female student in large lecture hall

Teaching Large Classes

At A Glance

  • Create a connected classroom community by establishing shared classroom norms, clear expectations, and collaborative learning over competition.
  • Make large lectures interactive with active learning strategies such as in-class polling, think-pair-share, minute papers, muddiest point papers, sequence mapping, and frequent low-stakes assessments.
  • Promote attendance by making class time valuable, communicating clear attendance expectations, and using formative assessments. 
  • Support equitable grading through clear and transparent expectations, and regular meetings with Teaching Fellows.
  • Establish an effective teaching team by clearly defining TF and/or ULA responsibilities and providing ongoing guidance and communication about review sessions, office hours, and grading. 

Introduction

Recommendations

Additional Resources

References

Introduction

Large classes have been a staple in higher education for decades, especially when educational opportunities increased for women and students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds (Allais, 2014; Cash et. al., 2017). The increase of the student body meant more large classes. However, they present unique challenges for students and instructors, such as how to build community, support active engagement, manage sustained attendance, and ensure consistent communication (Cash et. al., 2017). On this page, we provide strategies and resources on how to effectively teach large classes in ways that connect students with one another while actively engaging with the course content.  

Fostering a Learning Community in a Large Class

An essential part of any classroom is establishing a healthy, collaborative learning community, where students and instructor(s) feel comfortable engaging in dialogue, taking risks, and pushing each other intellectually. Instructors of large classes have to be particularly intentional about supporting this kind of community because of the disconnection and isolation that can exist in large college classrooms (Cash et. al., 2017). Listed below, there are several ways instructors can sustain a healthy, collaborative learning community.

Learning students’ names is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to communicate that students belong in your classroom (Cooper et. al., 2017; Felten & Lambert, 2020). When students feel recognized as individuals, they are more likely to participate, seek help, and persist through challenges (Tinto, 2017). While learning every student’s name can be difficult in large courses, even partial efforts can positively influence students’ perceptions of instructor care and classroom climate.

Examples

  • Use name tents or digital name cards during the first several weeks of class.
  • Use a seating chart for the first 2-3 classes.
  • Ask students to upload a photo and pronunciation recording in Canvas before the semester begins.
  • Intentionally greet students by name before or after class and use names when responding to questions during discussions.

Administering a brief survey before or during the first week of class provides valuable insight into students’ experiences, motivations, prior knowledge, and goals. It also signals that instructors view students as partners in the learning process rather than anonymous participants. Early information can help instructors anticipate barriers, tailor examples, and identify students who may benefit from additional support.

Examples

  • Ask students why they enrolled in the course, what they hope to learn, and how the course connects to their academic or professional goals.
  • Invite students to share any accommodations, access needs, preferred names or pronouns, or other information they would like you to know privately.
  • Include questions about previous coursework or confidence with prerequisite knowledge to help calibrate instruction.

Collaboratively establishing classroom norms helps create shared expectations for respectful dialogue, participation, and collaboration (Bovill, 2025). Rather than imposing rules, co-creating norms gives students ownership over the learning environment and helps foster psychological safety, especially when discussing complex or controversial topics. Revisiting these norms throughout the semester reinforces that they are living agreements rather than one-time statements.

Examples

  • During the first week, ask small groups to identify behaviors that help people feel respected, challenged, and included during discussions before synthesizing ideas into a class agreement.
  • Revisit classroom norms before particularly sensitive discussions and ask students whether additional expectations should be added.
  • Mid-semester, invite students to reflect on which norms are supporting learning well and which may need revision.

Students are more likely to engage when they understand what they are expected to learn, why an activity matters, and how it connects to course goals (Winkelmes, 2023). Transparent communication reduces uncertainty, particularly for students who may be unfamiliar with higher education norms or disciplinary expectations. Transparent assignment design has shown improvements in students’ confidence, belonging, and academic performance (Winkelmes et. al., 2016).

Examples

  • Begin each class by sharing two or three learning objectives and briefly explaining how they connect to previous and future lessons.
  • Before group work, explain why collaboration is being used and what students should gain from the activity.
  • Provide grading rubrics and examples of successful work before major assignments.

A sense of community develops through repeated interactions, not only during scheduled class meetings. Asynchronous spaces allow students to continue conversations, ask questions, share resources, and support one another regardless of scheduling constraints.

Examples

  • Create an introductory discussion board on Canvas where students share their academic interests, career aspirations, or a meaningful object related to the course.
  • Encourage students to post questions before emailing the instructor so classmates can contribute answers or resources.
  • Use tools like Ed Discussion where students can collaborate before exams or major assignments.

Many students, particularly first-generation college students and first-year students, are uncertain about what office hours are for or assume they should only attend when experiencing significant academic difficulty. Explicitly explaining their purpose and reducing uncertainty can increase students’ willingness to attend and develop meaningful relationships with instructors (Hsu et. al., 2025).

Examples

  • During the first week, explain that office hours are intended for discussing ideas, career interests, assignments, study strategies, and course questions, not only problems.
  • Require every student to attend one brief office-hour meeting early in the semester as a low-stakes introduction.
  • Offer multiple participation options, including virtual office hours, small-group office hours, or appointment scheduling for students with work or caregiving responsibilities.

Higher education often emphasizes individual achievement, grades, and ranking, which can discourage students from sharing ideas or supporting one another. Intentionally designing collaborative learning experiences helps students view classmates as learning partners rather than competitors. As such, cooperative learning improves achievement, engagement, communication skills, and students’ sense of belonging when collaboration is intentionally structured (Major, 2020). 

Examples

  • Design group projects in which students assume complementary roles or areas of expertise, emphasizing shared responsibility rather than dividing work into isolated tasks.
  • Incorporate structured peer review sessions where students provide constructive feedback using clear rubrics before submitting major assignments.
  • Use two-stage exams or collaborative problem-solving activities in which students first complete work individually and then discuss reasoning with peers before revising their responses.

Additional Resources

Tips for Teaching Large Class - Texas Tech University

References

Carbone, EL. (1998). Teaching Large Classes: Tools and Strategies. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications.

Cooper, JL, Robinson P.  (2000). The Argument for Making Large Classes Seem Small. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 81: 5-16.

Freeman S, et al. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. PNAS 111(23): 8410-8415.

Hodges, L. (2016). Three Common Demands from Students in Large Classes and What to Do About Them. The National Teaching and Learning Forum 25.5: 1-4.

Knight JK, Wood WB. (2005). Teaching More by Lecturing Less. Chudler E, ed. Cell Biology Education. 4(4):298-310. doi:10.1187/05-06-0082.

Mayer RE, Stull A, DeLeeuw K, et al. (2008). Clickers in college classrooms: Fostering learning with questioning methods in large lecture classes. Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA.  

Robert J, Lewis SE, Oueini R, and Mapugay A. (2016). Coordinated Implementation and Evaluation of Flipped Classes and Peer-Led Team Learning in General Chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education. 93(12): 1993-1998. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00395

Smith M, Wood WB, Adams WK, et al. (2009). Why Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance on In-Class Concept Questions. Science. 323(5910): 122-124. doi: 10.1126/science.1165919

Stanley CA, Porter ME. (2002). Engaging Large Classes: Strategies and Techniques for College Faculty.  Boston: Anker Publishing Company, Inc.

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