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…

A live lecture experiment was conducted where teacher confirmation was manipulated (i.e., not confirming, somewhat confirming, confirming) across three college courses. After the lecture, students completed a post test assessing positive (i.e., student communication motives, student participation) and negative (i.e., challenge behaviors)…

Uses scripted, videotaped lectures to test the effects of teacher immediacy (high vs. low), use of organizational cues (with cues vs. no cues) and student notetaking (took notes vs. no notes) on students' cognitive learning. Indicates that learning immediately after viewing a lecture is greater when the lecture contains organizational cues and…

Compares the effectiveness of traditional lecture methods of instruction to group discussion methods of instruction in developing critical thinking. Finds no significant difference in the two instructional methods, but significant gains were found from the pretest to the posttest for both instructional strategies. Concludes that face-to-face…

Tests the learning-loss scale experimentally to examine the relationship between students' reports of their own learning and their performance on a standard exam. Identifies a moderately strong validity coefficient between students' performance on a recall test and reports of how much they believed they learned during a lecture. (SR)

Looks at the goals, content and classroom procedures for making an undergraduate course in rhetoric relevant within a recently restructured collegiate environment. (MH)

Investigates the effect of both trait communication apprehension (CA) and anticipated interaction on student recall of instructional messages. Finds that anticipated interaction elicited higher levels of state anxiety in students with high CA, inhibiting their free recall of a lecture. (MS)

Demonstrates the use of simulations and games in large classes as complements to the lecture method. Students generally respond favorably to the use of these strategies and indicate that they facilitate classroom communication and student interest, concept understanding, and personal growth. (JMF)