Enabling High Quality Teaching and Learning for Large Classes

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” Students Large Classroom Teachers Administrators

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

Learning challenges exist irrespective of class size; magnitude differs 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 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

Solutions: Modified Pedagogies • 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: 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 questionswith 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

Enabling High Quality Teaching and Learning for Large Classes