Most first-year students find themselves in at least one large, entry-level course. For the institution, these auditorium-style courses are an efficient use of resources. But for students, the experience can be numbing, and for instructors, the experience can be daunting.

Instructors fall back on lecture because it seems to be the only way to handle a large class. But there is a way to engage learners in interesting, meaningful activities, even when you’re working with 100 or more students at a time.

This seminar will explore improving large classroom teaching. In just 60 minutes, it will provide alternatives to a lecture-only approach and show how these alternatives actually improve student learning while reducing your grading load.

Knowledge benefits for you:
• Reduce the impersonal space that separates you from your learners
• Reduce lecture time and replace it with activities that promote deep learning
• Create an atmosphere of shared responsibility for learning
• Make learners accountable for their behaviors
• Motive learners by addressing learning differences in your presentations and assignments

Who should attend:
• Faculty, especially those who instruct classes of 50 or more learners
• Faculty development personnel
• Department chairs
• Academic deans
• Vice presidents for academic affairs
• Graduate-level teaching assistants

Listen to a preview

Featured Presenter:


Dr. Peter M. Saunders is the director of Oregon State University’s Center for Teaching and Learning. He has been a teaching-learning director and educational consultant with more than 20 years of teaching experience delivering faculty/instructor development programs in educational and corporate settings.