Teaching Large Classes: Lessons from the Field

[1] There are many angles by which we may approach a classroom relative to understanding its size. For example we may approach it via the Registrar’s standards for scheduling, from the lens of how to physically lay out a room, from a psychological perspective relative to the room's occupants, or by factors and concerns german and unique to each discipline, etc… All are valid perspectives. However, for the purposes of this present study, we communicated to instructors that we conceptualized a large class as being comprised of approximately 70 or more students. 

Regarding experience, the instructors who participated represented a cohort with quite a bit of experience, with the majority having more than ten years of experiences (48.72%, N=19). 

The majority, 41.03% (N=16), of the respondents had been teaching large classes one to five years.

Overall, the respondents were confident in teaching large classes, as indicated by 46% confident (N=18) and 35.9% (N=14) very confident.

The respondents regularly teach large classes, with the majority teaching at least one each semester.

Finally, 77% (N=30) of respondents have attended formal training/professional development for teaching. 

Participants were asked the following questions during their focus group session:

1. Tell me about your favorite classroom to teach in on campus. What about it makes it your favorite?
2. How do you feel when you first step in front of a class of more than 70 students? How does that change by the end of the semester?
3. What teaching and learning strategies do you find work well when teaching large classes?
4. What teaching and learning strategies do you find do not work well when teaching large classes?
5. What kinds of challenges have you encountered when teaching large classes?
6. What resources do you need from UB to overcome these challenges or support the effective strategies? Think big.

Thematic analysis was completed by a research team of five facilitators and note-takers from the focus groups. Several themes were identified across all of the focus groups.

1. Feelings of Instructors:

The feelings of instructors of large classes varied, though, many reported feeling the same at the beginning of the semester as they did at the end, with several having feelings differing by types of students and size of the group. The majority of instructors reflected on their feelings as being positive. For example, using terms such as confident, enjoyable, excited, energizing, hopeful, enthusiastic and comfortable. However, some instructors did experience nervousness, anxiety, exhaustion, intimidation and being overwhelmed (with these feelings presenting themselves especially at the beginning of the semester). 

2. Strategies That Did or Did not Work Well:

Strategies that work well or that do not work well to address challenges in a large classroom are the next set of themes identified in the focus groups.

Strategies that work well include:

• Establishing rapport and building community;
• Moving around the room;
• Active learning;
• Student progress and feedback;
• Variety works well – having flexibility and a bag of tricks; and
• Recording.

Strategies that do not work well include:

• Lecture;
• Discussion boards;
• Breaking up and reengaging;
• Social interaction between instructor and students;
• Recording; and
• Organizational and logistical techniques (especially challenging for newer instructors).

3. Challenges:

Many challenges were identified by the instructors in the focus groups. For example, how to effectively utilize TAs in a large class setting. Another example includes the challenge of instituting academic integrity practices. Lastly, the challenge of applying techniques and resources within and between disciplines, where one size does not fit all. 

4. Advocacy:

In addition to identifying resources and teaching techniques that were needed, focus group themes emerged that recognize the need to advocate for instructors of large classes. 

5. Classroom Design Opportunities:

Instructors indicated several physical space features that impact their teaching and student learning, such as ambient noises in large classrooms (e.g., creaky furniture), the availability of working outlets, and having enough bandwidth for all of the students to access the internet. An instructor emphasized, “It is almost unfair that students are expected to bring a laptop, sit in class, and there are rooms with terrible acoustics and bad lighting. Straining voice to project over the ambient noises. Small student desks with not enough space for the computers and/or get comfortable. Rooms without air conditioning, windows without screens (bees), etc. Upgrading facilities can make a difference and how successfully we manage classes.”

In addition, instructors in the focus groups represented a wide array of disciplines. They strongly indicated that rooms could be scheduled based on the instructional strategy. For example, a math instructor who utilizes chalk boards would benefit from a large classroom with multiple boards with writing surfaces more than a room with screens, compared to an instructor who uses polling software on a large screen regularly in their teaching.

Classrooms that instructors discussed they liked teaching in were recently upgraded, possessing newer technology (such as the dual screens to display multiple items simultaneously) and, allow for movement in the space (e.g., rolling chairs and clear pathways). 

6. Policy Recognition:

Instructors indicated that they felt policies regarding time, schedule, and location did not take into account instructors of large classes and the logistics of managing a large class physically in space and time. This included mention of central scheduling allowing for more time for classroom changeover to allow adequate time for students to exit and allow the next class of students to settle in the room (for example, instructors meeting with students after class and navigating to another classroom across campus in a short period of time was indicated as a challenge logistically regarding to space and time).

7. Communication:

Communication was also a common theme. Whether it was regarding scheduling, assigning of teaching assistants or who gets large classes, supplies, or academic honesty grading policies, it is important to include instructors of large classes in the loop. Any policy that will have time implications on an instructor should be communicated to instructors and consider implications on their workload (e.g., amount of additional grading hours, emails generated with students, time between classes, etc…).

8. Student Development

Students who participate in large classes may come unprepared for the demands of the unique learning needs of a large class. In particular, instructors noted academic success skills and background knowledge (e.g., maturity, motivation, social skills, self-advocacy) were lacking in students that were enrolled in many of their classes lately. This poses a difficult challenge in large classes, where 1:1 attention is difficult to give to students.

9. Teaching Assistants:

The availability of Teaching Assistants (TAs) was a common request of instructors in the focus groups. This resource request was presented by instructors as quantity (e.g., number of TAs based on number of students; based on sections required to teach, etc…) as well as quality (e.g., TAs with qualifications to support students in content and academic success skills).

10. Technology:

Consideration might be given to a University student community UBIT tool survey, particularly focused on third-party tool review. The last survey was conducted in 2018. As a participant mentions this during the focus group: “No survey on technology in multiple years and there has been no enterprise-wide adoption of new technology.” Though noted, the campus will be transitioning to Brightspace over the next year.

11. Resources:

Instructors were also looking for resources such as clocks in the rooms, chalk, erasers, and markers supplied in the rooms. They indicated stocks were often in short supply. Furthermore, communication about supplies and what is provided or not, or how to communicate about what is needed could be improved. 

In conclusion, there are a number of opportunities and challenges teaching in a large classroom. UB faculty have a wealth of experience with strategies to improve student learning and we are thankful that they are willing to share those strategies that work, and do not work, with us and their peers. As such, the Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation will be creating a website to highlight strategies for teaching large classrooms based on the findings of these focus groups. 

Fortes, P. C., & Tchantchane, A. (2010). Dealing with large classes: A real challenge. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 8, 272-280. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810021427