Call for Papers Forum on the Lecture and Student Learning

Call for Papers

Forum on the Lecture and Student Learning

One of the most central topics in instructional communication is the manner in which instructors and students orally communicate about course content.  This communication can take place in the form of discussion, class activities, lecture, student presentations, individual conversations in the classroom or outside, and many other ways.

At present, one of the more controversial forms of instructional communication is the lecture, whether used as a staple of a course, or just one of many forms of communication.  While conceptions of “lecture” may vary, we use the term to refer to an instructor’s presentation about a class topic where input from the students limited to a modest number of questions.  In the past, a class whose daily activity mostly consisted of lectures that were well thought and well delivered was regarded by many as a high quality course.  Today, such a course is less likely to garner as much praise.  Yet a stroll through the halls of a typical college campus will show that the lecture is still a prevalent mode of teaching.  What explains this contrast, and what are its effects on student learning?

There is a wide range of options for how instructors might use lecture: It could be solely relied upon, completely eliminated, or used somewhere in between.  Those middle options are infinite, such as using it in selected and strategic ways (with some specific decision-making criteria for when and how to use it), blending it with other approaches, or much more. The question in assessing the lecture is the degree to which it contributes to the learning goals of a class as well as, or better than, alternative methods.

This forum seeks to shed light on the role that lecture should play in today’s higher education, informed by theories of how students learn.  We ask writers to address this question:

* What is the place of the lecture in student learning today?

Writers must answer this question in light of how lecture facilitates -- or fails to adequately facilitate -- student learning.  For example, authors might consider different levels of learning (e.g., Bloom’s taxonomy), different types of learning (e.g., cognitive, affective, behavioral; short-term vs. long-term), how knowledge is structured (e.g., schemas, information transfer, etc.), or more.  What is happening with student learning that would drive a decision on mode of communication?  Writers might also consider variables such as class size or topic, student qualities, and more in suggesting how the lecture method may interface with learning outcomes.  Writers are welcome to offer criteria for circumstances in which lecture may facilitate desired learning and for when it may not, if they feel that is useful.

The forum will consist of 3-6 position papers followed by several responses that reflect on those papers and the nature of this issue.  Essays, which directly answer the question above, should not exceed 1,000 words (references included).  Rather than submitting initial drafts into the online system, please e-mail a blinded copy of your paper by Thursday, September 15, 2016 to Joe Mazer, Consulting Editor for Forums, at jmazer@clemson.edu.