1) Article: Problems with lecture based learning

Note: this is more focused on freshmen-type introductory classes (those with more than 200+ members), but could apply to other classes

While using large 200+ member lectures might be the cheapest way to teach large numbers of freshmen students, there are quite a few problems with the large lecture format:

Pacing: A teacher can only teach a course at one pace: his pace. Even though it's the students who are supposed to be doing the learning, they are expected to follow whatever speed the teacher wishes. For some kids, a teacher might be teaching a class too slowly, holding that student's full potential. Other kids might have a harder time grasping the course's content, and fall behind. Those who are behind face an even greater struggle to catch up (especially as the course progresses into the semester).

Passive Learning: Though sometimes a student might ask a question in class, most students just sit there taking notes, and just listen, instead of critically thinking and absorbing the new material, they just sit there taking notes. Sit there taking notes, sit there taking notes. For example: many math professors spend lots of time writing down algorithms of certain types of math problems, explaining why and how that method is used, but many students don't bother learning the actual algorithm, and instead, just write it down passively.

Length: Some lectures are TOO FREAKING LONG. The average attention span for learning is 10 minutes, yet most lectures are an hour or longer. Many students get bored, and browse the internet/text in class.

Not all professors are good at teaching: If a guy has a PhD in math, and has been studying/teaching something for 30 years, how can he teach something that comes so easily to him in laymen terms to a new student?

No Good Feedback: Outside of tests/quizzes (which are few), professors really don't have a good gauge of how certain students are doing in a class.

==================================================================================== Think about the types of students who are entering these freshmen type classes. Many of them have come from high schools were the teachers hand held the students from day one. They came from classes where they received a lot of feedback (many more tests/quizzes, homework), more chances to recover from a bad grade, and more 1-on-1 time with their teachers.

They are suddenly thrown into an environment which demands a completely different style of learning.

-- Richard

Reference Articles:

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/tomorrows-college/lectures/problem-with-lecturing.html http://www.onlineuniversities.com/10-Big-Problems-With-Lecture-Based-Learning