if the
discussion floor is opened to volunteers( Over ti'e* these students will beco'e the )voice
of the class) and other students will feel off the hoo+ in ter's of contributing(
#ou can have a great deal of structured dialogue in a large class setting by giving students
opportunities to tal+ together in s'all groups( These can be pairs* threeso'es or
fourso'es( &f groups get 'uch larger than this* it can be difficult to 'anage( &f you are in
a roo' with bolted down chairs* this also li'its how effectively you can group people(
The best +inds of s'all group discussions are centered around ,uestions which lend
the'selves to several interpretations or opinions* ,uestions which are controversial or
lend the'selves to 'ultiple solutions( &t is also best to start with one good ,uestion and
give groups as 'uch ti'e as necessary to atte'pt to co'e to consensus on an answer(
%onsensus is not always necessary* but giving students enough ti'e to thin+* listen to
each other and respond is very i'portant(
DH
&f you want a very interactive class* spend so'e ti'e wor+ing on guidelines for group
discussion
How do I keep students interested for an hour and "# minutes?
$e clear about what you want to acco'plish during this ti'e and be sure your
students are clear as well( Present your 'aterial using a structure that helps
students understand what is 'ost i'portant( ;top and periodically su''ari5e
what you have covered* as+ for ,uestions and <"&T until students have ti'e to
thin+ and respond(
Use a variety of ways to co'e at the ideas and concepts which are i'portant for
students to understand( The 'ore difficult these concepts are the 'ore e8a'ples
and illustrations you will need to provide( Use words* i'ages* video* and
sti'ulating and co'pelling ,uestions( Use one to ten 'inute writings in which
you as+ students to paraphrase their understanding of a concept( Present a
controversial ,uestion or case study e8a'ple and as+ students to thin+ and
respond( >ive pairs of students a ,uestion to consider and discuss for a few
'inutes and atte'pt to co'e to agree'ent on an answer( Then let as 'any pairs
as you have ti'e for share their thin+ing(
$e aware that at regular intervals during an hour and ?E 'inute class* certain
students will reach their 'a8i'u' attention span and lose focus( "nd they won't
all reach that place at the sa'e ti'e( ;o every 1?.1D 'inutes do so'ething that
refreshes your students' attention..'ove'ent in front of the class 7if you are
co'fortable doing this9* gestures* overhead infor'ation 7that is attractive and easy
to read9* slides* graphs* charts* storytelling* using e8a'ples to which students can
relate* 'usic* as+ing co'pelling ,uestions to individuals or s'all groups
How do I get my students to enjoy learning for the sake of learning
and not just be a person spewing facts for them to learn to
pass a test and get a job?
;tudents usually want to learn so'ething when they feel that it has i'portance and
relevance in their livesSit enriches their lives in so'e significant way( People tal+ about
)breathing life) into sub6ect 'atter( That's what it ta+es( $ut what does that 'ean3
&f we can co'e up with good reasons why students should ta+e an interest in what we
want to teach the'* we can shape our instruction to those ends( &f we set goals as to what
students will +now or be able to do at the end of each class and what they will be able to
ta+e away at the end of the ter'* we have a better chance of engaging the' along the
way(
&f the only reasons we can co'e up with to leverage our students' attention are passing
tests and getting grades* we reinforce their cynicis' and their apathy(
DI
I am fre$uently faced with less then enthusiastic faces in my large
classes How can I generate enthusiasm and keep the attention
of my students?
The relationship you build with your students starts on the first day of class( Find ways to
let your students +now that their success in your class 'atters to you* that you respect
the'* their ideas and their learning process( "c+nowledge their atte'pts to be part of the
class by being brave enough to let their voice be heard( %hallenge the' to go further with
their ideas by showing that the e8ploration of +nowledge is worthwhile even when 'a+e
'ista+es or do not +now the answers(
<or+ with your sub6ect 'atter to 'a+e it as relevant to your students' lives as possible(
%reate a need to +now by using e8a'ples and illustrations they can understand and relate
to their e8perience( %o'e at ideas in a variety of ways..through words* i'ages* 'usic*
si'ulations* role playing* debates* guest spea+ers etc(
<or+ on your presentation s+ills if this is an area where you could be stronger( T!P can
help you with this( <e have several good videos to loan on effective lecturing and can
also help you rehearse your presentations(
>et yourself videotaped and do a follow up consultation( This feedbac+ can be very
useful(
How can I make students feel that I see them as individuals?
