Engaging Large Classes and
Working With TAs Effectively
August 15, 2012
10:15-11:15 AM
Christine A. Stanley, Ph.D.
Vice President and Associate Provost
for Diversity
Professor, Higher Education
Administration
Texas A&M University
Engaging Large Classes
That’s Not a Large Class; It’s a Small
Town: How Do I Manage?
Lynda Cleveland, McCombs School
of Business, University of Texas,
Austin, USA
Engaging Large Classes
When it comes to first-year lectures,
one word is enough to sum up the
situation at most Canadian
universities: large.
Elizabeth Church, globecampus, The
Globe and Mail, 2010, Canada
Engaging Large Classes and
Working with TAs Effectively

Stanley, C.A. & Porter, M.E. (2002).
Engaging large classes: Strategies
and techniques for college faculty.
Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing
Company.
Dedication
My dear friend, colleague, and co-editor,
Engaging Large Classes, Erin Porter
Sansom, the University of Texas, Austin.
February 4, 1942-April 30, 2011
Who are we? Let’s See Who Is
Here?
Faculty
 Administrators
 Teaching Assistants
 Contingent Faculty
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What are your learning
outcome goals for today?
Definition of a Large Class
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“Frequently, large classes are defined
operationally by researchers as those
that contain 100 or more students.”
Chism, 1989
“One definition of a large class does
not fit every possible teaching
situation.”
Weimer, 1987
Where Do I Begin? Planning
and More for Interactivity….
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Teaching Philosophy
Creativity
Course Content
Faculty and Support Systems
Teaching and Learning Methods
Assignments and Grading
Classroom Management
Teaching Assistants (TAs)
What are some of the challenges to
teaching interactively in a large
class? Let us count the ways…
Engaging Large Classes
◦ Large classes typically create two
conditions that foster negative
student attitudes and inhibit learning:
student anonymity and passivity.
 Larry Michaelsen, University of Central
Missouri (University of Oklahoma), USA
Engaging Large Classes
◦ The Higher Education Quality Council
of Ontario (HEQCO) studies have
shown students will appreciate their
learning experience no matter the
class size as long as the teacher is
engaging.
 Cameron Smith, the gazette, Ontario,
Canada, January 19, 2012
Summary of Research on
Class Size
The effect of class size on
learning depends on what the
teacher does in the
classroom.
–Bill McKeachie, Author, Teaching Tips,
Professor of Psychology, The University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
Methods for Engaging Large
Classes (Stanley & Porter, 2002)
Associational Brainstorming
 Debates or “Academic Controversy”
 Role-Playing
 Team-Learning
 Electronic Discussion Groups
 Think-Pair-Share (TPS)
 Mini-Cases/Problem-Based Learning
 Classroom Assessment Techniques
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Working Effectively with TAs
How many TAs are here today?
 What are your disciplines?
 What are your duties?
 How many of you find your experience
rewarding?
 How many of you find your experience
challenging?
 What are some of the rewards?
 What are some of the challenges?

Possible TA Duties
Tutorial Leader
 Laboratory Supervisor
 Head TA
 Marking Assistant (Grading Assistants)
 Other Duties?
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Working Effectively with TAs
(Civikly-Powell & Wulff, 2002)
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Think breadth and depth when preparing TAs
Provide a range of experiences that recognize and
support their growth and development as
teachers
Decide how you are going to engage TAs to
organize the course
Select and train the TA Team
Select a Student Management Team
Communicate your expectations clearly
Evaluate their work appropriately
Model teamwork and professionalism
Tips to Engage the Large
Class Setting
◦ Start planning early
◦ Manage your time well
◦ See advice from experienced large class
teachers
◦ Find creative ways to know your students
◦ Attend to classroom management
◦ Teach for and expect a diverse classroom
◦ Use active teaching and learning strategies
◦ Use technology appropriately
◦ Develop effective testing and grading
mechanisms
◦ Select and develop TAs and support staff
Seven Principles of Good Teaching
(Chickering & Gamson, 1987, American Association for
Higher Education, Education Commission of the US, &
Johnson Foundation)
Good practice encourages student-faculty
contact
 Good practice encourages cooperation
among students
 Good practice encourages active learning
 Good practice gives prompt feedback
 Good practice emphasizes time on task
 Good practice communicates high
expectations
 Good practice respects diverse talents and
ways of knowing
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Engaging Large Classes
◦ “Over the course of a career, I have found
that the best way to ensure an effective,
improving style in large classes is to
establish a strong and constant feedback
connection to the students. They will know
before you when a problem has arisen,
and they will also generally have a
refreshing number of constructive
suggestions.”
 Brent Iverson, Organic Chemistry,
University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA