Engaging Large Classes

Large classes have become a fact of life in colleges and universities across America; even as academic funding has decreased, class enrollments have continued to rise. Although students, teachers, and administrators are often concerned by the potentially negative impact of uneven teacher-to-student ratios, large classes also offer many potential advantages that are less recognized and not always maximized. <p>In <i>Engaging Large Classes</i>, the authors demonstrate that large classes can be just as stimulating and rewarding as smaller classes. Written by experienced teachers of large classes across a wide range of disciplines and institutions, this book provides faculty members and administrators with instructional strategies and advice on how to enhance large class settings.</p> <p>This book summarizes many of the core issues related to successfully teaching large classes, including</p> <ul type=”disc”> <li>An honest review of the advantages and disadvantages of large classes</li> <li>Advice on how to design, plan, manage, and fairly assess large classes</li> <li>The universality of large-class issues across disciplines, from classroom management to working with teaching assistants</li> <li>Strategies for using classroom technology, active learning, and collaborative learning</li> <li>Seventeen detailed examples of large classes from a range of higher education institutions</li> </ul> <p>The authors not only present an overview of research on teaching large classes, they also equip readers with helpful insight into the mechanics of large-class pedagogy. This book has the potential to change the way academia views the reality of teaching large classes.</p>