The evidence against the effectiveness of lecturing for student
learning is growing. A study published in Science describes the
results of an experiment in a large introductory physics class
at the University of British Columbia. In week 12 of the
semester, one section received traditional instruction from an
experienced professor using lecture, PowerPoint, and clicker
questions. Two inexperienced teachers trained in deliberative
practice led another section using interactive exercises. The
experimenters took care to establish ground rules for this
learning contest. Both sets of instructors agreed on the
learning objectives and a multiple choice quiz at the end of the
week. The results were not even close. The experimental group
saw greater student engagement, attendance, and significantly
higher scores on the post-test. The authors acknowledge that the
intervention required significant outlay of time (20 hours of
preparation for the first class), but gradually decreases over
time. Moreover, students wished t