TeachingSpotlightWorkshop#1:Teaching&ManagingLargeClasses

BRANDONCAMPITELLI, SARAHEICHHORN,KEELYFINKELSTEIN,JENNIFERFRITZ,KRISTINPATTERSON

WorkshopExpectations1.Challenges2.Advantages3.Bestpractices/Strategies4.Resources

Challenges&Advantages:

We’llbreakupinto2-4groups:Group1- In5minutes,brainstormalistofasmanychallengesasyoucanthinkofforteachinglargeclasses.

Group2– In5minutes,brainstormalistofasmanyadvantagesasyoucanthinkofforteachinglargeclasses.

Challenges&Advantages:

NowSwitch:Groups- Rotatetotheothergroup’sposter&discusstheirlist,addnewcomments,voteupyourfavorite/mostimportantissues.

Bringyourpenswithyoutoaddnewcomments/notes/votes!

SomePossibleChallenges:1.Studentsnotparticipating/notengaged.2.Limitedteachingstyle(e.g.lectureonly)3.Maintainingclassdiscipline/expectations4.Grading5.ManagingOfficeHours/StudentEmails6.UtilizingTAs/LAseffectively

Advantages:1.Largeclasses=alwaysenoughstudentsforinteraction.2.Teachinglargeclassesprovidesyouwithalargeandhighlydiversepopulationofstudents(Wolfman,2002;Wood,2009)3.Instructorisnottheonlyresource:◦ LeveragingTAs,LAs,andpeerinstruction4.Studentsdevelopstrategiesforhelpingthemselves&classmates.5.Helpsfosteranatmosphereofcollaboration&teamwork.

Renauld etal.2007:https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/07-45-3-c.pdf

BestPractices/Strategies:o Insmallgroups(2-3people)brainstormatleastonestrategy/techniquetotacklethechallengeyou’vebeengiven.o Inaddition,identifywaystoleverageorincorporatetheadvantageyouhaveintoyoursolution/strategy,orotherstrategies.o 5minutestobrainstorm&thenyourgroupwillhave3-5minutestoreportout.

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-large-classes/

BestPractices/Strategies– GroupDiscussion:o Yourgroupwillhave3-5minutestoshareyourchallenge,yourstrategy,andwaysofleveragingyouradvantageinlargeclasses.

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-large-classes/

StudentParticipation/ActiveLearning:1.Think-pair-share2.Votingquestions3.Minutepapers4.GroupDiscussion5.PositionDiscussions

A BC D

oActiveLearning&makinguseoftechnologyhasbeenshowntoincreaseattendanceandisbeneficialformanagingaclass(Deslauriers etal.2011&Mulryan-Kyne 2010)

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/tlpdc/Resources/Teaching_resources/TLPDC_teaching_resources/TipsForTeachingLargeClasses.pdf

Blendinglecture&Activelearninginlargeclasses:InteractiveLectures:

Figures:InteractiveLecturing– Barkley&Major(2018)

“InteractiveLecturing”– Barkley&Major(2018);“DynamicLecturing”– Harrington&Zakrajsek (2017)

o Usingapproachesthatincorporatebothlectureandactivelearninghavebeenshowntobeusefultoolsforincreasingstudentengagement(e.g.Carpenter,2006;Mulryan-Kyne,2010;Walkeretal.2008)

MaintainingClassDiscipline/Expectations:

o Setclassroomexpectationsatbeginning&remindoften.o Establishroutineso Settingtoneofmutualrespecttoeachother&instructorso Learningstudentnames/establishinginstructordemeanor&rapportwithstudents.

Grading&Assessments:o LightGradingonshortassignmentso UtilizingRubricso Rethinkingformativeassessments:o Discussionorientedactivities– studentsstillreceivecriticalfeedback.o Usingtechnology:PollEverywhere.com;Clickers;otherVotingResponsesystems;

Canvas

o PeerGradingo Provenstudentbenefitsofprovidingfrequentfeedback– canbedone

usingallofthetechniquesabove(e.g.Deslauriers etal.2011)

https://info.maths.ed.ac.uk/assets/files/LandT/Deslauriers_Science_May2011.pdf

UtilizingTAs/LAsEffectively:o HoldregularTAmeetingso Usegradingrubricso Divideupgrading– makeuseCanvasSpeedgradero Leveragethemforinclasstime&studentinteractions,additionalexpertiseo SomeresearchshowsthatstudentsoftenpreferLAsovergraduatestudentTAsorinstructorswhentheyfindthemselvesinneedofhelp(e.g Prather,Rudolph,Brissenden 2011)

oWantmoreinfo/discussiononthistopic?JointheTIDESFLConLearningAssistants– meetseveryotherThursdayatnoon!

ManagingOfficeHours/StudentEmails:Developstrategiestoencouragestudentstomakeuseofofficehours:◦ Tip: FrameOfficeHoursas“FreeWeeklyHelpSessions”(Prather,Univ.ofArizona)◦ Tip: Smallgroupsrequiredinfirstfewweeks.◦ Tip:Varietyoftimes/surveystudentsforbesttimes.◦ Tip: EncouragestudentstoutilizeTAs&theirofficehoursaswell.

Emails:◦ Setgroundrules/expectationsearlyon◦ HaveaFAQpageorsheetforwherecertaintypesofquestionscanbefound:syllabus,coursewebpage– otherthanemailingasdefault.

SummaryofBestPracticesfromJennyLloyd-Strovas,TexasTech:

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/tlpdc/Resources/Teaching_resources/TLPDC_teaching_resources/TipsForTeachingLargeClasses.pdf

Resources:• VanderbiltUniversityresources– TeachingLargeClasses:https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-

pages/teaching-large-classes/• TexasTechUniversity– Tipsforlargeclasses:

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/tlpdc/Resources/Teaching_resources/TLPDC_teaching_resources/TipsForTeachingLargeClasses.pdf

• TIDESTeachingPortal:https://cns.utexas.edu/teaching-portal• Renauld etal.2007,“Student-CenteredTeachinginLargeClasseswithLimitedResources”

https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/07-45-3-c.pdf• Hess2001,“TeachingLargeMulti-levelClasses”http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam031/2001025090.pdf• Cooper&Robinson2000“TheArgumentforMakingLargeClassesSeemSmall”

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tl.8101/epdf• Deslauriers,Schelew,&Wieman 2011,“ImprovedLearninginaLarge-EnrollmentPhysicsClass”

https://info.maths.ed.ac.uk/assets/files/LandT/Deslauriers_Science_May2011.pdf

• Prather,Rudolph,Brissenden 2011,“UsingResearchtoBringInteractiveLearningStrategiesintoGeneralEducationMega-Courses”https://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov/download/publications/Prather_Mega-Courses.pdf