Effective Lectures: Organization

Before Class begins:

1. Organization is critical! Make sure you have a plan for grading student assignments, organizing lectures, holding office hours, etcetera, before the semester begins. Getting behind early is even more difficult to overcome if you teach large classes.
2. Consider the size of the room when constructing assignments or planning assessment: can you conceivably grade 4 pages of math problems per student, with 150 students?
3. Create group assignments that distribute workload and create active learning. Group assignments help to avoid over-lecturing, which can happen in large classrooms.
4. Vary your daily plans; falling into a pattern of “Intro, lecture, quiz” for example, can be monotonous to students.
5. Plan for ways that students can contact you, as they are easily lost among a sea of student faces. Give students options for reaching you.
6. Offer course materials through the library reserve or through a “course packet” that students can either download or purchase at a bookstore.
7. Arrive at class 10 minutes early and stay 10 minutes late. Hold mini office hours. It will save you time later and will improve communication greatly.

During Class:

1. Give students objectives for the day.
2. During lectures and class discussion, move throughout the lecture hall/classroom and make eye contact. Reaching across the aisles to engage students in eye contact will improve their attention span and feel more a part of the lecture or discussion.
3. Be a smart user of technology: don’t overcrowd PowerPoint slides, don’t lecture using technology for more than 15-minute chunks, and be prepared to wing it if technologies fail you.
4. Regularly engage students at the farthest reaches of the room, either to respond to a question or to serve as group leaders for assignments.
5. Speak clearly and project: don’t be afraid to use a microphone. Many rooms have this technology available. Students will tune out if they can’t hear what you have to say.

After Class:

1. Reflect on the experience: were a number of students engaged?
2. Ask yourself, do the students’ performances on the activities, assignments, and assessment suggest they were able to achieve the day’s objectives?
3. Don’t get behind on grading, particularly when teaching large classrooms.