ISSUE
10
A publication of the
Centre for University
Teaching
University Teaching
August
2011
Interactive Lectures:
A Path to Learning
Do you want
your students to
become effective
learners?
You can create an
environment that
will allow them to
do so.
An interactive lecture
is a teaching strategy
that transforms the
traditional lecture into a
powerful learning tool
through the combination
of an engaging
presentation with active
and participatory tasks.
This approach takes
the learning process
into account and aims
at creating interactions
between the students and
the professor, among the
students themselves, and
between students and the
subject being taught.
The objective here is to
promote sustainable and
in-depth learning that
allows students to develop
their thinking skills as well
as their self-regulation and
self -evaluation skills.
R. Biba Fakhouri
Centre for University Teaching
Structuring your presentation
Personalizing your space
Consider building your presentation
around the idea of opening a channel
of communication and learning in
your classroom.
Eliminate the barriers between you
and your students, making sure that
each of your students feels involved.
• Give your students the learning
objectives for the class.
• Ensure that your students see the
“big picture” as it relates to the
content that will be presented and
discussed.
• Create a logical organizational
structure that allows students to
follow your train of thought.
• Design your presentation in 15to 20-minute blocks, interspersed
with active and participatory
tasks.
• Integrate an engaging opening and
ending that provides a summary
and opens new perspectives.
• Include slides that give instructions
for the planned activities, and
others that provide answers to
your questions.
• Ask your students to write their
names on tent cards that they put
in front of them, or ensure that
you learn their names.
• Walk around the room while
lecturing and during activities.
• Move towards the student asking
or answering a question.
• Keep regular eye contact with your
students, use reassuring body
language, vary the intonation of
your voice.
• Encourage questions.
• Use a variety of teaching strategies
to match the different student
learning styles.
• Present yourself as a person rather
than as an instructor only.
• Give personalized feedback.
Remember:
The professor is not
only an expert in the
subject, but above all
a facilitator of student
learning.
Your interactive lecture
should implement the
Seven Principles of Good
Practice in Undergraduate
Education.
1.Encouraging contact
between students and
Faculty.
2.Encouraging reciprocity
and cooperation among
students.
3.Encouraging active
learning.
4.Giving prompt feedback.
5.mphasizing time on
task.
6.Communicating high
expectations.
7.Respecting diverse
talents and ways of
learning.
Chickering & Gamson
(1987)
Guiding note taking
Help your students take notes during
class in a way that encourages
understanding and reflection.
• Create a logical path for your
lecture and stick to it.
• Provide handouts that students
can use to take notes, such as the
Cornell System.
• Provide graphic organizers that
encourage structured note taking.
• Use planned pauses after key
points to allow your students
to complete their notes and to
compare them with those of their
peers.
• Use a suitable pace, not too slow
and not too fast.
Keeping your students
engaged
• Create a positive and harmonious
classroom climate in which all
interactions are based on respect
and empathy.
• Match your students’ attention
span by changing your focus
every 15 to 20 minutes.
• Use
effective
techniques.
questioning
• Design
autonomous
or
collaborative
learning
tasks
such
as
Think-Pair-Share,
brainstorming, buzz groups,
quick surveys with clickers,
short writing activities, problem
solving, etc.
• Create handouts that serve your
learning objectives and initiates
student reflective thinking and
critical analysis.
• Connect new information to prior
knowledge.
• Connect content
situations.
to
real-life
• Use a range of formats including
textual, verbal, auditory and
visual.
Further Reading
Bligh, D. (2000). What’s the Use of
Lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Brown, S. & Race, P. (2002). Lecturing:
A Practical Guide. London: Kogan Page.
Learning Strategies Center. Cornell
University. The Cornell Note-taking
System. Available at: http://lsc.cornell.
edu/LSC_Resources/cornellsystem.pdf.
Johnson, W.D., Johnson R.T. &
Smith, K.A. (1991). Active Learning:
Cooperation in the College Classroom.
Edina: Interactive Book Company.
Huxham, M. (2005). Learning in lectures:
Do “interactive windows” help? Active
Learning in Higher Education, 6(1), 1731.
McKeachie, W. J. & Svinicki, M. (2011).
McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies,
Research and Theory for College And
University Teachers (13th ed.). Boston,
MA: Houghton Mifflin.
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