Re: [Phys-l] large class questions

[marx@phy.ilstu.edu]

On 24 Sep 2008 at 14:53, Kilmer, Skip wrote:

> The assumption that needs to be examined is whether when a teacher is talking to a group of students they are learning what (s)he thinks they are. PER has shed quite a bit of doubt on this assumption, no? If the students are not actively engaged in a dialog with the concepts they probably aren't learning very much.
> Skip

Obviously one needs to be doing something more than giving a passive lecture to have any impact on 
student learning.  Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to change my colleagues teaching approach.  My 
questions had to do with (1) does it make any difference to go from sections with 85 students to 
sections that have 120 or 140 students?  and (2) what effect does crowding in the classroom have 
regardless of class size on learning?   I think students would be more comfortable if we did not set the 
class limit using the number of available seats in the lecture hall.  We currently set our class limit at 85 
because there are 85 seats in the lecture hall.  I am one that gets 90 percent attendance, generally, in 
my courses because I use various techniques to get high attendance.  Whereas, others are less 
worried about attendance.

David Marx
Illinois State University