I taught in an undergraduate research class the last two Wednesdays. For 7 October, I prepared to teach a 3-hour class on action research, ethnography, case study, and narrative inquiry. I had seen the classroom and knew that it was long and narrow. I also learned that the class would have about 100 students (there were actually 130 — I have never taught a class that size!). I knew that there would be issues about volume and accent, so I requested a projector to show my PowerPoint slides. The projector arrived after I had discussed the first three topics and right in time for the fourth topic. To start that last topic, I had a fun activity for small groups. I went from group to group to see how they were doing. The room had four doors, two in the front and two in the back. The room was so packed that I would go out the front doors and into the back doors.
I waded my way through the groups and took questions as I went.
The narrative activity worked for many and not for some. In any group, that is to be expected. In a group the size of this one, there is no other possible expectation!
At the end of the class, I asked them what they liked, what they disliked, and what suggestions they had. I used this as a type of demonstration for action research. I reviewed the results and made an action plan for 14 October. Here are the results.
There were 32 responses, which is about 25%.
What did you like most?
15/32 interactive activities
4/32 student engagement in discussion
What did you like least?
10/32 could not hear the lecture
8/32 delivery/pace of lecture too fast
5/32 group activities wasted time
What suggestions do you have?
11/32 on how to handle volume
5/32 want information visually
4/32 to slow down my delivery
Plan of Action
- Request Public Address (PA) System and projector
- Slow down delivery
- Make information on slides larger
- Continue with participatory approach
On 14 October, I shared these results with the class. I got a PA system and the projector. I attempted to slow my delivery, but that is not easy for a fast talker like myself. I made the font on the slides larger, and continued with the participatory approach. I reviewed ethnography and case study. Then we went into historical, experimental, survey, and correlational research.
Prof. thank you for the two lectures you had with us here at uew. In fact the class size was huge as you rightly said and that made some of us at the back not able to hear the lecture as we wanted.