My group consists of the wonderful trio of Yvonne, Theresa and Moi!
We decided to use serveral methods to find our research results.
The first was to find out the problems relating to physical factors. Therefore we decided to observe 2 different types of lecture halls mainly the Big LTs and the Small LTs. The Big LT we had chosen was LT11 most of whom we would be familiar with since we had so many year 1s and year 2s lessons being held there and the small LT we had chosen is LT12 which is located near to LT11. We wanted to observe the entire structure of the LT to see the proximate distance the students would be away from the place where the lecturer was lecturing and evidence of our findings would be captured through pictures.
Big LT: LT 11
Big LT: LT 11In LT11, we observed that the lecture hall was really very big and knowing Arts students, they normally fight for the seats closer to the exit rather than choosing to sit closer to the lecturer. So from the back, the distance to the lecturer is really very far and it is very hard to concentrate since it is so easy to lose focus. Moreover, through interviews with our fellow peers has led to the findings that it is true that they concetrate less during big LTs lectures because it is harder to get caught when you are not concentrating because the lecturer is so far away from you. There will be more noise being made by other students which can easily distract you. The noise sometimes makes it harder to listen to the lecturer as the sound system are not that fantastic.
Small LT: LT 12In a small LT however, it is easier for people to concentrate because of the size of the lecture hall where no mater how far away you sit from the lecturer, you will get caught easier if you were to talk or fall asleep. The students are normally all cramped up together because there are lesser seats. Below are the pictures of a BIG and a SMALL lecture hall.
Another interesting thing we did was take a video of a lecture on-going in Science during Theresa's Heavenly Maths class. I had taken that module before and the main distraction would be the size of the LT BUT human factor made all the difference actually, because the lecturer managed to make the students concentrate. Using him as an example, he is an interesting lecturer whereby he is knowledgeable and knows his stuffs well. Therefore when lecturing he is always confident of his information and he answers all his students questions well. He is animated and often brings models of the planets and soft toys to amuse us. Moreover he is interactive and often ask students to come down as volunteers to help him with his examples. More importantly, unlike most lecturers who just stand at the fixed spot in front to lecture, he utilizes the technology well. He uses a mike attached to his clothes and even though the lecture hall is big, he moves around the entire lecture hall all day to ask students questions. This gives students the incentives to pay attention because they wouldnt want to be stuck by not knowing how to answer his question. This leads us to the conclusion that the lecturer plays an important part as to improve the lecture conditions in class. Of course, another factor that all of us students can identify with is the time factor which was interesting conveyed across by Yanyan's group using their fengshui theory. Attendence for morning 8am lectures tend to drop drastically as the semester goes by and even if one does make it to lecture, they will be too restless to concentrate for the entire 2 hours.
The next human factor would be the students. Whether they pay attention to the lecture or not also depends on whether they are interested in the lecture. Sometimes some students are just too lazy and doesnt like to listen to lectures. In this case, it doesnt matter whether the lecturer is providing very interesting contents or not because it would not have made a difference at the end of the day anyway.
One interesting concept was raised by the other groups, that is the location of the lecture halls and whether it is closer to the vending machines aka food and i think that made perfect sense because with food and tibits to bit on when you are tired, students really do concentrate better! Maybe NUS could increase the amount of vending machines in schools since this semester all my lessons are located so far away from the vending machines haha.
Besides all these observations, we also did interviews on our fellow students. We did laddering on Alanna Yeo, our fellow NM mate and what we realized from her is that she will only attend lectures whenever she is interested in the contents or not there is no point in turning up at all. And that smaller LTs are easier to concentrate as compared to bigger LTs. The last point was that lecturers should learn how to utilise the mikes and sound system more to make lectures more condusive.
The other interview which we videoed down was of Kailing and she basically informs that it is hard to concentrate in lectures because she loves to talk to her friends during lecture. I guess this is what we as students can all identify with since i love to talk during lecture as well.
We also Albert, this PHD student who is working with Centre for Development of Teaching & Learning (CDTL). And we learn about what teachers are educated about in preparation for their lectures.
After all these research, we conclude that to improve the learning experience in lecture theatres, lecturers should be educated on how to best utilise the technologies available to them and thus in the process make the lecture experience more enriching and interactive for the students. Improving the incentives for students to concentrate will be a good way to start. Workshops should be held regularly by schools so that lecturers can upgrade themselves constantly.
Schools should also invest in better technology to aid the teachers in improving lecture experiences. The sound system is a important factor when it comes to this.
Of course, all in all, it also boils down to the students attitudes to lectures! :)
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