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University of Tennessee

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Newsletter: Fall 2004

Large Class Size

by: Michael Burke

“I teach classes with 100 (or 200, or more) students. How can I possibly facilitate interaction or incorporate active learning activities in a lecture hall that size?”

This is an admittedly difficult proposition. Group size and time constraints necessarily limit the frequency and duration of active participation by any individual member of the class. There are, nonetheless, activities that can increase the level of participation and active engagement with the course content in large groups.

Try This: Upon entering the classroom, each student drops a 3x5 card (or folded piece of paper) with their name and a question based on the previous lecture, or the homework assignment for today’s class, into a box at the back of the room. The instructor randomly selects three questions, reads the student’s name, and invites the writer to stand and ask their question. The instructor then invites anyone in the class who thinks they can answer the question to raise their hand and calls on one volunteer. If the answer is correct (or within the range of correct and/or plausible answers), both students receive one point. If the answer is not within the acceptable range, the instructor may elect to give another student the chance to answer the question, or may simply answer the question then move on to student question number two. Allot about five to ten minutes for this activity.