ENABLING HIGH QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR LARGE CLASSES Kirti Garg, Vasudeva Varma

International Institute of Information technology, Hyderabad

Goal• Negating the effect of large class size• Achieving learning objectives

Learning How to Handle Large Classrooms “Effectively”

Large Classroom

AdministratorsTeachers

Students

The Elephant: “Large Class”• What is a large class?• How large is a large class?• Why are classes large?• What are the features of a large class?• What are the administrative challenges?• What are the learning challenges?

The three blind men• Administrators: Issues and viewpoint• Teachers: Issues and viewpoint• Students: Issues and viewpoint

• Not mutually exclusive• Dependencies between admin and learning issues

Features of Large Classes• Diversity (learning abilities, prior knowledge, learning styles, expectations, goals)• Dynamics of a large class are different• Student and faculty usually hold negative perception• Offers opportunities for enriched learning• No conclusive evidence that class size negatively affect learning• Splitting the class or increasing resources does not work• Pedagogical changes are required to achieve quality learning• A lot of attention to be paid to administrative issues

Careful design of the learning environment that includes content, pedagogy and assessment; bounded by a framework of structure; and guided by well-defined managerial and technical processes.

Learning challenges exist irrespective of class size; magnitude differs

Learning Related Challenges• Ensuring every one gets to know the basics • Managing interaction in class and outside class• Personalization of learning• Choice of pedagogy• Traditional lectures may not be effective – passive learning• Alternative pedagogies introduce administrative issues

• Designing meaningful assessments

Administrative Issues• Dealing with volume of grading• Grading load• plagiarism• Reliable grading scheme

• Establishing Communication• Support Staff and Tutor management• Discipline• Attendance• Feedback exchange• Organizing practical activities

Solutions• Modifying Pedagogy• Engaging Students• Using discussions• Motivating Students• Personalized Learning• Careful Course Organization• Designing valid, reliable and manageable Assessment• Effective grading• Dealing with plagiarism• Taking attendance• Effective use of Teaching Assistants and support staff• Using Technology

Solutions: Modified Pedagogies• Lectures with Active Learning• Breaking up the conventional lecture with questions and

discussion • Solving a small practical problem that requires application

of concepts taught in class• Quiz on material from previous class• Asking students to consolidate the learning at end of the

class• In-class exercises that may require working in pairs• Lecture with pauses, where the pauses are utilized by

students to consolidate thoughts or make notes

• Collaborative Learning• Temporary groups in classes• Semester wide group work• Activity wise groups• Roleplays

• Should be in sync with the lectures and actually support the learning objectives of the course• Assessment of collaborative work is challenging

Solutions: Modified Pedagogies

Solutions: Engaging Students• Asking questions• Encouraging students to ask questions • Making classes discussion oriented• Demonstrations and Roleplays• Weight to class participation in grading• Small in-class exercises • moving around in class • Collaborative, active learning

Solutions: Using Discussions• Effective for engagement. • Benefit from diversity• Invoking discussions• Centered on project work or in-class exercises• Case Study discussions• Centered around applications or applicability of a concept

or procedure, comparison of methods and techniques • Boundary conditions• Asking wrong or very difficult questions• Make discussions part of class participation

Solution: Motivating Students• Will bring attention and engagement• To motivate• Use Problem solving mode• Discuss ‘why’ before ‘how’ and ‘what’• Use assessments to motivate• Building analogies with real world• Give prompt feedback

Solution: Personalized Learning• Creating an illusion of a small class• To personalize:• Learn at least some student names, correct pronunciation• Move around in class and maintain eye contact• Distribute or collect papers/ material along with TAs. • Spend some time in clarifying doubts of students • Provide personalized feedbacks on assessments• Provide feedback mechanisms (emails, drop boxes, course

portal)

Solution: Careful course Organization

• Large classes require more organization and more preparation for proper administration• Discuss course structure and other modalities in very beginning with students and support staff• Establish ground rules for communication, dealing with plagiarism, assessment policies • Set expectations from the students • Establish a chain of command • Early work distribution among TAs• Regular meeting with TA and support staff• Regular lab /tutorial sessions/ office hours

Solution; Developing valid and reliable assessment that is also manageable • Good assessments are aligned with the learning objectives, integrated with the pedagogy, and not a burden on the faculty and students• Good assessments provide feedback and enrich learning• Can be subjective or Objective. Objective easy to administer, but give incomplete view of competency• Large classes need a strategic mix

Solution: Designing Assessments• Cover depth as well breadth of curriculum • Develop exams that demonstrate competency. Example: application oriented exams• Add short essay questions with limitations on length• Ask students to answer questions using diagrams or flow charts • MCQs with brief explanations• Give guidelines for quality submissions• Rely on multiple instruments • Inform students about the plagiarism policy • Include questions that support reflection

Solution: Effective Grading mechanisms

• Should take less time and resources, but give • Goes in hand with assessment design• Should be reliable• Use in class peer evaluations• Instantaneous feedback

• Use group assignments • Take help from technology • Transparency - share assessment criteria with students

Solution: Dealing with Plagiarism• Train TAs or use software tools for detection• Educate students about the consequences• Strict evaluation of very first assessments and penalties for plagiarism• Make submissions public but not the marks • Encourage and if possible reward early submissions • Set up tutorial sessions to help weak students

Solution: Taking Attendance• Fixed seating arrangements, mark only absents, delegate task to TA

• Randomized attendance

• Use in-class quizzes to mark attendance

Solution: Use Technology• Share class notes or slides• Simulations to demonstrate and engage• Public Addressing systems for reachability• Email, content management systems, learning management system, document sharing systems for communication including feedback• Automated or semi-automated grading systems • Computer based tutors for practice

Solution: Effective Use of TAs• For grading• For conducting lab/tutorial/review sessions• For attendance• For technology management• For feedback from students

Conclusions• Increased class size brings variations, administrative issues and need for pedagogical changes • Basic learning principles and guidelines for effective teaching remain same, the implementation changes• administrative issues cannot be ignored • Requires careful design of complete learning environment, one issue cant be handled in isolation