Introduction

In 2019, CDTLink embarks on a new series titled “Strategies for…”, where we revisit teaching and learning topics that continue to be an important part of our endeavour in engaging our students in learning. We invite faculty members to share a strategy on “Strategies for…” from their respective contexts.

We begin with the topic on “Engaging Students in Large Classes”. Many faculty members are involved in teaching large classes. In the context of NUS, we classify large classes into three categories – (a) lectures with an enrolment of above 250 students; (b) between 180 and 250 students; and (c) between 100 and 179 students.

Based on the classification and with the help of the Registrar’s Office, the number of large classes over the past five academic years, namely from AY2014/2015 to AY2018/2019, is as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Large classes at NUS over 5 academic years (Source: Registrar’s Office, NUS)

 

The trend in the past 5 years shows that the number of large classes has either remained almost the same or increased, in particular for classes with student numbers of between 100 and 179. These large classes comprise all module levels, from Year 1 to Year 5. Interestingly, while there seems to be a decrease of classes in the range between 180 and 250 students, there has been an increase for classes with students above 250. For these two latter categories, most of the module levels are at Years 1 to 3. In short, what the data from the five academic years show is that teaching of large classes is still a key teaching activity for many of our faculty members.

The introduction of webcast and video-recorded lectures in the flipped approach has added a new dimension to engaging students in large classes. Nonetheless, as noted by Exeter et al. (2010) who investigated teaching practices of teachers who taught very large classes (e.g., 1000 students), there are three key principles used by effective teachers in engaging students. These are (a) course management, such as having different teachers who are the experts in certain areas to teach respective topics, (b) the use of different in-class strategies, and (c) continuing to engage students outside of class.  

Chi (2009) Interactive-Constructive-Active-Passive (ICAP) framework is one guide teachers could refer to in ascertaining the level of student engagement of the strategies they use in lectures, as illustrated in Figure 2 below:

 

Table 1
ICAP framework: Descriptions of the learning process and examples (Chi & Wylie, 2014)

Learning Process	Description	Example
Passive	Receiving instruction without overtly doing anything else	Listening to a lecture
Active	Selecting or manipulating parts of the learning materials that cause focused attention but lack awareness of generating ideas beyond what is provided	Taking verbatim notes during a lecture
Constructive	Producing output that contain ideas that go beyond the information presented	Drawing a concept map or a diagram
Interactive	Dialoguing substantively on the same topic, and not ignoring a partner’s contributions	Reciprocally teaching to other's questions

In our local NUS context, what are strategies that have worked for large classes/lectures? In the following infographic, faculty colleagues share concrete examples, strategies, or techniques that have worked for them.

 

