Claire Freimark, School of Biological Sciences Introductory undergraduate science courses can be intimidating. Large class sizes, long lectures, and cumulative exams can lead to high stress levels, poor student attitudes, and low retention rates in STEM majors. Many...
Large classes
Implementing Undergraduate Learning Assistants (LAs) in College Classrooms: A Win-Win-Win-Win!
Karma Rose Zavita, School of Social Ecology Big universities are the most likely to have large lecture-style classes and as a result of the labor involved in managing these courses, there has been an increase reliance on the use of Teaching Assistants (TA’s). One...
Taking Modern Pedogogy into the Large Classroom
Marc Sprague-Piercy, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry The current thinking in pedagogy is moving away from the traditional classroom model. In the traditional classroom for large classes of undergraduates there is a clear plan. The students are given...
Increasing Student Autonomy and Engagement in Biology Education at the Undergraduate and Graduate Level
Lianna Fung, Developmental and Cell Biology A typical traditional biology course at the undergraduate level is primarily lecture and a few exams. Lecture time is often only broken up periodically by a few iClicker questions or a few brave students who dare to ask...
High Impact Teaching Strategies for Large Undergraduate Classes in Public Health
Sara Goodman, Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention What are high impact course activities? Having ten-week quarters challenges faculty members and teaching assistants to get the most out of their students in a short amount of time. High impact...
The Changing Role of University STEM Teaching in the Internet Era
Chris Persichilli, PhD, Department of Physics & Astronomy The Problem These are unstable times. The insurgence of the Internet into all facets of modern life has had a transformative impact on every industry, whether they like it or not. Education is no exception,...
Do Scantron Tests on College Campuses Increase Summative Assessment Measurement Error?
Samantha Garcia, MPH, CHES, Program in Public Health Summative assessments are assessments that provide evidence of students’ cumulative knowledge learned throughout a course.1 While it is essential for students to master course content and build a foundation in that...
Making a Large Class Small
Alessandra C. Martini, Ph.D, UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders There’s a unique set of challenges that can reduce student learning and exhaust faculty members teaching large-enrollment courses. Among so many people, it is easy for...