Engaging learners

in Very Large Classes

Dr. Geoff Mitchell

TALSS Assoc. Director of Environments

and

Dr. Sylvia L. Edwards

TALSS L&T Consultant &
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Information Technology
 Your Objectives
• To look at the “Nature of the beast!”
– Set the Scene for what we are considering
• Identify some of the Main Issues
– Large class? Consider the importance of
• engaging, assessing, managing & designing
• Identify some Practical Tips that may help
• To do all this with a bit of variety
• Know where to get further information
• Get some questions answered
– These slides are available from
– www.fit.qut.edu.au/~edwardss/Teaching
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 The 4 Dimensions of the QUT Teaching
Capability Framework are:

1. Engaging Learners

2. Designing for Learning

3. Assessing for Learning

4. Managing for Learning

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 The Teaching Capability Framework has
been expanded into a set of 6 contextual
elements:
• Pedagogical/Organisational Knowledge
• Discipline
• Curriculum
• Learners
• Environment
• Scholarship

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 How much of what you do is
underpinned by Theory?

• Name the three theories of learning that

follow and a major exponent of it

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 Name 3 learning theories described
below & give a major exponent of it:
1. Learning is an active process in which learners construct
new ideas or concepts based on their current/past
knowledge.
• Constructivism (Bruner)
2. Learning must address the needs and wants of the
learner, all humans have a propensity to learn and the
role of the teacher is facilitate such learning.
• Experiential Leaning (Rogers)
3. Learning is a function of change in overt behaviour.
Reinforcers and punishment play important role in
developing learning.
• Operant Conditioning (Skinner)

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Setting the Scene
• Lecturer is a little person behind a big desk
– Lecture Theatres
• 530 students seated in GP Z411
• 300 Students in other GP, KG & CA lecture theatres
– can they hear me? can they see me?
– How do I break the Ice on the first lesson?
– Can I engender a friendly learning
environment?
• and if I do - can I still control this group?
– Can I make it a personal learning experience?
• Can I engage these students?

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 Main Issues
• In small groups please consider

You’ve probably been part of a large group.

1. What made it a successful learning

experience for you?
2. What did the lecturer do?
3. Have you had a less than successful
experience?
• Can you identify the reason for this?
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 Main Issues?
• Communication
– the lecturers body and body language; Madonna Mike!
• walking, repeating students questions and comments
– Repeat Main concepts 3 to 6 times
• Work with diversity & internationalization
• Planning
– Entertainment/Variety
– Repetition of Lectures
– Using Technology
– Discipline

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 Engaging Learners
Engaging learners in the process of learning
involves teachers adopting and fostering active,
interactive and deep learning approaches so that
learners can interact meaningfully with the
concepts, materials, processes and people in a
course.

– identifying your student's approaches to studying

– understanding how adult’s learn and write

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 Engage them how?

• Variety is the spice of life

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 2 Hour Lecture Format
• 5 Minutes settling in with Music
• 15 - 20 minutes teaching
• 5 minute pairs task
• 15 - 20 minutes teaching
• 10 minute break with Music
• 15 minutes teaching
• 10 - 15 minute pairs task/video
• 15 minutes teaching
• Then 5 minutes summary and conclusion and into to
next weeks tasks
– OLT Slides of main points
– Consider KeePad's
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 Now let’s use the “KeePad”s

• What do I need to know?

– First check out the front panel
– How will I vote?
• Pick the one option that you agree with most
– What if I change my mind?

Let’s begin then…

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 Attending this workshop means I am missing..

0% 1. My sport time
0% 2. My time with my partner and/or kids
0% 3. Good book read with a glass of wine
0% 4. Washing, housework and chores
0% 5. Catching up on sleep
0% 6. Nothing at all, I love being here!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
Whose theory?
Learning is a function of change in overt behaviour.
Reinforcers and punishment play important role in
developing learning.
0%
1. Brunner 1
2. Rogers 2
3
3. Hammerstein 4
4. Shinner 5

5. None of the above

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41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
Are victimless crimes (against for eg: banks) more
acceptable than crimes against humans?

