Active Learning: Making the Most of “Lecture” Time

At universities everywhere, the academic teaching day is divided into blocks typically labeled as laboratory sessions, recitations, and lecture time, with lectures being the most common mode of instruction. However, education research has clearly shown that didactic lecture is probably the worst way for students to learn. So why is it so ubiquitous? Perhaps it is because teachers tend to teach the way they were taught. If this is true, it’s up to us to break the chain of passing down ineffective lecture modalities and move to more student-centered methods. This Certificate in University Teaching seminar, led by Prof. Jason Wiles (Biology), will explore a few ideas about how to use “lecture” time in more engaging ways.