Active / interactive learning facilitation in large classes

Abstract

Anyone who has taught a large class is aware of the physical and emotional constraints upon both lecturer and students. For students the dominant problems are anonymity, passivity and a frustration of not being able to say what is happening to them. For lecturers the dominant problems are not being able to relate to students as individuals, a feeling of being driven back to traditional teaching, being overwhelmed by assessment demands, and a sense of not being in control of the class. An increase in class size requires lecturers radically to reconsider how they deliver their courses. One such strategy proposed in this paper is that of active learning facilitation - getting students to work and think in the classroom about what and why they are doing what they are doing.