There are many types of teaching at the university, which may vary from large-scale lectures to individual tutorials. The amount of classroom time also varies greatly from subject to subject. Full-time studies thus involve at least forty hours of work a week. Generally, teachers are there to guide the students, helping them to benefit from the extensive reading lists that accompany university courses. Lectures help to structure the courses and describe for students the central aspects of the subject, present special problem areas, etc.
Classes are probably the most common type of teaching today.
Classes are held for groups of twenty to thirty students, and their purpose is for the students and teacher to discuss and work through the course literature. Laboratory sessions are becoming increasingly common, especially in the natural sciences and in technology. In a lab session, students work alone or in small groups on an experimental assignment, and then generally submit a written report of the results. Seminars are a type of teaching largely dependent on active student participation. Seminars are held, for example, to go through project work.