Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment - Western Washington University's Teaching and Learning Center
Teaching Tips
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Large Classes
While the the resources for teaching large classes provided on this page are comprehensive, they have been reviewed by the CIIA and deemed exceptionally useful. To assist in your perusal, these resources are grouped on this page in the following categories:
Advance Planning & Management | Assessment & Grading | Building Classroom Community | Discussion & Interaction | Lecturing to Large Classes
Relevant Books
- Heppner, Frank, Teaching the Large
College Class: A Guidebook for
Instructors with Multitudes, San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2007.
Available at the CIIA - Stanley, Christine A., and Porter,
Erin M., (Eds.) Engaging Large
Classes: Strategies and
Techniques for College Faculty,
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2002.
Available at CIIA and Wilson Library - MacGregor, Jean; Cooper, James L.;
Robinson, Pamela; Smith, Karl A.
(Eds.). Strategies for Energizing
Large Classes: From Small Groups
to Learning Communities, San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2002
Available at CIIA and Wilson Library
Advance Planning & Management
(See also: Teaching Tips, Course Design and Development)
- Large Classes: Limiting the Chaos, University of Waterloo, Canada
- Logistics and Management of Large Classes, Center for Teaching & Learning, University of Georgia
- About Teaching Large Classes, Teaching Support Centre, University of Western Ontario
- Preparing to Teach the Large Lecture Course, Tools for Teaching (1993), Barbara Gross Davis, University of California, Berkley
Assessment & Grading
(See also: Teaching Tips, Assessment and Grading)
- Assessing Large Classes, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne
- Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs), Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt University
- See also: Assessing Learning, Online Video Modules
- See also: Assessing Learning, Online Video Modules
- Writing Multiple-Choice Questions that Demand Critical Thinking, Teaching Effectiveness Program, University of Oregon
Building Classroom Community
- Establishing Rapport: Personal Interaction and Learning, Neil Fleming, Idea Paper 39, The Idea Center
- "Group Introductions" Get-Acquainted Team Building Activity,
a method for introducing students to one another for group work or for an entire small class; includes reflective questions. Kathryn J. Cox, Ohio State University Extension - Large Classes: A Teaching Guide: Personalizing the Large Class, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Maryland
- Not Quite 101 Ways to Learning Students' Names, Teaching Resource Center, University of Virginia
- Welcoming Students on the First Day, part of a series of videos related to creating a positive learning environment (see description*), Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University
Discussion & Interaction
(See also: Teaching Tips, Active Learning)
- Implementing Interactive Activities in a Large Class to Build Community, part of a series of videos related to creating a positive learning environment (see description*), Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University
- Managing a Discussion in a Large Class, part of a series of videos related to creating a positive learning environment (see description*), Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University
- Teaching Large Classes (FAQs and Strategies), Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Penn State
Lecturing to Large Classes
- Effective Lecturing, IDEA Paper #46, The Idea Center
- Teaching Large, Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment, UT Austin
- Teaching with Lectures, The Teaching Center, Washington University in St. Louis
- The "Change-Up" in Lectures, The National Teaching & Learning Forum
** The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at Iowa State University created a series of videos related to creating a positive learning environment on day one of the term. Dr. Corly Brooke, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at ISU believes that regardless of class size, it is important to welcome the students, set clear expectations and create an environment that is conducive to learning. Watch all the video clips to see what works well for her.
