Unless we adopt special teaching strategies, large class sections can breed a feeling of anonymity and isolation for a large percentage of our students. Educational research and our own experience demonstrates that people respond positively to personal attention. They prefer and may actually learn more from teachers who demonstrate some concern for them as individual learners. Reece McGee, a Purdue University Sociology prof known for successfully teaching large classes, encourages faculty to learn the names of as many students as they can. Some universities provide thumb-nail picture sheets with student names to assist in this process.
Some profs arrive early outside the class and chat with students about the class as they arrive.
Prof. Wijayaratne, and many other Tech profs, establish e-mail lists for each class they teach, which offers the benefit of sharing frequently asked questions and answers, study materials, class notes, and other information with the entire group. The one minute paper approach, discussed in the last Tech Teaching Tip, is yet another way to connect with students. However we achieve the end of personalizing our classes, successful teachers of large sections demonstrate through their actions, practices, and words that they care about their students and the quality of their individual learning experiences.