Enhancing Active Learning in a Large Class

	Lisa Coutu

Lisa Coutu wanted to actively engage her Speech 102 students, but with a class of over 240 and only one TA, she felt she had to rely on lectures. Two years ago, however, she attended the UW Office of Undergraduate Education's collegium on large class instruction and came away with ideas for a new approach.

"I was impressed with people's ability to actively involve students by using some sort of technology," says Coutu, "and I learned about Catalyst."

In 2000, Coutu received a stipend from the Office of Undergraduate Education, giving her time to implement a technology component to her class and providing for additional TAs to help with the changes. The new active-learning format has one less lecture period each week so students have time for online class exercises and discussion.

Online Exercises

Coutu also uses Catalyst's EPost discussion tool to create virtual quiz sections. Groups of 40 students converse in online, asynchronous discussions. "Talking on EPost gets them thinking about the class, their own communication, and a larger social issue," says Coutu.

Support for Using Technology

Coutu doesn't think that technology is the answer to all challenges, or that it will necessarily work for everyone. But she says there are resources on campus to help you out.

"If faculty are being asked to do more, or change things, or do things differently, they need the support to do it," says Coutu. "There are resources, and a great one that does not cost any money is Catalyst, whose staff couldn't be more helpful."

[Note: "Technology and Student Attitudes in Large Lecture Classes," a paper by Coutu, Mark Alway (Educational Technology Development Group), and Nana Lowell (Office of Educational Assessment), was presented at the 9th Annual International Symposium on Student Learning fall 2001 and is in press. You can find Catalyst on the Web at catalyst.washington.edu/]