STLHE 2016 SAPES

Unique challenges faced by educators teaching large lecture classes in higher education include student engagement, class size, collaborative work, and getting to know the students. Group work is incorporated into the class so that students use the groups’ collective knowledge and skills to their advantage establishing a community of learners. In a visual studies course students were introduced to the area of visual culture, focusing on key subjects in art and design and their relationship to social theory in the Modern period. The large lecture was structured around discussions so that students made connections and reflected on previous knowledge. Reflexive activities encouraged learners to construct meaning and understandings about visual content shared with the entire class. Strategies used in the visual studies class were incorporating class discussions based on weekly reading, time for group meetings, group meetings with the professor, and reflective activities incorporated into lectures using visual images. The goals of this poster session are to (1) share ideas and teaching practice that support group work in a large lecture format; (2) engage in discussion with educators on ways to interact and get to know who your students are especially in a large lecture format; and (3) using practical examples that can be incorporated into any lecture.