1. Set clear and detailed rules spelled out in the syllabus. The syllabus should be like a contract that presents the students with the learning outcomes expected from them if they successfully complete the course, given they must behave and obey the rules set forth to manage the class. You may start building your syllabus by using a general Syllabus template (see another post with this title). Add as many details as you think will help your students navigate the course. A good idea is to keep track from one semester to the other on questions your students ask about Syllabus and insert them next time around (you might find that your syllabus gets longer and longer).
2. Reduce uncertainty: even if it seems at first hand ridiculous to spell out every small rule and possible situation, students must know that a large class functions like a company or society that has several rules and laws of conduct and along with them consequences for not respecting them. Some examples: no make-up of quiz or exams, use of text or calculators at exam, late arrivals, disturbing the class by chat or reading the paper, cell phones, etc. It is possible your students will say you are tough, but they also will recognize the fairness that stands in the class management rules.
3. Delegate responsibility: use the TAs in helping you out grade homeworks, quizzes, and exams that have multiple choice questions. Delegate responsibility to your students as well. Develop small groups of 10 students they must choose in the first week of class a leader and one alternate. The leader will turn in and return to TAs all homework assignments, graded quizzes, exams, or other graded work. This way you do not have the danger of students complaining that they did not found their exam in the pile you left on the table in the classroom, or blame your TAs for misplacing one exam. Each TA will be responsible for specific groups, this way chaos is replaced by collaboration. No quiz or homework or exam will be lost. If the leader of a group is not present then the alternate will take the role. The leaders will gain 2 points toward the final grade. But if they miss more than 4 days when any graded assignments are returned then they will lose the points offered. Stress that this position even if not valuable too much from grade point of view will give them the skills necessary to lead a team and be responsible. Ask your students to come up with ideas to function as a team and smooth out the tasks. At the end of the semester ask groups to tell you how they functioned, what innovations in group functioning and task managing they invented. This will not only show that you care but you also will learn from them and be able to share with future students in upcoming semesters. Explain them that this is only to smooth and help them function and stop the chaos of 500 people picking up their quiz or exam. Time is very important for all should not be lost with digging for quizzes, exams, and graded homework.
4. Keep their attention when you teach. Always make sure that the topic you talk about it is on the slide, overhead, or blackboard. Move around so they can shift attention and keep the focus on you not on some other course unrelated tasks. Moving thru the aisles brings you also closer to them, being in their proximity makes you look more human, and forces also them to keep their eyes on you not on the newspaper or side website on their laptop.
5. Test what you teach: Have your learning outcomes listed in the syllabus. Remind them at the beginning of every new topic you teach. List the main ideas and what they are supposed to be able to demonstrate by the end of the class on that topic. Use cues about what are the important parts of the topic you lecture on. From time to time tell them to pay attention that it will be on the exam. You not only get their attention and improve their learning but also they will thank you for being a good teacher and testing them on what you taught.
6. Every topic no matter how abstract must have a real life application – otherwise why should we study it if we never use it in real life? – make sure you stress that real life application, give many examples, start teaching from examples, and show why is important that we know about that topic. What real life application can they bring up? Tell a story as an example and ask them to come up with examples. People remember much easier a content that related to a story or a real life example.
7. Avoid using yourself as constant example. It works when you tell them a story about how you struggled as a person in a situation related to the topic you teach, but constantly telling them “I did this…I did that…I know… I think…” becomes boring after a while. They want to know what the experts say in that domain you are teaching, they want proof with research, and in the end you are not the only one who invented that field of study (sorry…). Besides they hear too often from their parents: “When I was your age…” “When I was in college…” “My student years…”
8. Avoid change and earn student trust by keeping things simple and straight. There is nothing to create more confusion and frustration in your students than changing rules in the middle of the semester or playing around with deadlines and grading system. Have them listed in the syllabus in the first day of class and stick to them with precision. You might be perceived rigid, but it is much better than having a tornado in your class by changing a due date, or the day of an exam. If you stay true to your statements in the syllabus your students will trust you.
9. Meet your students. Use wisely your office hours. Instead of having only one student in your office and 20 more at the door, is a wise idea to have office hours in a classroom at least once per week. If one student has a content related question it is likely 20 more will have the same. Offer them the opportunity to ask questions and learn from each other by using a classroom with a blackboard where you all can solve the problems and have everyone see and say. Offer them also the opportunity to meet in private in your office. There are student who feel uncomfortable to ask a question in public but they ask when you are face-to-face. In a large class you might discover that you meet one student only one single time a semester (some you will never see but only at lectures), so take advantage of that one-time meeting and offer your entire attention to that student. You are human too. Show your care and concern. The student is your ambassador to the class. You have no better allies than those students who come to your office hours. They will teach the others who don’t come to office but have questions, and tell them how great a teacher you are!
10. K.I.S.S. (“Keep it simple stupid!”) – favorite sentence of most of your students. With a large class of 350-500 students you do not want to have a cumbersome grading system that your students cannot figure out and make ends meet. Also you don’t want to be completely overwhelmed by keeping track of the multiple assignments and weights you use for each. The best is to drop completely the weight system and use a simple percent or points system. Use exams that have true/false, matching, and multiple choice questions. These can be graded fast and grades can be posted by the next class period. Use weekly quizzes that measure what your students know as well as the attendance. If you have 15 weekly quizzes then drop 5 with lowest score for grade purposes, but consider the number for attendance. Having a simple and straightforward grading system will keep the tension away and everyone happy.
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