Connecting with Students in Large Classrooms

Nationwide engineering enrollment has increased by more than 50% in the last ten years, while the number of tenured/tenure-track faculty has increased by only 15% over the same time period.One result of this trend is an increase in the size of engineering classes, and the concurrent need to be able to connect with students in these large classes.This paper addresses this important issue by reviewing some of the techniques for connecting with students that have been reported by other engineering educators, followed by a review of the discussion and suggestions from a recent seminar/discussion held on this topic at the University of Arkansas (U of A).While the literature suggests that better classroom organization is effective in reaching students, educators must also realize that many different learning styles and preferences are represented by the students in our classes.Centering the class on an advanced technology or a theme, such as a plant trip or life cycle assessment, can help us better reach the students.However, sometimes the little things-getting to know the students, providing time for interaction or engaging the students-can also help us make valuable learning connections.