By LEX DROZD and J. D. WRIGHT

We often hear that some teaching methods are outdated or ineffective, but what if the problem isn’t the methods but how they’re used? Rethink three familiar instructional techniques — lecturing, slides and online discussion boards. Some small tweaks can refresh these old standards and make them highly effective.

Enliven your lectures

Although we might consider lecturing a method that we ought to avoid, the research says otherwise. A meta-analysis of 328 studies from the last half-century shows that direct instruction works (Stockard, et al., 2018); for novice learners, lecturing turns out to be the best instructional technique for maximizing learning outcomes (Clark, et al., 2012). With just a few adjustments, lectures can be vibrant, engaging and powerful:

• Learning is incremental (Goswami 2019), so activating students’ prior knowledge with a brief opening activity, like having them talk in small groups about what they learned from the last class — without looking at their notes — helps to scaffold new knowledge.

• A pre-lecture cognitive exercise, like having students predict the outcome of an experiment, is a small time investment that yields big benefits in performance (White, et al., 2024).

• Brief reflection opportunities and active-learning breaks — such as minute papers and setting aside time for students to revise their notes in pairs — improve a lecture’s effectiveness (Luo, et al., 2016).

• Low-stakes quizzes, which Canvas can grade automatically, are useful as learning tools, not just methods of assessment (Roediger & Karpicke 2006).

Instead of abandoning your lectures, make them more dynamic and see measurable results (Harrington & Zakrajsek 2017).

Slide decks can shine

Just as a poorly designed set of slides can actively hinder learning, slide decks that follow some simple guidelines can facilitate effective instruction (Abdulrahaman, et al., 2020).

• The most common slide-design problem is probably over-reliance on text. In most cases, a slide with just a block of words is more likely to alienate your audience than help them to understand. A good rule of thumb is to limit the number of words per slide to about 15.

• If words are important enough to include more than 15 or so on a slide, then pause to allow your students to read the text themselves — audiences who read text and simultaneously listen to it tend not to perform either task well (Mayer 2020).

• Keep it simple. Use a single sans-serif font at 20 points or larger, no flashy animations or transitions, and high-contrast color choices (you can’t go wrong with black on white).

• Images and graphics that are germane to your point rather than merely decorative are more effective than chunks of text for conveying your point.

• Consider accessibility. PowerPoint makes this easy with an accessibility checker that spots problems and helps you fix them.

Northern Illinois University’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning offers more tips on slide design.

Strengthen online discussions

Canvas discussion boards and other tools spotlight diverse perspectives and help participants reflect (Forbes, Daly, Li 2024). Including a few key elements will support student learning (Darabi, Liang, et al. 2013):

• Structure. Give clear instructions outlining the specific elements you expect each post to contain, schedule posts and replies, and in larger courses create smaller groups.

• Interaction. Have students talk to each other in well-defined ways, like comparing and contrasting two other posts, for example, or adding media with Canvas plug-ins.

• Complexity. Ask students to think and analyze, not just agree or disagree, call for expanded reasoning, and introduce structures like case studies and debates.

• Expectations. Add helpful guides and lists of discussion norms (Fehrman & Watson 2020), and remember that sharing samples of effective posts shows students what you’d like to see.

• Instructor involvement. Post regularly with constructive feedback, comments addressing common problems or misconceptions, and even occasional digests providing group feedback, mentioning the names of high performers.

Conclusion

These oft-maligned teaching methods intersect. Lectures often rely on slides, and faculty often use discussion boards to review lectures and slides. Slides can be the subject of discussion boards. When lectures use small-group discussions, those discussions can occur on an online board. A discussion board in one week can raise questions answered by the next week’s lecture and slides. And so on. For all three methods, emphasize student engagement, provide explicit guidance, and give actionable formative feedback to get the best results.

If you need support, contact the Teaching Center to schedule a consultation or explore options for custom workshops.

Lex Drozd, who has a master’s in philosophy from Carnegie Mellon University, is a senior instructional designer with Pitt Online at the University Center for Teaching and Learning. She can be reached at amdrozd@pitt.edu. J.D. Wright, who earned his law degree from William and Mary and his PhD from Pitt, is a teaching consultant with the Center for Teaching and Learning. He can be reached at jd_wright@pitt.edu.

References

Abdulrahaman, M. D., Isiaka, A. I., Alabi, A. O., Raji, A. O., & Abdulkareem, S. A. (2020). Multimedia tools in the teaching and learning processes: A systematic review. Heliyon, 6(11).

Clark, R. E., Kirschner, P. A., & Sweller, J. (2012). Putting students on the path to learning: The case for fully guided instruction. American Educator, 36(1), 6-11.

Darabi, A., Liang, X., Suryavanshi, R., & Yurekli, H. (2013). Effectiveness of online discussion strategies: A meta-aqnalysis. American Journal of Distance Education, 27(4), 228–241.

Fehrman, S., & Watson, S. L. (2020). A systematic review of asynchronous online discussions in online higher education. American Journal of Distance Education, 35(3), 200–213.

Forbes, D., Daly, N., & Li, L. (2024, September). Effective learning through online discussion — Enhancing student strategies and experience. In Designing Discussion for Online and Blended Courses: A Forum for Learning in Higher Education (pp. 25-35). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.

Goswami, U. (2019). “Cognitive Development and Cognitive Neuroscience: The Learning Brain” (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.

Harrington, C., and Zakrajsek, T. D. (2017). “Dynamic Lecturing: Research-Based Strategies to Enhance Lecture Effectiveness.” New York: Routledge.

Luo, L., Kiewra, K. A., & Samuelson, L. (2016). Revising lecture notes: How revision, pauses, and partners affect note taking and achievement. Instructional Science, 44, 45-67.

Mayer, R. E. (2020). “Multimedia Learning” (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249-255.

Stockard, J., Wood, T. W., & Khoury, C. R. (2018). The effectiveness of direct instruction curricula: A meta-analysis of a half century of research. Review of Education Research, 88(4), 479-507.

White, H. A., Highfill, L., & Kalimi, A. (2024). Cognitive calisthenics: Pre-lecture cognitive exercise boosts learning. Teaching of Psychology, 51(2), 180-187.