What Role Does Class Size Play in t

What Role Does Class Size Play in the Diversity of
Teaching Practices?
One factor that has been consistently shown to impact the
amount of time devoted to presenting material is class size
(Murray and Macdonald, 1997; Ebert-May et al., 2011). Namely,
faculty members who teach large-enrollment courses are
more likely to view lecture as their only option. In this study,
we found that class size is positively correlated with percent
presenting (Figure 4), but we also observed that the instructors
of several large courses are teaching in active ways
(Figure 5), suggesting that class size alone should not prevent
a faculty member from trying different teaching practices in
the classroom. This finding is consistent with previous studies
documenting the effective use of active learning in large-enrollment
classes (e.g., Hake, 1998; Crouch and Mazur, 2001;
Allen and Tanner, 2005; Knight and Wood, 2005; Freeman
et al., 2007, 2014; Derting and Ebert-May, 2010). Furthermore,
identifying faculty members who teach large-enrollment
courses in active ways can be a useful first step in finding faculty
members who are well positioned to help facilitate professional
development programs. In addition, we anticipate
that such faculty members, once identified, may be willing
to open up their classrooms to colleagues, so other faculty
members can see firsthand what active-engagement teaching
looks like in large-enrollment courses.