Resources

We acknowledge the assistance of Ernie Barrington and the information provided in his booklet "Teaching to Large Classes" which we have drawn on in the initial creation of this page.

Consider making a video resource of your own lecture, that you can evaluate later with a mentor or more senior lecturer.

Consider asking a colleague to observe and peer review your teaching.

Graham Gibbs, Sue Habeshaw and Trevor Habeshaw
53 Interesting Things to do in Your Lectures, 1988,
Technical & Educational Services, Bristol.
The University of Auckland Library copy 378.12 G44

First published in 1984, this simple but effective guide is still in print and has stood the test of time. This practical guide, although grounded in educational theory, gives lecturers 'hints and tips' on engaging students in large lectures. Tried and tested techniques are offered around the following eight aspects of lecturing: structuring the process; improving students' notes; using handouts; structuring and summarising content; linking lectures; holding attention; active learning during lectures; checking on learning. This book was the first in a series 25 teaching guides that were premised on the then radical idea that students learned best by doing rather than being lectured at.

John Biggs
Teaching for Quality Learning at University: What the student does, 1999.
Society for Research into Higher Education: Open University Press, Berkshire.
The University of Auckland Library copies 378.125 B59 (1999 edition) and 378.125 B59 2003 (2003 edition)

John Biggs' thinking is shaped by the idea that what the learner does is more important than what the teacher does. Chapter 6, 'Enriching large-class teaching' (pp.97-120), encourages lectures to embed teaching and learning activities within lectures. He describes the task of the teacher in a lecture theatre to 'be an agent for transforming knowledge, helping students interpret and construct their own knowledge, not a passive substitution that relays preformed messages to them.' (p.99) Biggs gives practical advice on management skills for large-class teaching (pp.102-107) along with ideas for using the lecture as a forum for student activities (pp.107-113).

Peter Filene
The Joy of Teaching: A practical guide for new college instructors, 2005.
University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
The University of Auckland Library copy 378.12 F48

Feline begins the book with the arresting image of effective teaching being like the first person throwing a Frisbee to another, who then in turn passes it on to someone else. Chapter 5, 'Lecturing', (pp.47-55) provides the reader with an instant guide to lecturing large numbers of students. He compares the big lecture to the experience of watching a movie at home on television to that of seeing it with a large number of people in a cinema: the experience is different for all concerned because it is a shared one. He provides new lectures with five 'keys to success' and a good formula for structuring lectures: opening question or vignette; idea 1; reflection; idea 2; wrap-up and departing question (p.53). This short chapter is an excellent introduction to effective lecturing for first-timers.

Phil Race (ed.)
2000 Tips for Lecturers, 1999
Kogan Page, London.
The University of Auckland Library copy 378.1796 R11

2000 Tips for Lecturers pools ideas, advice and lots practical tips from generated by numerous experienced lecturers. Chapter 2, 'Lectures' (pp.17-36) advises new lecturers on how to prepare and present lectures, gives tips for creating good lecture handouts and visual materials and gives a 'no nonsense' list of 'dos and don'ts' (p.28-31). The chapter concludes with handy advice on getting students involved in lectures and encourages new lecturers to observe their colleagues teaching and be observed themselves, providing good 'checklists' for the observations.

University of New South Wales Learning and Teaching Unit
Large-group teaching

University of California at Berkeley
Considerations for Large Lecture Classes

Please be considerate of the lecturer who will be following on from you. To ensure a smooth transition from one lecture to another consider the following points:

Finish your lecture promptly at 5 minutes to the hour to allow enough time for students to vacate the lecture theatre.

If students want to talk to you about their studies ask them to have the discussion outside the lecture theatre.

Leave the lectern and lecture theatre as you found it – for example chalkboards clear for the next lecturer to use

Do exit any applications you have been using on the lectern computer. If you have used a personal log-on for the computer then make sure you log-out.

Never shut down or turn off the computer or the turn off the projector.

And in rooms with touch panel controls do not "Close Down" the room or turn off data projectors. It is easier for an incoming lecture to shut down an unwanted data projector than to have to wait several minutes for a restart.