We’ve all been there: sitting in lecture scribbling everything down, while simultaneously referencing other notes, reading materials, and solving equations — such is life for a U of T student. But who is to say that this stoic, one-dimensional way of teaching is the most profitable for students — or professors for that matter? Hasn’t the time come for course syllabi and lecture outlines to start reflecting the technological interconnectedness of the twenty-first century?
I am sure many of my classmates would agree that a more modern approach to lecturing and course structuring would be far more effective in helping students retain new information and obscure concepts. Fortunately, the majority of professors appreciate and embrace this notion — technology such as laptops, cellphones, and the Internet are vital and welcome in many classrooms. As a tool for communicating with professors, TAs, and other students, Blackboard, the Holy Grail of course information, is also an invaluable resource for students. By adopting the technological infrastructure that U of T has put in place, instructors can post supplementary information, lecture slides, and readings that students wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
To the dismay of many students, myself included, it appears as though many professors either don’t realize this correlation or don’t want to implement it into their teaching style. Imagine walking into a class and having the lesson structured around handouts that had been photocopied so many times that reading them was next to impossible and learning that, not only would nothing be posted on Blackboard, there would be no Blackboard site for the course.
Change is hard and, in my experience, many professors don’t integrate modern technology into their teaching. That is not to say that a traditional lecture style, with the occasional quotation and verbatim textbook reading, is not effective. In fact, it may be better suited to some students’ learning styles. However, technology can do things that weekly speeches simply cannot. Media stimulates conversation; using slides, videos, and graphics is a way of bridging the communication and, often, generational gaps between professors and their students.
Understandably, some professors have been teaching since before many of us were born and have refined their teaching style, syllabi, and lectures over the years to suit their personal preferences. That being said, many professors would benefit from a crash course in lecture-enhancing technologies — perhaps from seasoned Convocation Hall lecturers.
Although that coliseum of a classroom is cramped and stuffy, professors who lecture there are some of the most engaging speakers I have ever heard. The combination of visuals, such as PowerPoint, video clips, and graphics, makes it easier for visual learners to take in the lecture material more efficiently. Sorry professors encourage live-tweeting during class to address any concerns about lecture material or to ask questions about the presentation, reaching out to students too shy to raise their hands. These professors tend to understand the value of Blackboard, which they use religiously to post slides, test information, and supplementary readings for the more ambitious students among us.
If we could find a way to implement this big-lecture atmosphere into a smaller class, I’m confident that it would result not only in an increase in class attendance, but an improved knowledge threshold for students of all disciplines.
Emma Kikulis is a third-year student at U of T studying English and sociology.
