Lecture remains a valuable tool in the student learning toolbox--one that at its best helps students unpack what they read for class, place course material in context, and see how a subject matter expert solves problems. It may be useful to think of lecture and active learning as a dialectical tension satisfied by the interactive lecture. Just as…

According to the "Oxford English Dictionary" ("OED"), the noun "lecture" dates from the 14th century and means the "action of reading, perusal. Also, that which is read or perused." This definition, while accurate and resonates today in many college classrooms, ignores a key feature of any lecture. The…

As this forum's call for papers notes, lecture represents one of the more "controversial forms of instructional communication," yet remains a predominant instructional method in academia. Ironically, instructors face increasing pressure to abandon lecture at a time when these classes are popular and students readily enroll in lecture…

This brief forum article reviews texts on lectures and reveals that not much has changed on this topic. What has happened over the years is that lectures have often been maligned and alternatives that promote student engagement, active learning, and experiential learning have been promoted as the (only) way to reach today's students. The use of…

The essays in this forum demonstrate how the shift from an instructional to a learning paradigm is in full motion and is happening in scholarly conversations about communication and instruction. When asked about the role of the lecture in today's educational context, responses varied from some form of "none at all" to "the lecture…

College instructors use lecture and its current counterpoint--active learning--widely and often rely on both strategies, but the question of which best promotes student learning has become a debate that ignores the fact that learning can result from both. Students still listen to and learn from lectures. They pass exams, obtain degrees, and…

This response discusses why the essays in this forum are of particular interest for instructors in light of recent articles in "The Chronicle of Higher Education" and trends in student populations and higher education. "The Chronicle" recently featured several articles on innovative ways to "shake up the lecture" that…

The author of this brief forum article argues that it is time to encourage faculty members to rethink student learning: encourage the scholarship of teaching and expose faculty to key research articles about student learning. Then, building on this knowledge, the academy needs to offer assistance to faculty in designing student-centered…