Teaching Tip: A Simple and Effective Method for Teaching Information Systems Vocabulary and Concepts in a Large Lecture Setting

A teaching method is described for use in large lecture settings as a way to help alleviate problems in content understanding, problems in concentration and lack of variety, need for multiple explanations, and lack of professorial assistance. The method has the instructor present a concept or problem, followed by students attempting to solve the problem or define the concept themselves, and then seeking agreement with the person to their right and their left. When agreement has been achieved, students each turn a name placard around so that the blank side is facing forward. The instructor can observe the ripple effect of understanding or non-understanding and quickly act appropriately. A survey study comparing the method to lecture only at two universities suggests that using it in combination with a lecture setting is superior to lecture only.