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There are a few key messages when it comes to effective lectures. Now, research and pretty much everyone in education agrees that lectures when done well and not when done for too long can be extremely effective.
The second key message is that research on lecturing and active learning specifically states that lectures combined with engaged learning strategies are more effective than lecturing all the time. And that’s one of the best takeaways of the course. All over higher education, people talk about active learning being more effective than lecturing. That’s not what the research does. The research looks at lectures as being more effective when engaged learning strategies are combined with them than when lectures are done all the time alone. That’s what we’re going to take away from that aspect.
And the third message is that it’s important to know the intended outcome of the lecture, to present the material in an engaging way right from the beginning, to activate prior knowledge, to give opportunities to students for reflection, and to have a sense of when to stop. You do that, lectures will work well.
- Research indicates that lectures, when done well, and when not done for too long, are extremely effective.
- The research on lecturing and active learning specifically states that lectures combined with engaged learning strategies are more effective than lecturing all the time.
- It is important to know the intended outcomes of the lecture, present the material in an engaging way right from the beginning, activate prior knowledge, give opportunities for reflection, and have a sense of when to stop.
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Well, I guess this is it. We’re down to the last video, I’m going to miss you. Thanks for listening, really appreciate you being here. Try the strategies noted in this course, I’ve been giving workshops on this topic all over, and faculty love this stuff once they start to do it. It takes a little bit of work, but when you employ these strategies, it will change every aspect of your teaching.
And most importantly, get involved in the discussion area of each section of the course. You learn best when you learn with your colleagues. If you’re all talking about the same types of things and can work out strategies, you’re going to be helping each other. Thanks again for listening. I really appreciate the opportunity and look forward to seeing you again in the future.
Thank you for taking this ‘Classroom Practice: Engaged Lecturing’ course which has been developed with Todd D. Zakrajsek. We hope you have enjoyed it. Remember to mark this lesson as ‘Mark Complete’ to earn your Course Completion Badge.
Further reading:
Harrington, C. and Zakrajsek, T.D. (2017). Dynamic lecturing: Research-based strategies to enhance lecture effectiveness. Stylus publishing.
Freeman, S., et al. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, 111, 8410-8415.
Major, C.H., Harris, M.S., and Zakrajsek, T.D. (2021). The Lecture Method. In Teaching for learning: 101 intentionally designed educational activities to put students on the path to success. (2nd ed), 1 – 52. Routledge.
References:
Freeman, S., et al. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, 111, 8410-8415.
Hake, R. R. (1998). Interactive-engagement vs. traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. American Journal of Physics, 66, 64-74.
Harrington, C. and Zakrajsek, T.D. (2017). Dynamic lecturing: Research-based strategies to enhance lecture effectiveness. Stylus publishing.
Major, C.H., Harris, M.S., and Zakrajsek, T.D. (2021). The Lecture Method. In Teaching for learning: 101 intentionally designed educational activities to put students on the path to success (2nd ed), 1 - 52. Routledge.
Readman, K., Maker, G., and Davine, A. (2021). The lecture is dead, long live the lecture: Redefining higher education in a digital age. Times Higher Education – Campus. [Online].
Zakrajsek, T. (2018). Reframing the lecture versus active learning debate: Suggestions for a new way forward. Educations in the Health Professions, 1(1), 1-3.
Discussions
Why do you believe there is a growing resistance to lectures in higher education? In what ways do you feel we could reframe the discussion so that individuals better understand the value of several types of lectures, the extent to which students can be engaged during lectures, and why it is important to keep lectures to 10 - 12 minutes?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below.