Succeeding In a Large Lecture Class

Large lecture classes are a challenge for students and faculty.  Most students come to MSU with experience of class sizes between 20 and 40.  A classroom with 250 other students is a new experience.  Here are some tips to help you succeed in this new environment. 

TIP 1.  Attend class.  It may take you a while to master the tips that follow and to understand the style of your professor.  If you miss classes, it will take much longer to learn how to get the most out of lecture.

TIP 2.  See the professor during office hours.  Office hours are for your benefit.  If something was covered in lecture that you don’t understand see the professor as soon as possible.  If you put it off, you may forget or get further behind when new material is presented.

TIP 3.  Know the subject before class.  Professors assume you have some knowledge and appropriate vocabulary before you come to class.  If you read the material in the text before coming to class, then the lecture will be much easier to understand.  Also, you will have a much better chance of recognizing the important points and potential test questions.

TIP 4.   Read the previous notes before each lecture.  Just because a lecture period is 50 or 80 minutes doesn’t mean that every topic can be completely covered in that amount of time.  You may need to know the previous material to understand the present lecture. 

TIP 5.   Develop a short hand system when writing notes.  Scientist frequently use the words and phrases below that can be written in a kind of short hand:

equals	=	increase	↑
does not equal	≠	decrease	↓
greater than	>	for example	e.g.
less than	<	approximately	~

TIP 6.  Study your notes shortly after lecture.  This helps you remember the material as well as allows you to make any correction in your notes.  If you don’t find your notes helpful, return to tip 2. 

TIP 7.  Sit toward the front of the class.  Classmates can be distracting.  Sit toward the front of the class and you’ll find it easier to concentrate on the lecture.

TIP 8.  Ask questions.  Faculty welcome questions.  Faculty want you to understand the lecture.  If you don’t understand something, chances are you’re not alone.