The document summarizes evidence on effective large group teaching methods. It finds that large group teaching involves a sequence of distinct activities including preparation, presentation, and follow up. It also involves interacting with learners' cognitive states. Large group teaching allows learners to participate in disciplinary discourses and is both an educational method and approach to program delivery. The format is constructed by available technologies and the educational context. Effective large group teaching can take forms beyond traditional lectures.

1. Lecturing well:
an evidence-based approach
Tim Dornan, Maastricht University
Rachel Ellaway, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Janet Tworek, University of Calgary

2. Overview
• Introduction
• Group Work Session 1
• Plenary feedback (mind map)
• Summary of OTME chapter
• Group Work Session 2
• Report: Personal change to practice

3. Lecturing is one of the most widely criticized
educational methods
… and still one of the most widely used
…. and still one of the less well-understood

4. Thematic Review
• Oxford Textbook of Medical Education
• Chapter on „Large Group Teaching‟
• Thematic review: realist principles
• Program theory from key texts:
– McLeish, J. (1968). The Lecture Method.
– Bligh, D.A. (1971). What's the Use of Lectures?

5. Program theory
• Large group teaching :
– involves interacting with learners‟ cognitive states
– involves a sequence of distinct activities
– involves participating in the discourse of a particular
domain
– is both an educational method and a systematic approach
to program delivery
– is constructed by the affordances of available technologies
– is constructed by the affordances of the educational
ecologies in which it takes place
– involves a broad range of activities

6. Methods
• Search ERIC, EMBASE, EBSCOHost, and PsychInfo
databases for “large group teaching”, “lecture”, and
“large group learning” - 1193 papers published
between 2002 and 2011
• included in the evidence synthesis if:
– 15+ participants with faculty member leading session
– empirical research in health professions education
– context and intervention were sufficiently well described
– findings judged 3 or higher on the BEME 1-5 scale for
“strength”

7. Synthesis
• evidence synthesis followed realist principles
• seven themes used as a program theory of how
large group teaching works, for whom, and under
what conditions.
• coding these papers expanded program theory
into 17 free-text coding fields
• coders identified trustworthy (using the BEME
strength scale) causal links between one or more
conditions or processes, and outcomes
• Minor changes to program theory

8. Seven Themes
Large Group Teaching:
• involves a sequence of distinct activities
• involves interacting with learners‟ cognitive states
• involves participating in the discourse of a particular domain
• is both an educational method and a systematic approach to
program delivery
• is constructed by the affordances of available technologies
• is constructed by the affordances of the educational ecologies
in which it takes place
• can take many more forms than traditional and didactic
lectures

9. Large Group Teaching
involves a sequence of
distinct activities.

10. Teacher builds
presentation
Teacher gives
presentation
Learner attends
presentation
Learner applies in
practice

11. Preparation
Design skills
(For lecturers): mastering the subject matter;
defining clear objectives and scope; using novel
elements and case-based examples; rehearsing
(Kessler et al, 2011)

12. Presentation
Performance skills
Attention spans typically 8-15 minutes
– Break presentation into sections
– Provide activities, stories, changes in pace
– Asking learners to answer questions, find
information, or read material before the event
(Cain et al 2009; Canfield 2002; Gulpinar & Yegen 2005; Johnson 2005; Van Dijken et al. 2008)

13. Follow up
Evaluate and improve
Lecturers: Review evaluations & iterate (Bligh, 1971)
Students: consolidate notes, complete assessment,
participate in post-lecture synthesis activities (Rong et
al, 2011)

14. Large group teaching
involves interacting with
learners’ cognitive states

15. (Brown and Manogue, 2001;
Canfield, 2002; Gülpinar and
Yegen, 2005; Hartley and
Cameron, 1967; Johnson and
Mighten, 2005; ; Melamed et al.
Cognitive 2006; McKeachie, 2006;
principles Richardson, 2011; van Dijk et al,
2001)
Visual Imagery; (Cosgrove et al, 2006; MacNeil,
Concept Maps 2007)
(Kessler, Dharmapuri and
Be Engaging Marcolini, 2011; Copeland,
Longworth, Hewson and Stoller,
2010)
Knowledge Transmission (Powell, 1970)
Ellaway, R, Tworek, J and Dornan, T (2013). Large Group Teaching. In The Oxford Textbook of Medical Education, Walsh, K (Ed). Oxford
University Press: in press.

16. Lecturing allows learners to
participate in disciplinary
discourses

17. What is said may be less
important than
how it is said
or
who says it

18. Large group teaching is
both an educational method
and a systematic approach
to program delivery

19. Lecturer
1 event : many students
Limited points of preparation
Minimal evaluations
Students
1 event : much info
Limited preparation
Minimal evaluations

20. Large group teaching is
constructed by the
affordances of available
technologies

21. (Tulsky et al, 2011; Ventura and Onsman, 2009; Williams et al,
2011)

22. Large group teaching is
constructed by the affordances
of the educational ecologies in
which it takes place

23. Ecology
instructional
ergonomics
learning
ergonomics
ergonomics
of
educational
equipment
educational
efficiency
ergonomics
of
educational
facilities
ergonomics
of
educational
(Kao, 1976) environment

24. Large Group Teaching can
take many more forms than
traditional and didactic
lectures

25. MOOCs
Analytics
?
(de Waard et al. 2011; Kop, Fournier, & Mak 2011)