;ee the' as individuals( -ave students fill out notecards that will give you so'e
infor'ation about who they are* why they are ta+ing the course* what they hope to gain*
their strengths and wea+nesses in relation to the course(
Learn as 'any na'es as possible and use the' in class( <hen a student spea+s as+
his1her na'e( efer bac+ to students' co''ents whenever relevant(
%o'e to class early and stay a bit afterwards so that individual students can approach you
with their concerns( /a+e yourself available through e'ail and respond to as 'any
students as you can( 7&f you fear an e'ail overload* put so'e para'eters around this for'
of co''unication( Let your >TFs handle certain concerns and others you will respond to
directly(9
"c+nowledge individual students when they 'a+e a contribution..give the' credit for
their effort( /ention in class 7with per'ission9 contributions that you have received by
e'ail that are noteworthy..)Bere'y has an interesting perspective on the reading which
he 'entioned in his e'ail yesterday and with his per'ission &'d li+e to share it with you()
D9
How can I use technology to ease my workload?
Technology continues to help us and frustrate us( <hile e'ail greatly facilitates contact
with the instructor* in a large class it can beco'e burdenso'e( To deal with this* establish
so'e para'eters with our students around this( =elegate that certain +inds of ,uestions
7confusion about assign'ents* notification of being late or 'issing class* concerns about
'a+e up tests* etc9 be directed to the >TFs for the course and other substantive ,uestions
about the lectures co'e to you( #ou can also li'it the nu'ber of e'ails sent each wee+
and as+ students to respect the opportunity for as 'any students' concerns to be addressed
as possible given the si5e of the class( &n addition* you can li'it the length of an e'ail..if
it is over a couple of paragraphs* it is probably best to 'a+e an office hour appoint'ent(
Using presentation software li+e PowerPoint allows you to create nu'erous overheads
which can be designed to focus on single ideas and aid your students attention to the
point you are trying to 'a+e( -owever* if you do not use this tool effectively* it can end
up putting your students to sleep(
PowerPoint presentations can be archived on your course website and students can use
the' as structures for organi5ing the course 'aterial( #ou can also easily incorporate
graphics to enhance your presentations(
%ourse websites can be an archive for handouts so that you no longer need to produce
and reproduce these as students lose the' throughout the ter'( #our website can contain
announce'ents of changes or last 'inute tips before an upco'ing e8a'( These things
can also be conveyed to your students through a group e'ail(
#ou can put e8ternal internet lin+s on your website that allow students to study a
particular aspect of the course further or provide useful resources for papers and pro6ects(
&f you want to add online* interactive co'ponents to your course 7listservs* chats9* these
can be set up as part of a course website or through our %o'puting %enter(
;preadsheet progra's li+e !8cel allow you to organi5e student data and e8tract
subgroups of data( For e8a'ple* if you want to contact the students who got below FEM
on the last e8a'*you can do this ,uic+ly and efficiently( &t can also serve as an electronic
gradeboo+(
I'd like some help with classroom management strategies %engaging
students& minimi'ing class chatter and cheating(
/a+e your e8pectations regarding classroo' behavior very clear fro' day one in a fir'
and respectful 'anner( -ave this infor'ation repeated in your syllabus and on your
course website( !8plain clearly what the conse,uences will be for students who are
caught cheating or plagiari5ing and ac,uaint your students with the university policy
regarding this(
FE
Let students +now that it is disruptive and distracting to you and to fellow students to
have people carrying on outside conversations and co'ing in late or leaving early( "s+
the' to respect every students' right to participate in a classroo' environ'ent conducive
to learning(
How do large class si'es affect individual learning?
