The Unintentional Lecture : The place of large-class teaching in contemporary Higher Education

This thesis uses a critical realist theoretical framework to explore the complexinterplay between curriculum theory, policy, and teaching practice in the context oflarge-class lectures in higher education. The study is anchored in an analysis of thecoherence between universities espoused educational values and their observableteaching practice.A substantial proportion of face-to-face teaching in higher education is in the formof transmissive lectures in tiered, fixed-seat, auditoria. Yet, previous research hassuggested that transmissive lectures are less effective than the constructivist,student-centred approaches advocated by educational theorists, academicdevelopers, and quality assurance policies; therefore, the research interest is whylectures persist, and what perceived value they have for institutions, lecturers, andstudents.The four articles which comprise this thesis emanate from three research projects; acritical reflection on how constructive alignment, a key concept in curriculumdesign, translates into practice; a case study of large-class teaching; and interviewswith senior educational leaders representing sixteen higher education institutions.The analysis of constructive alignment highlights a tension between its theoreticalideals and its implementation in practice, which is often compromised in largelecture settings.The case study examines perceptions of large-class lectures among staff andstudents. The findings reveal that both groups view lectures as an inexorable aspectof higher education, and are often used out of habit and institutional inertia, ratherthan as a deliberate pedagogical choice.Interviews with senior educational leaders explored the rationales behind thecontinued investment in large, fixed-seat lecture theatres, despite the growingemphasis on student-centred learning. Educational commitments appeared to bedominated by financial and logistical considerations, when confronted with thepractical realities of large-class teaching.The findings of this thesis have significant implications for higher education policyand practice. It argues that the large-class lecture is a deeply entrenched, yet oftenunintentional, feature of higher education. Its status as 'traditional' contributes to anormalisation process that renders it invisible and unquestioned as a pedagogicalmethod.