Lecture
Imke Buß; Jutta Rump; Janina Kaiser; Melanie Schiedhelm; Petra Schorat-Waly
a) Description of the method
Lectures are a teaching format that is generally used at universities in courses with many students. It is usually lecturer- and instruction-centered.
What is it good for?
The aim of lectures as a teaching format is primarily to present knowledge (structured knowledge and overall contexts). It is particularly suitable when there are no textbooks or other teaching materials or an overabundance of teaching material, when this material is difficult to access or is not available in a form that is understandable for the students concerned. Dubs (n.d.) names the following quality approaches for a lecture: 1) limiting the selection of content to the essentials (the aim must not be to be complete), 2) a common thread and thus a clearly recognizable structure and 3) linking to the students' previous knowledge. The aim can be to promote further independent development and categorization of content through overview-like knowledge with selective deepening. In large groups (from about 50 people), lectures are predominantly lecturer-centered and involve students to a lesser extent. Opportunities to activate students during lectures include individual or small group work to explore a problem in greater depth or to discuss a topic. Feedback can also be obtained using voting tools (e.g. PINGO) as part of digital elements. Short reading tasks encourage attention and lead to active acquisition of learning content. This can promote the retention of learning content. However, lectures are not action-oriented, even when students are activated. This means that lectures hardly promote the application and independent reflection of the subject matter (action orientation).
Procedure
When planning the entire semester, the learning objectives must first be specified and compared with the students' prior knowledge. Prior knowledge can be ascertained, for example, by creating a mind map in plenary or by carrying out quizzes or tests. As a rule, students' prior knowledge varies - supplementary literature to catch up on prior knowledge can therefore improve the introduction for some students. The content structure of the course goes hand in hand with the question of how the learning materials are designed. Presentations support the classroom course, but are generally not suitable as sole learning materials due to their selectivity and their formulation in keywords. A script or selected texts help students to follow up the events and to acquire the knowledge through repetition and application processes. Application is an important element of the overall concept. If the learning objectives include not only aspects of knowledge and understanding, but also application and reflection, the course must provide space for students to carry out such activities. Applications in the course itself or supplementary exercises or tutorials can support this.
(abridged version)
Group size
Suitable for large groups of 40-50 people or more. In smaller groups, interactive event formats or the integration of interactive elements in lectures are more advisable.
Time required
Preparation of presentations and study materials (lecture notes, selection of suitable texts).
Room facilities
Lecture hall with good acoustics and lighting.
Material
Lecture notes or suitable texts, documents and aids suggested in step 4
b) How does & the lecture promote the following diversity dimensions?
Subject-specific prior experience & Prior knowledge
Subject-specific prior experience and prior knowledge are not easy to take into account in a lecture in a large group. They can be assessed in advance with the help of a self-test on individual learning levels. If a very heterogeneous level of knowledge is identified, students can be offered personal advice to identify discrepancies, additional material to acquire the necessary prior knowledge and appropriate literature. Students with a similar level of knowledge can work on the relevant topics together. In order to involve students with professional experience in the lectures, they could bring their practical examples into the course, e.g. as cases.
Core competence independent work & Learning
Independent work and learning is not promoted much by using this classic lecturer-centered method. Learning processes in this format are mainly repetition and application processes based on scripts, scientific articles or tasks.
Motivation to study
It is essential for students to know the objectives of a lecture in order to make progress in their learning. Thanks to transparent objectives, it is easier for them to follow the structure of the lectures ("red thread") and they can learn in a more goal-oriented manner. It is important that educators also inform students about why this content is being taught (so what?). For extrinsically motivated students, a test at the end of a learning section, for example, would be a possible learning incentive. More intrinsically motivated students benefit, for example, from tasks for self-study, opportunities for in-depth study or analysis of issues within and outside the course.
Academic & social integration
Academic and social integration is not promoted very much here. However, as learning can be understood as a social process, interaction between students and with lecturers is helpful for the learning process. Work in small groups that can be used in phases or consultation hours offered by teachers can support social and academic integration. It should be noted that not every interaction has a positive effect on integration. Meaningful, differentiated topics help to avoid boredom and a high level of social skills and consideration of student diversity reduce exclusion.
Time & location restrictions
Time and location restrictions are unavoidable in lectures due to the fixed time. The problems arising from individual restrictions can be reduced by making texts or scripts available, explaining critical points (screencast) or using an e-learning platform.
Literature
Dubs, R. (n.d.): Gut strukturiert und zielgerichtet. Tips for preparing and conducting lectures. In: New handbook of university didactics (E. 2.5).
Pfäffli, B. (2005): Education at universities. University didactics for the development of knowledge and skills. Bern, Stuttgart, Vienna: Haupt Verlag.
Citation
Buß, Imke; Rump, Jutta; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra (2017): Lectures. In: Rump, Jutta; Buß, Imke; Kaiser, Janina; Schiedhelm, Melanie; Schorat-Waly, Petra: Toolbox for good education in a diverse student body. Working Papers of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, No. 6. www. hwg-lu.de/arbeitspapiere
Use according to Creative Commons under attribution (please use the citation provided) and for non-commercial purposes.