Preparing and Delivering an Interactive Lecture

A well-designed lecture can spark interest and deepen students’ understanding of the material in your course. It is possible, and often advisable, to go beyond the classic “chalk and talk” format of the typical college classroom to engage students, even in large classes. However, in those instances where straight lecture seems necessary, clear organization is key.

Getting Started

• Begin with a connection to what you covered previously
• Grab your students’ attention right from the start with a provocative question or a personal anecdote
• Place the topic explicitly with where it fits in the overall course
• Make the organization of your lecture explicit, providing your students with “signposts” throughout the class period
• Begin and end on time
• Try videotaping yourself to learn about your delivery and lecture style
• Vary the types of lectures you give (interactive, case study, demonstration, etc.)

Additional Resources

• Gross, B. (1993). “Delivering a Lecture.” Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Gross, B. (1993). Preparing to Teach the Large Lecture Course.
• Twenty ways to make lectures more participatory. Bok Center for Learning and Teaching, Harvard University.
• Bonwell, C. C. (1999). Using Active Learning to Enhance Lectures. Review of Agricultural Economics, 21(2), 542–550.
• Mazur, E. (2009). Farewell Lecture? Interactive Lecturing: Teaching by Questioning. Science Magazine, 323, 50-51.