Center for Teaching & Mentoring
Large Class Playbook
Large-enrollment courses present unique challenges that can potentially impede students’ learning and exhaust faculty members. The The Large Class Playbook is an engaging workshop series tailored for faculty teaching high-enrollment courses. Participants will explore proven strategies and practical tools to enhance instructional effectiveness in large-class settings. The series focuses on fostering student connection, building classroom community, and implementing best practices for meaningful engagement and learning at scale. We will offer six 55-minute workshops throughout the 2025-2026 academic year. These workshops will take place on Wednesdays from 1:50-2:45 pm in the Center for Teaching & Mentoring (LIB 348). We will make each of these workshops hyflex where we concurrently Zoom the session for those faculty who are not able to attend in person. Attendance is open to all. Although faculty will benefit from attending each of the sessions, please attend as you are able.
Spring 2026
| Date | Featured Speaker | Department | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, February 4 1:50-2:45 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom | Benjamin Sawyer | History | Crowd Work: Teaching an Audience When I started doing standup comedy in 2012, I thought my teaching experience would make me a better comic. It did not. What I didn’t expect was that getting better at standup comedy made me a better teacher. In this session I’ll share a few of the lessons I’ve learned from my time as a standup comic and the advantages that can come from reconceptualizing your students as an audience and not just a class. |
| Wednesday, March 4 1:50-2:45 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom | Tim Moake | Management | Helping Students Feel Seen in Large Course Sections Large course sections can often leave students feeling “lost in the crowd.” This session will explore practical strategies and ideas to foster a sense of connection among students. We’ll focus on ways professors can create a more inclusive environment, helping students feel seen, supported, and engaged—even in large classes. |
| Wednesday, April 1 1:50-2:45 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom | Josh Bedford Angela Tipps | School of Music | Activating Engagement: Energizing Large Lectures with Performance and Participation This session explores ways to bring active and engaging experiences to large lecture classes through live performances, listening activities, and hands-on experiences. We will share ideas for engaging students in active participation from the outset (e.g., get them talking to one another and you!), organizing the course with student engagement at the forefront, and utilizing tools to foster active class participation (e.g., in-class quizzes or “low-stakes” writing assignments). |
Fall 2025
| Date | Featured Speaker | Department | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, September 3 1:50-2:45 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom Click here for recording | Katie Foss | School of Journalism and Strategic Media | Rocking the Big Gen Ed Class It can be daunting to stare into the sleepy eyes of 100 first-year students. Yet, teaching a large True Blue Core class can be fun and rewarding! Did you know you can still do group projects? This session offers tips to make these classes manageable, fruitful, and an overall positive experience for students and instructors. The session includes helpful syllabi policies, classroom management strategies, activities that get students moving and engaged, assessments (not just exams), and issues that may arise (and what to do about them). |
| Wednesday, October 22 1:50-2:45 pm LIB 348 or synchronously on Zoom Click here for recording | Medha Sarkar | Computer Science | Building Community in Large Remote Courses How do you build connection and community in a large, remote course? This session will explore strategies and techniques for creating a welcoming environment, encouraging participation, and helping students navigate their academic path in a remote setting. Strategies include structuring breakout sessions for informal interaction, integrating guest speakers, and using in-class assignments and low-stakes quizzes to promote engagement and reinforce key information. |
| Wednesday, November 5 1:50-2:45 pm LIB 348 or synchronously | Liz Barnes Katy Hosbein Jonell Hinsey | Biology Chemistry Associate Vice Provost of Student Success | Teaching Together: Leveraging Learning Assistants to Enhance Student Engagement Learning Assistants (LAs) are trained undergraduate students who have previously completed the course they support and help facilitate active learning by facilitating small-group discussions and activities during class. This workshop introduces the key components of the LA program, outlines its purpose in fostering student-centered instruction, and shares examples of LAs in action. Participants will explore best practices used by LAs and consider how reflecting alongside LAs can help instructors build more engaging classrooms. |
Additional Resources
- Teaching Large Classes, The Center for Teaching and Learning, UNC Charlotte
- Large Classes, Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Teaching LARGE Classes, Center for Teaching and Learning, The University of Texas at Austin
- Teaching Large Classes, Learning Innovation & Lifetime Education, Duke University
