Welcome to

1
Welcome to

• Teaching in Large Classes

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Your Objectives

• To look at the Nature of the beast!
• Set the Scene for what we are considering
• Identify some of the Main Issues in large group
  classes
• Consider the importance of Planning
• Identify some Practical Stuff that may help
• To do all this with a bit of variety
• Come away with a summary
• Get some questions answered

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Sylvia Edwards

• Lecturer (Level B) 1995 to present
• School of Information Systems, FIT, QUT
• Unit Coordinator for
• ITB310 Information Management
• Core Foundation Year Unit
• (750 students )
• ITB322/ITN322 Information Resources
• IM Major Stream (200 students)
• ITN355 Info Resources Services to
• Business Industry
• Masters Elective Unit (20 Students)
• ITB823 Web Design for Electronic Commerce
• New Unit for Sem 1/2000 (100 Students)

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Setting the Scene

• Lecturer is a little person behind a big desk
• Lecture Theatres
• 500 plus students in Z411
• 300 Students in Z401/Z406
• 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?
• If I do - can I still control this group?
• Can I make it a personal learning experience?
• What is Communication in large groups!!

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Main Issues

• In small groups please consider
• What is communication in large groups?
• What are some of the problems and coping
  strategies for teaching large groups?

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Main Issues ?

• So What do I consider to be the main issues?
• Communication
• Working with Diversity Internationalization
• Entertainment/Variety
• Repetition of Lectures
• Using Technology
• Discipline
• Planning

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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
• FIT has 85 male up to 5 students with a
  disability1st year has only 45 students
  17/18years old 35 Intern'l. One Unit - ITB322 -
  
• 65 international students, non IT students, ..
  etc.
• Noticed that there is a variety of ways in which
  students tended to approach a problem
• some do not talk, some talk and email incessantly
• some panic over lack of IT skills,
• many want the magic 7

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Main Issues

• Entertain them
• Were not all comedians - variety is the spice of
  life
• Repeating a lecture
• déjà vu physical intellectual difficulties
• Using technology
• videos, audio tapes, PowerPoint presentations
• Discipline
• Generic Skills development
• Plan !!!

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My Approach to Teaching learning

• Lectures vary from Lab Sessions or Tutorials
• NOT Compulsory!
• But the Labs/Tuts designed are to assist with
  Assignments
• Guest Lecturers ... 20 minutes to 1 hour
• Unit Goals and Assignments are critical elements
• Laboratory access outside Lab Sessions

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PASS

• Peer Assisted Study Schemehttp//www.fit.qut.edu.
  au/PASS/
• The pass coordinator has previously studied the
  unit and passed with a 6 or 7
• Someone else (a peer) to talk it over with for
  assignment ideas

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Lecture Availability

• General Notes available via
• UNITS Directory
• ILE or OLT
• Library Electronic Reserve
• FIT This is IT CD-Rom
• Lectures in MS PowerPoint
• UNITS Directory
• Library Electronic Reserve
• ILE or OLT

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Lecture Format

• So they do not fall asleep
• Ask the students questions
• Have Small Discussions
• A few small Breaks
• And One Larger Break
• Music in the break
• If you dont like what I pick bring your own CD!

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Break Time
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What are the issues for you?

• 5 Minutes to reflect in small groups, or on your
  own,
• 1. Think about the music played at the start and
  just now . what has it made you feel like? What
  else could have been played?
• 2. What are other issues you have identified when
  lecturing in large groups? How have you
  responded? What has helped you in that
  environment? What has been a problem?

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Allow them settling time

• 5 minutes to let them settle with music and vary
  it.
• Vary it according to age and gender.
• Different types of music.
• Pink Floyd, Mahotini and the Mahotela queens,
  Javanese flute music.
• Allow another break time mid way!
• More music again!

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Common Large Group Problems

• Planning can solve the following
• discipline problems
• anyone past the snow line is invisible
• Mutual Respect
• Ground rules/work agreement/learning contract
• IT Failure and 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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Practical Stuff

• First lecture is really important.
• TUTORS need to know students
• getting to know you exercise
• the tutors were very sceptical at first
• PASS PROGRAM
• because tutes are now the size of what classes
  were.
• 50 mins for tutorial 2 mins max. per person
• and you get people who dominate.
• Part time tutors
• Tutors web-site http//www.fit.qut.edu.au/tutor/
  index.html

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More Practical Stuff

• Set up Unit Web pages
• Include an Assignment FAQ.
• Used to have 50 per day and reduced to 20 per
  week
• as soon as I was asked a new question I included
  it - so it was not really a frequent question at
  that point!
• Include Examples of previous students work
  tutor list and contact details, etc.
• Spoon feeding? - No
• With 500 plus students its scaffolding .
• Not guess what s in my mind this week - but
  teaching for success
• One person cannot see 500 students in one week,
  nor answer an extra 50 emails per day

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Variety is the Spice of Life

• Think about
• What could be done to enhance presentation
  skills?
• What can be done to minimize distracting
  classroom behaviour?
• Who is most responsible for coming up with a
  solution?

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Variety Ideas

• You can try any of the following
• Video, Music, Cartoons, etc.
• Comedy tape
• may not be directly relevant but could still be
  useful
• Role play - students as performers
• Guest lecturers
• get a register
• male/female/internationals etc.
• Live from the web
• Do YOU Have Any More Ideas?

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Modeling

• When we communicate we think of Information
  transfer taking in place in one of two ways
• Direct Communication
• Talking, Radio, etc. So allow questions!
• Recorded Communication
• Books, Cave Paintings, hieroglyphics, etc.
• We remember more of what we see, hear, and use!
• We remember more of what we teach others
• Lecture Format today included Breaking up the
  time into teaching blocks and using a variety of
  approaches

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2 Hour Lecture Format

• 5 Minutes settling in
• 15 - 20 minutes teaching
• 5 minute pairs task
• 15 - 20 minutes teaching
• 10 minute break
• 15 minutes teaching
• 10 - 15 minute pairs task/video
• 15 minutes teaching
• Then 5 minutes summary and conclusion and into to
  next weeks tasks

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In Conclusion

• Communication will break down if you do not vary
  your style
• You must keep their interest alive, and they
  should feel that is has been a personal
  experience for them
• Discipline may become a major problem
• Know your Tutors
• Repeat the key concepts
• Work with technology to help you with your own
  time management
• Think it through before it happens
• Have a sense of humour

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Readings to Help

• Bibliography on large group teaching produced
  1998. It is available from TALDU to view. They
  also have numerous other resources to look at
• Exploring tertiary teaching papers from the TRAC
  (Teaching, Reflection, and Collaboration)
  Project. Edited by P Weeks and D Scott. Brisbane
  Queensland University of Technology. Academic
  Staff Development Unit 1992.
• Volet, S.E. Ang, G. (1998) Culturally mixed
  groups on International Campuses an opportunity
  for inter-cultural learning. Higher Education
  Research and Development 17(1) pp. 5-23.
• GIBBS, Graham HABESHAW, Trevor. (1992) 253
  ideas for your teaching. 3rd ed. Technical and
  Educational Services, Ltd., Bristol. (0947885374)

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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?