At Issue Students prefer not to be in them and most professors prefer not to teach them, but with shrinking faculty numbers and a large student body, courses with big enrolments are here to stay. We asked a quartet of award-winning teachers for their thoughts on handling a large class.
Some students feel intimidated by the size of the class.
As the class size increases, so does the background noise and movement. You should provide short reviews and reiterate main points to maintain the focus. Also, the diversity in students' background preparation may require you to increase your availability in order to accommodate individual needs. Aids such as class notes, problem sets and old exams with answers are necessities, as is a class format with key visuals. David Plant, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Winner of the Faculty of Engineering's 1996 Engineering Alumni Award for Outstanding Teaching Organization is extremely important.