Active Learning in Large Lectures: Make 300 Feel Like 30

Consider the ideal classroom setting: a professor stands among their pupils, addressing a wide range of issues, and students raise their hands to participate in the engaging group discussion. It's an exciting time for everyone. What sort of classroom do you imagine? Is it an intimate room with 30 or so students where everyone knows each other's names?

While this Hollywood-esque classroom setting does exist in some universities, the truth is, with many students needing to finish so many courses in such a short period of time, and with pressures on colleges and universities to boost enrollments and revenues, class sizes are often considerably larger. In fact, it is not unusual for some lecture halls to contain 300 – 500 students.

Unfortunately, this changes the ways teaching and learning must take place in the following ways:

• Names: A professor can't possibly remember the name of all 300 students in a large class.
• More Lecturing: With 300+ students with varying levels of knowledge and ability, large sections of courses often benefit from more lecturing and less activity-based instruction.
• Less Engagement: Students don't have as much opportunity to engage in the classroom discussion when it takes place in a large lecture hall.

Ways to Make 300 Students Feel Like 30

While these fundamental challenges that come with a large lecture-based classroom may prove difficult, they also provide the opportunity for the professor to think and teach differently, finding ways to engage their students and make 300 people feel like 30 – all while improving the learning process.

Form Smaller Groups
Segmenting a large classroom of students into smaller, more manageable groups can make things feel more intimate. Smaller groups within a large lecture can provide additional support, engagement opportunities and encourage group discussion. Here's how can instructors can establish these more intimate groups without disrupting the core benefits of a large lecture:

• If you have 300 pupils, set them up into 60 groups of five individuals. Make adjustments based on the number of students you have, but keep the groups small enough that they may work together effectively.
• Depending on what works best for your course, determine if the students should form their own groups or be randomly selected.
• Let students know before the first day of class that they will be broken up into groups, so they can prepare for this type of setting.
• Design a seating chart that outlines where each group is located and reuse this chart every semester.
• Give each group a number or a sign that they can bring to class every day to be easily identified and called upon.

Practice Active Learning
One of the greatest challenges in a larger classroom is figuring out ways to break up lectures. You need not only convey material at an appropriate pace for students but also make sure they're engaged and interested throughout each learning experience. One way that you can do this is through active learning techniques:

• Before each class, provide each group of students with a subject for conversation that pertains to the lecture.
• After five to ten minutes of open discussion, bring the class back together to have each group share their opinions.
• It's natural for some groups to share more than others. If you notice this happening in your class, keep a running tally of all the group numbers who participate and post it in a public area of the classroom, like a leaderboard! Then, the groups will begin competing to increase their score.

Use Technology to Your Advantage
Students rely heavily on smartphones, tablets and laptops as part of the learning experience. However, they can be distracting in the classroom – especially in large classrooms where they feel as though the professor isn't paying attention to them anyway. While some professors have turned to a zero-tolerance policy for technology in the classroom, this can be a bit difficult to enforce. Instead, professors can embrace technology in a way that benefits the entire class.

• Encourage students to use their laptops for research during group discussions. When you give them permission to find answers related to the lesson, they will begin to develop and implement smart technology habits in the classroom that may carry into their professional careers.
• Technology-based response systems like Poll Everywhere allow your students to submit answers directly through their smartphones or laptop. You can use this technology to have your students submit post-lecture quizzes or gauge their learning during the discussion.

Large, lecture-based classes can pose challenges for both the students and the professor. However, by implementing the above approaches, you can help make your class of 300 feel like 30 – encouraging fun, discussion and sustained student engagement.