I have been attending university lectures for almost four and a half years now, and while sitting through a lecture this morning, it hit me – why haven’t I written an article on what makes a good lecture?
Sure, I have technically never lectured before. What the heck do I know? Well, as someone who has to watch these lectures, I know there are lectures that I have loved and lectures that I have absolutely hated. I know what aspects made me enjoy the lecture and what I didn’t.
The more enjoyable the lecture experience is for students, the more they are likely to listen, and thus, the more they are likely to learn – and isn’t that what we want?
Simply spewing the facts and content isn’t the whole thing, although sometimes it feels that way with some lecturers – your approach to the lecture is going to significantly affect not just what students absorb today from your lecture, but also their attitudes to future lectures and future learning.
So, what makes a good lecture?