Faculty Sharing

Stories to illustrate concepts
		Strategy: “Stories capture our attention in a way that little else does. And they persist in our memory; they are ‘psychologically privileged’. If I can find a story that illustrates an economic concept, I have hit a home run.” Name: ONG Ee Cheng | Economics, FASS Featured Module: EC1101E Introduction to Economic Analysis Class Size: 400-600 Duration: 1 hr 35mins/lecture session
Real-life experiences & visual demonstrations
		Strategy: “The study of Engineering Principles is always perceived as a difficult subject. I infuse real-life experiences into my lectures to make the material easier to understand and easier to learn. I also use visuals such as videos, animations, and images as they excite young minds, capture their interest, and enrich classroom learning.” Name: QIU Anqi | Biomedical Engineering, FoE Featured Module: BN1102 Engineering Principles & Practice Class Size: 150 Duration: 1 hr 35mins/lecture session
Socratic questions
		Strategy: “To engage students in the Biodiversity module, I try to ‘Entertain, Excite, and Expose’. In this fundamental but data-intensive module of unfamiliar content, I ‘entertain’ by infusing elements of fun through small groups, board games, social interaction but also by lecturing in digestible components to scaffold learning. To ‘excite’ involves Socratic questioning as I move about in a large class to seek out student response and dialogue. Local and global efforts in investigation and discovery are important and are coupled with accessible quizzes to prepare or re-engage them with particular topics. Ultimately to ‘expose’ is the critical element – students participate in field trips and other out–of-classroom activities in the natural environment to provide an authentic experience unavailable in the most inspiring lecture. Coupled with detailed and clear module guidelines, this integrated supports a deeper understanding of the topic.” Name: N. Sivasothi | Biological Sciences, FoS Featured Module: LSM2252 Biodiversity Class Size: 150 Duration: 1hr 35 mins/lecture session
1-minute-questions & short discussions
		Strategy: “I found the “One-Minute-Question” cum short discussion to be most effective in engaging students in my lectures. Typically, I would deliberately weave in one question after every 15 to 20 minutes of concept presentation. Students are given the option during the lecture to pair up with their neighbour to discuss and share the solution when called upon. This activity breaks down the monotony within the lecture, maintains their attention and encourages them to think critically and integrate the ideas presented." Name: ONG Pei Shi | Pharmacy, FoS Featured Module: PR1140 Pharmacy Professional Skills Development I Class Size: 160-180 students Duration: 1 hr 35mins/lecture session
Classroom demonstrations
		Strategy: “At the previous student feedback exercise, bridging students opined that they found physics to be ‘an alien subject’ which was challenging to learn. To dispel this perception and raise their interest in the subject, it was essential to inject fun into the lectures and tutorials. During PC1221 lectures, I use teaching aids such as props, laboratory apparatus, videos (purchased and self-made), and showmanship to engage my students, and hopefully show them that physics is not such an alien subject after all.” Name: TAY Seng Chuan | Physics, FoS Featured Module: PC1221 Fundamentals of Physics I Class Size: 170 Duration: 1hr 35 mins/lecture session
Problem-solving exercises
		Strategy: “At the beginning of each lecture, I pose a short problem for students to solve on the spot, individually or in small groups. Then, I solve the problem and highlight previously taught ideas and concepts that inform the solution. After class, these exercises will be appended to a document shared on the IVLE. I believe they help students warm up, both mentally and physically, to learn new material in the lecture. The document is also valuable as a reference, both during lecture and the tutorial. To students, the activity also serves as good practice for the examinations." Name: YAP Von Bing | Statistics & Applied Probability, FoS Featured Module: ST2132 Mathematical Statistics Class Size: 200 Duration: 1 hr 35mins/lecture session
1-minute debate-style discussions
		Strategy: “At intervals in my lectures, I use competitive debate-style discussions to engage students. I will feature a particular concept/policy on the slide, and then divide the lecture hall into two halves. All students in each half have to argue one of two opposing perspectives of the issue. For example, while debating a land use concept/policy students in one half will argue for the policy while the other half argues against it, each half competing to suggest as many arguments as possible within the one minute allocated to this activity. The lecture is designed such that the pertinent arguments highlighted would be addressed as the lecture progresses. This is a quick way to encourage students to think fast, both creatively and critically." Name: Grace WONG | Real Estate, SDE Featured Module: RE1701 Urban Land Use & Development Class Size: 180 Duration: 1 hr 35mins/lecture session
Learning Response Systems (Archipelago)
		Strategy: “To retain students’ attention during lectures, we developed Archipelago, an online real-time classroom response system. I use Archipelago to post questions at the start of the lecture to ascertain students’ initial understanding of the topic. I weave their responses into the rest of the lecture, building on incomplete thoughts and clarifying misconceptions. To break the monotony, I introduce short quizzes (e.g. MCQs, short-answer questions, point-and-click picture-based questions) about four times throughout the lecture. I do this to gauge students’ level of understanding and more importantly, get them to think more deeply about the topic." Name: SOO Yuen Jien | Computer Science, SoC Featured Module: TIC10021 Introduction to Computing And Programming I; TIC1002 Introduction to Computing And Programming II Class Size: 100-250 Duration: 1hr 35 mins/lecture session
‘Re'cognising, ‘Re'flecting and ‘Re’acting’
		Strategy: "I use a multimodal approach to teach large classes with diverse learners, a ‘Re'iterative 3-step cycle of ‘Re'cognising, ‘Re'flecting and ‘Re’acting.’ Re'cognising involves gathering info to better understand students’ socio-cultural and socio-behavioural nuances, getting to know them during and beyond lectures, and knowing our purpose as educators, and aligning our mindset to universal values of teaching. Re'flecting involves being sensitive to in-lecture student interactions, making it a habit to immediately do post-lecture reflections on what went well and what were the gaps, integrating these reflections with your own observations as an educator, and applying them to improve the next lecture you teach.” Re'acting, which involves devising, implementing, and monitoring interventions based on one’s prior knowledge of students and current literature.” Name: CHEN Zhi Xiong | Physiology, YLLSoM Featured Module: MD1140 Normal Structure & Function; LSM3212 Human Physiology: Cardiopulmonary System Class Size: 150-300 Duration: 1 hr 35mins/lecture session

 

Acknowledgements

CDTLink would like to thank the Registrar’s Office for providing information on modules with large numbers, and colleagues who have so generously shared their experiences with us on how they engage their students in large classes.

 

References

Chi, M. T. H. (2009). Active-constructive-interactive: A conceptual framework for differentiating learning activities. Topics in Cognitive Science, 1(1), 73-105. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-8765.2008.01005.x  

Chi, M. T. H., & Wylie, R. (2014). The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes. Educational Psychologist, 49(4), 219-243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2014.965823

Exeter, D. J., Ameratunga, S., Ratima, M., Morton, S., Dickson, M., Hsu, D., & Jackson, R. (2010). Student engagement in very large classes: The teachers’ perspective. Studies in Higher Education, 35(7), 761-775. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070903545058.