Large lectures and 'creative touches'

Author : Simon Brownhill

Abstract :Despite large lectures remaining a prominent feature of academic programmes across the globe, their effectiveness at the tertiary level remains the subject of much scrutiny (Schmidt et al., 2015). To positively address issues associated with student attentiveness and their learning, there is a demand for academic staff to ‘spice up [their] lectures’ (Brigley, 2009, p.322) through (inter)activity and creativity, engaging students to purposefully aid their understanding and promote learning. This paper argues that the above is possible through ‘creative touches’. Borne out of a small research study that sought to explore student perceptions of creative ways of demonstrating summative learning at the university level in England (Brownhill and Godfrey, 2022), ‘creative touches’ are defined as alterations and additions, the former referring to the tweaks/ modifications lecturers can make to their instructional materials, with the latter recognising the inclusion of new/innovative ideas that complement and enhance the taught delivery of the large lecture. Exemplified by a rich case study, and fueled by 20 years of professional experience in academia, this paper discusses a suite of embraceable ‘creative touches’, considering how these can re-energize professional practice in the lecture space whilst motivating the student body, with the intent of improving their learning.

Keywords :Large lectures, student engagement, creative touches, instructional materials, higher education, active learning, teaching innovation, student motivation, lecture enhancement, academic practice.

Conference Name :International Conference on Arts Education and Creativity (ICOAEC-25)

Conference Place The Hague, Netherlands

Conference Date 19th Feb 2025