Title
Strategies to address challenges with large classes: Can we exceed student expectations for large class experiences?
Abstract
As funding for higher education has decreased and demand for measurable learning outcomes has increased, working to develop courses that can be effectively taught in large class formats is critical. At 1 large Midwestern university, introductory psychology has been redesigned into a blended course with large sections of approximately 330 students. To address some of the potential pitfalls associated with large class sizes, the instructional team focuses on using pedagogical strategies designed to make a large class feel smaller by (a) encouraging active student engagement, (b) reducing students’ feelings of anonymity, and (c) providing individualized feedback. Data comparing students’ perceptions of the course according to these 3 dimensions show that students in the large sections rate the course highly across these dimensions, although student ratings in smaller classes remain higher.
Department(s)
Psychology
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000135
Publication Date
6-1-2019
Recommended Citation
Whisenhunt, Brooke L., Christie Cathey, Michelle E. Visio, Danae L. Hudson, Carol F. Shoptaugh, and Ann D. Rost. "Strategies to address challenges with large classes: Can we exceed student expectations for large class experiences?." Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology 5, no. 2 (2019): 121.
Journal Title
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology
