Coming Soon: Lecture Techniques
The tutors who work with
Jia-Ling Lin in the
Supplementary Instruction (SI) program and the
Drop-In
Tutoring Program
help many students solve
problems and refine their knowledge of topics for courses across the College of Engineering
each week. (General information about all of the tutoring programs can be found
here.)
We asked them about the lecture techniques that seem to be most useful to the students who attend their sessions. Here's a quick list of their ideas for now... In future editions of Teaching and Learning Insights, we plan to report back on the instructors who use them and the research around their use.
- Change the pacing of a lecture by mixing Powerpoint slides with examples or derivations worked by hand with pen and paper. While printed Powerpoint slides make a great handout to take home for future study, keeping the class interactive by using examples can help students feel more engaged and confident about the lecture topic.
- After asking the whole class a question, pause to give the students time to think or to talk to a neighbor about their ideas.
- Emphasize the importance of concepts, and be sure to explain them thoroughly.
- Give short quizzes periodically so that students can check their understanding in a lower-stress way.
- Video-tape lectures or record your lecture notes to post online so that students can review them and gain confidence with the topics.
- Emphasize note-taking skills.
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Tags: Resource
