Active Learning in Health Sciences for Large Classrooms

Imagine a class of 90 veterinary virology students singing; It’s beginning to Look A Lot Like Rabies (to the tune, It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas)!  In our classes, particularly our large classes (over 50), this is the norm. Each student group of 3-4 is assigned a virus family to research, to become a “virus expert” throughout the semester and ultimately teach to the rest of their class, frequently using some well-known song. Can students learn deeply complex content this way?

Research has long shown that interactive teaching and learning enhances student mastery.  Effectively engaging large classes, however, can challenge even the best professors. This lively, interactive session will address a wide variety of strategies to reduce student passivity/anonymity and enhance student learning in large classes, particularly the core academics and sciences. Participants will have the opportunity to strategize and apply a myriad of ways to effectively engage students in large classes, maximizing student responsibility, accountability, and learning mastery.

Date and Time

Tuesday, May 20, 9:45 - 11:15 a.m.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Articulate the rationale for interactively engaging large groups of students
2. Describe and construct the interactive lecture model for their specific classroom setting
3. Build a repertoire of effective, interactive teaching strategies for large classes
4. Create an action plan to engage large groups of students tailored to their discipline.

Presenters

Deb Wingert, PhD

It is Dr. Wingert’s privilege to serve as the Director of Educational Development at the College of Veterinary Medicine, facilitating several initiatives in teaching and learning. Her graduate degrees, M.S. and Ph.D. in educational psychology, were earned in 1977 and 1980 from Utah State University. In addition to teaching in higher education for more than 20 years, she serves as Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Coordinator for UMN graduate students, and Early Career Coordinator for UMN Early Career faculty, under the auspices of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), teaching several courses to doctoral students in preparation for their academic career as a professor, and helping new faculty enhance their teaching excellence at a major research university.

In concert with these endeavors, she develops and facilitates a wide range of workshops, retreats, presentations, and courses for both on-campus departments and educators in various higher educational institutions nationwide. She has also conducted and managed many venues of research, including several publications, both in violence prevention and teaching and learning. Her personal life, as deeply rewarding as her professional life, is kept in balance with her two grown children, Brynn and Tug, and ongoing family adventures….well seasoned with the relaxation of writing and reading as often as possible!

Tom Molitor, PhD

Dr. Molitor is professor and interim department chair for Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota.  His research interests include:  molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of viral diseases; host defense responses to infectious disease; immunity and addictive drugs; and scholarship of teaching, particularly active learning in the science classroom.  In 2007, he received the Professional and Graduate Distinguished Teaching Award.  Dr. Molitor received his MS at the University of North Dakota in 1978 and received his PhD at the University of Minnesota in 1983.