Could Lectures Be Stimulating? An Approach to Encourage Active Learning

AISHE-J: The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2009

The passivity of students in lectures and large group teaching sessions has long been observed and criticised. In response some have argued for the abolition of this form of teaching. However, expansion in Higher Education, increases in student numbers and a desire to maintain face to face contact does seem to be a little at odds with this view. In fact, it seems that, for the foreseeable future, the lecture will remain a cornerstone of the tertiary education experience and many students will continue to spend considerable amounts of time sitting amongst, perhaps hundreds of, their classmates in a tiered lecture theatre, as an important part of their studies. The view expressed in this article is that most of the good things about lectures can be extended and expanded upon and most of the bad things can be reduced or erased by getting the students to play a more active and interactive role in the larger group teaching sessions they attend. Although this sounds a very simple idea th...

Background: Interactive lecture is a student centred teaching technique incorporating, multimodal strategies to create more engaging classroom settings. In our medical college, traditional lecture approach has been the core teaching method. So, we intended bringing in a change to passive way of learning by introducing first interactive lecture in Microbiology. The objective of our study was to evaluate perception of students on the usefulness of interactive lecture over traditional lecture. Methods: A session on Laboratory Diagnosis of Hepatitis B virus was selected. Anonymity of the responses was ensured to the students. Students were given overview about the study design and purpose of the study. Those who are willing to participate were enrolled for the study. A total of 112 students given consent were included. It was planned to provide traditional lecture on the selected topic followed by interactive lecture on the same topic for all 112 students. At the end of both the session, cross sectional survey was conducted using a pre validated questionnaire to assess the usefulness of interactive lecture given. Responses were to be provided on five point Likert scale with a score of 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree and 5= strongly agree. Frequencies of responses were analyzed by merging SDA & DA (Strongly disagree and Disagree) and SA & A (Strongly agree and Agree) as two groups. Percentage of responses was compared. Results: In general, 96% of them perceived interactive lecture was useful and reported that they strongly recommend it to their friends who weren"t there. Out of 112 students, 94(84%) reported interactive lecture was interesting when compared to traditional format. Conclusion: When planned meticulously interactive teaching can definitely can save time and energy. Our study emphasizes the need of interactive lecture in core curriculum for better understanding of the subject.

Active learning in higher education, 2005

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 2018

The traditional teaching style in higher education is didactic. However, the current literature states that student learning improves when they are active players in the process, triggering the move to implement active learning within the curriculum. In accordance, Monash University (an Australian research-intensive university) introduced the "Better Teaching Better Learning" agenda to deliver a more studentcentered learning experience but its implementation has been inconsistent across its different schools. Interviews and an online survey were conducted to evaluate the teaching practices in lectures of Biomedical Science academics, identify barriers preventing them from implementing active learning in their teaching, and identify possible strategies to overcome said barriers. The two main teaching groups use a variety of teaching styles in lectures, with education-focused academics employing more active learning practices. Many academics were in the process of changing their teaching style, mainly to improve the overall student learning experience. However, complex barriers prevent them from doing so. Possible strategies were identified that would help academics adopt a more student-centered teaching style.

Journal of Instructional Research, 2015

Massification in higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa is an ongoing reality that poses particular challenges and opportunities for these nations (Mohamedbhai, 2008). Like Scott (1995), we use the term massification to refer to the rapid increase of students attending higher education institutions in the latter part of the 20th century and into the 21st century. We contend that even in large lecture hall situations, active teaching strategies can be employed to check for understanding, to engage more students in grappling with the content in deeper and more complex ways, and to model for prospective teachers how to use these techniques to engage their future students in large classroom contexts. In this expository paper, we outline the professional development training we conducted with Kenyatta University teacher educators. We focused on teaching and modeling twelve active learning strategies that they could use in their classes, which are held in lecture halls with as many as 500 students in a class, and were useful active learning strategies regardless of the number of students in the class. By using the aforementioned active learning strategies, we believe the lecture method can be transformed into a tool that promotes active rather than passive learning. Massification does not have to mean a lower-quality learning experience despite large class sizes. Indeed, we argue that massification means a different learning experience for lecturers and students.

Introduction: The factual knowledge says that interactivity leads to better learning outcomes. MCI has recommended interactive and innovative teaching but it is rare to find studies that have emphasized on faculty development and so this research work is a step-stone in medical education. Aim and objectives: To compare the educational effectiveness of interactive lectures with didactic lectures as well as to acknowledge the preferred mode of teaching in a large group through the perception of students and faculties. Methods: Randomized controlled Trial with cross-over was conducted among the 7 th semester students (112) in RMCH, Bareilly for a period of 3 months. Each group (56) were taught interactive (by Think-Pair-Share, buzz groups, peer instructions, questioning) and didactic lectures respectively with cross-over. Pre and Post tests were conducted in each session using MCQs. Feedback from the students (112) and faculty (11) were filled subsequently using Likert's scale. The data was analyzed by using the SPSS and P values <0.05 considered significant. Results: Statistically significant difference (p <0.01) was found in pre-test and post-test scores of both groups. Also, the gain through the two was also found to be statistically significant (p-value <0.001). Interactive teaching in medical education was agreed upon by the students and faculties as a more active and better way of learning for attaining the specific learning objectives. Conclusion: Learning was enhanced through interactive lectures as compared to didactic ones and there was positive perception among students and faculties, so it is strongly recommended to train the faculty members in the various interactive methods but still further research is needed on a larger sample to improve external validity.

2003

Large lecture classes present unique challenges and opportuni­ ties. A CSU San Bernardino instructional development grant enabled us to hire student assistants for our large-enrollment geography course in order to conduct small group discussions around a series of videos shown in class. After the student assis­ tant-led discussions, some groups were called upon to report their discussions to the entire class. Student response to this innovation was positive; many of them enjoyed the opportu­ nity to discuss a controversial topic.

2010

Collegium antropologicum

Lectures were, still are and seem to remain a dominant form of teaching, despite an increased research and use of other methods of teaching and leverage of technology aimed at improving teaching results and efficiency. Learning, as the result of a lecture, greatly depends on the subject, the competence and abilities of the lecturer as well as on other transient causes. However, lectures also have some intrinsic deficiencies as a teaching method pertinent to their very nature.