Carlson POB

Lecture Issues

There are a variety of approaches you might take to communicate information to your students. You might take a "self-paced" approach in which students read sets of materials and then take small exams to demonstrate mastery of the material. This approach allows students to move through the material at their own pace. However, a major drawback to the self-paced approach is that many students fail to complete the entire set of materials. An alternative approach is to use a discussion format in which students are asked to read a chapter or set of readings and to lead or participate in a discussion of the materials during class. The discussion approach, however, may not be appropriate for a lower-level introductory physiological psychology course. McKeachie (1986) discusses issues related to implementing a discussion format in an undergraduate course.

The lecture format is a common approach for undergraduate courses in physiological psychology. In this approach, you provide a set of readings for the students to complete during each week of the course. During each lecture, you organize a set of ideas and present these orally to your students. The lecture format is efficient in that you can transmit a large number of ideas quickly to your students. In large course sections, this approach may be the best means by which to communicate with your students. A major drawback to the lecture approach is that the communication tends to be in one direction-from instructor to students. This mode can reduce active discussion of concepts in class.

There are several strategies that can supplement and reinforce your course lectures. An important approach is to provide handouts to be used by students during each lecture. The first handout in any class period is a lecture outline. Other handouts might include copies of figures or charts that you will cover during the lecture. Providing an outline and copies of the material will facilitate the lecture process. You will be able to cover more material during the lecture, and students can take notes directly on the handouts. Moreover, providing handouts minimizes the inefficiency of the "chalk" technology. The chalk approach is where you write key points and draw diagrams and figures on a chalkboard (or overhead projector). The chalk approach is a low-cost, certain-to-work technology. However, the time required for you to write and draw on the board and for your students to copy your material will take time away from lecture. Providing handouts will speed up the communication process. Finally, providing an outline ensures that you have thought through what you are going to accomplish in each lecture session.

Another approach is to use overhead acetate transparencies to accompany your lecture. Most textbooks, including Carlson, have a prepared set of color transparencies that can be used in lecture. These transparencies primarily contain figures and charts taken from the textbook. With the advent of inexpensive color printers, it is possible for you to prepare your own color transparencies for use in class. Preparing your own transparencies will allow you to incorporate new materials into lecture and to alter old materials to suit your lecture purpose(s).