Large classes 'ay re,uire students to be even 'ore proactive about their learning than in
a s'all class( &f students need help* they have to see+ it out( &t is hard to read faces and
respond to frowns and confused loo+s in a sea of @DE faces( ;tudents need to be
courageous enough to spea+ out and as+ ,uestions in class or see+ help through office
hours when they don't understand(
<ithout a lot of individuali5ed attention* students need to ta+e the initiative to co'e to
class prepared* to read the syllabus regularly and to +eep up with their assign'ents(
&t is also i'portant for students in large classes to 'a+e connections with other students
for help when they have 'issed class and also for the advantages of having a study
partner( This is why incorporating s'all group e8ercises in your classes can be especially
i'portant(
How can I feel prepared)in control& not intimidated by the masses& not
look at my notes and read?
$e prepared( ;pend as 'uch ti'e as you can designing a learning e8perience for your
students that ai's at specific goals you have deter'ined are i'portant( ;et these goals in
ter's of what you want your students to +now or be able to do at the end of the class(
&f you are new to teaching and designing a new course* it is hard to avoid a certain
a'ount of an8iety( #ou 'ight consider planning a lesson that incorporates ti'e to deliver
infor'ation* ti'e for students to thin+ reflectively about what's been presented* and1or
ti'e for students to interact in s'all groups( This will both ta+e the pressure off of you in
ter's of )perfor'ance) and allow students ti'e to better integrate the 'aterial(
&f you need help in planning this +ind of learning e8perience* please 'a+e an
appoint'ent with T!P(
How can I make it exciting without jumping around and being
animated like a clown?
<e all have different presentation styles( <hat 'a+es your presentation co'pelling has
to do with how it is organi5ed* how 'any different ways you are able to approach the
'aterial* how genuinely you can engage with your audience and )read) their
responsiveness* and how successful you are in 'a+ing the 'aterial relevant(
F1
#our passion for what you are tal+ing about is easy for students to see as well and
so'eti'es this is the 'ost i'portant thing to convey(
%reating a )need to +now) ... convincing students that the 'aterial they are studying is
relevant and i'portant for the' to learn can produce e8cite'ent(
How can I make sure I'm reaching as many students as possible?
Use a variety of ways to e8plain 'aterial( Use words* i'ages* video clips*
de'onstrations* charts* graphs* si'ulations* etc(
Present 'aterial in a well.organi5ed 'anner( Provide students with an outline to
follow( Periodically do internal su''aries of what has been covered so far* as+
for ,uestions and <"&T for students to have ti'e to process their thoughts and
build the courage to spea+ up(
>et feedbac+ fro' your students to deter'ine how successful their learning
e8perience is in your class(
Use s'all group wor+ to provide an opportunity for 'any students to beco'e
involved in a less threatening for'at(
Use ,ui55es or other less i'portant points of assess'ent to see where students are
in their understanding of the 'aterial and to also give the' e8a'ples of the +inds
of ,uestions you will be as+ing the' in 'ore for'al evaluations(
Provide students with handouts* study guides* sa'ple tests and other resources to
help the' understand your e8pectations(
Personally 7through e'ail9 invite students who see' to be struggling to 'eet with
you(
How can I get students actively involved and not just sitting there
and waiting until the day before the exam to study?
One of the best ways to do this is through %lassroo' "ssess'ent Techni,ues( These
could be seen as s'all learning e8peri'ents that involve @.D 'inute e8ercises for
students( The results of these e8peri'ents give both you and your students infor'ation
about what they are learning and how well they are understanding the 'aterial( These can
also be designed to be e8a'ples of the +inds of ,uestions and for'ats you will be using
to assess your students(
One e8a'ple of a %"T is to create a 'ultiple.choice ,uestion on a concept you have
presented to your students( Put this on an overhead during your lecture and as+ students
to ta+e a 'inute to thin+ about the ,uestion and possible answers and then 'a+e a guess(
They can then turn to a neighbor and discuss their answers for another 'inute in an
atte'pt to convince or be convinced about the best answer to the ,uestion( Then ta+e a
poll to see where the class stands( $ased on this infor'ation you can proceed or reteach(
How do I get students in the back to speak up?