0% 1. Yes

0% 2. No

0% 3. Not sure

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
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41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
 It is morally wrong to copy music onto
CD’s or computers for private use

0% 1. Strongly Agree
0% 2. Agree
0% 3. Neutral
0% 4. Disagree
0% 5. Strongly Disagree

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
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Select the correct answer:
Phenomenography is a research approach
0%

1. that began in Norway in the 1970’s

2. where Learning is studied under artificial conditions
0%

3. identifies conceptions of phenomena in the world around us

4. emphasizes the search for the universal essences of
0%

various sorts of matters

0%

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41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
I have previously used illegal substances,
such as marijuana

0% 1. Yes
0% 2. Abstain
0% 3. No

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 Let’s Stretch

Break Time – 5 minutes

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 Design for learning

Designing for learning requires planning and

design of appropriate curriculum, activities,
environments and assessment to support student
learning and achieve planned student learning
outcomes.
– Geoff’s Story

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 An approach to teaching & learning
• Lectures, Labs, Tut’s, Pracs….
– Some faculties these are NOT Compulsory!
• Other Faculties they are!
– Unit Goals and Assignments are critical elements
– Laboratory access outside Lab Sessions
– Allow a few minutes of settling in time!
– Give them a short break in a 2 hour lecture
• Guest Lecturers ... 20 minutes to 1 hour

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 Practical Tips
• Set up the Unit OLT pages
– Include an Assignment FAQ.
– Include Examples of previous students’ work;
– Update the Unit contacts with tutor details, etc.
– Run OLT quiz to identify areas needing further
attention
• Repeating a lecture
– déjà vu; physical & intellectual difficulties
• Generic Skills development

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 Assessing for Learning

Assessment informs what and how students learn. Setting

appropriate and challenging standards, assessing the
learner and their learning progress (through diagnostic,
process, and outcome assessment in both a formative
and summative manner) are integral to learning process.
– Learning contracts, reflective journals, self-assessment, peer
assessment, portfolios, posters, etc.,
– think about what type of assessment you want to drive the
learning in the unit

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 Managing for learning
Managing teaching and student learning is enhanced by
effective administration and organisation of time to plan
and generate resources, organise and plan systems and
people. It requires an engagement with the policies and
organisational priorities that impact on teaching and
learning.

– Team teaching today involved

• organisation of the session’s materials,
• planned individual elements of each person’s approach,
• we booked the Keepad’s, etc.
• It’s the mechanics of teaching.

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 Common Large Group Problems
• Planning can solve most of the following
– Discipline problems
• anyone past the “snow line” is invisible
• Mutual Respect
• Ground rules/work agreement/learning contract
– IT Failure and your SKILLS
• Printed script of an audio tape
• Back to chalk & Talk!
– United Teaching Front
• Tutorial team meetings; agreed standards for marking; one
or two with consultation hours to lighten your coordinators
role!
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 Readings to Help
Numerous resources are available on all the sub-topics via
the website

• Teaching Capabilities Framework

– http://www.library.qut.edu.au/framework/
• Sessional Teaching AUTC Project
– http://www.tedi.uq.edu.au/sessionalteaching/
• Tools for Teaching : Preparing to
Teach the Large Lecture Course
– http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/largelecture.html

09/17/20 Engaging Learners in Large Classes 27

 Did we cover it?
• To look at the “Nature of the beast!”
– Set the Scene for what we are considering
• Identify some of the Main Issues
– Large class? Consider the importance of
• engaging, assessing, managing & designing
• Identify some Practical Tips that may help
• To do all this with a bit of variety
• Know where to get further information
• Get some questions answered

09/17/20 Engaging Learners in Large Classes 28

 What are the issues for you?
5 Minutes to reflect in small groups, or on your own,
1. Think about the opening questions, or the KeePad,
activities
• What did it made you feel like?
• What else could you have done with these activities?

2. What are other issues have you identified so far when

you have been lecturing in large groups?
– How have you responded?
– What has helped you in that environment?
– What has been a problem?
– What could you have done differently?

3. What remains a problem/issue?

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 Action Points

• Take a couple of minutes to list now your own

BEST FIVE
ACTION POINTS
FOR CHANGE

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 Thanks for listening

Are there any questions

or
further suggestions?

Sylvia Edwards and Geoff Mitchell

s.edwards@qut.edu.au gc.mitchell@qut.edu.au

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