&f one of your goals is to get as 'any students involved and interactive in class as
possible* try to design so'e good s'all group activities( Paired activities wor+ well in a
F?
large class especially if the roo' is crowded and the chairs are bolted down( Loo+ at
so'e of the e8a'ples of %lassroo' "ssess'ent Techni,ues for ideas on how to design
short* interactive opportunities for students to test their understanding of the 'aterial(
These can be done individually or as a shared pair activity( $oth ways will be beneficial(
How do I deal with the "wall flowers" in the class!!the ones who don't
participate or seek help when they need assistance?
;tructuring s'all group activities in a large class provides a safer foru' for shyer
students to beco'e involved in the class( These activities can be short and si'ple and
ta+e only a few 'inutes( Periodically stop your lecture and pose a ,uestion* give students
a short case study* give students a 'atri8 structure to co'plete or as+ students to
paraphrase a ter' in their own words( >ive the' ti'e to do this individually at first and
then as+ the' to turn to a neighbor or for' a s'all group of three or four students to
co'pare answers and co'e to consensus on the best answer(
-ave students fill out an infor'ation card or give the' so'e +ind of diagnostic at the
beginning of the course to help you identify wea+er students who 'ight benefit fro'
so'e outside resources( $e sure to announce 7and post to your class website9 all the
resources on ca'pus which students can use for writing and 'ath help and for tutoring in
other sub6ects( "cade'ic Learning ;ervices is an e8cellent resource(
How do I get students involved when the structure is essentially one!
way?
%hange the structure( One of the best ways to get students to be interactive in a large
class is to design 'eaningful* short* interactive activities in which they can participate
individually or with fellow students(
Loo+ at so'e of the e8a'ples of %lassroo' "ssess'ent Techni,ues for ideas on how to
design these +inds of opportunities for students to integrate their understanding of the
'aterial(
What ways do experienced lecturers have of making their material
memorable and stimulating students to think?
They use good e8a'ples and illustrations..several for each new idea and concept they are
introducing( !8a'ples and illustrations should be varied and should co'e at the idea a
little differently each ti'e to tap into the various ways students are able to understand
so'ething( For e8a'pleSso'e students will respond to a verbal e8planation* others to
i'ages* others to graphs and charts* video* si'ulations* etc(
Try to find a si'ple 'etaphor or analogy which can anchor each new concept you are
trying to get across..so'ething students can re'e'ber and use each ti'e they atte'pt to
integrate this new +nowledge(
F@
&n each class reserve so'e ti'e to present proble's* case studies* 'ultiple.choice
,uestions or so'e other +ind of opportunity for students to thin+ and apply what they are
learning(
*y main strength as a teacher is engaging students in discussion
and& without that possibility in a large forum& I worry that I'd be
much less successful as a teacher
&t is possible to engage students in a discussion even in a large class( &t is i'portant to
re'e'ber that every interaction you have with any student in the class affects the entire
group( &f you insult so'eone or dis'iss their contributions without ac+nowledg'ent*
'any students will 'a+e a decision at that point that it's not safe to spea+ up in class( &n
contrast* if you are encouraging* use so'eone's na'e* than+ a student for responding..
this will affect the others positively and encourage 'ore students to be part of the
discussion(
The 'ore students you have* however* the 'ore i'portant it is to provide a structure
which allows as 'uch participation as possible( This can be done in a variety of ways(
Use s'all group wor+( Pose ,uestions or proble's and let students wor+ together
in s'all groups to co'e to consensus on an answer( Then call on different groups(
Learn as 'any student na'es as possible and use the' in class( %all on students
and as+ their na'es when you do( efer bac+ to co''ents students have 'ade
whenever appropriate(
"lways treat your students with respect and ac+nowledge their contributions(
To avoid hearing fro' the sa'e students all the ti'e* periodically as+ for )new
voices()
Feature different discussion sections each ti'e you 'eet and let the students in
that section be responsible for the bul+ of the lecture discussion that day(
&nvite groups of students 7no 'ore than ?E.?D9 to participate in a wee+.long
listserv discussion with the professor around a topic of 'utual interest and rotate
through these group throughout the ter'( #ou could possibly give e8tra credit to
students who participate(
Use e8a'ples and illustrations that touch the lives of your students in a
'eaningful way( This will draw the' in(
>o at 'aterial in a variety of ways..with words* with i'ages* video* si'ulations*
de'onstrations
FA