STEMM Teachers’ Conceptions of Teaching Large Classes

Although research into differences in how university teachers conceive of teaching has yielded valuable pedagogical insights, important questions remain about the interrelationship between conceptions and practices and the influence of contemporary teaching-learning environments. Focusing specifically on the context of large-class STEMM teaching, this study investigated the conceptions of sixteen STEMM lecturers, adopting a phenomenographic, interview-based methodology. Four conceptions were differentiated: large-class STEMM teaching as presentation; as guided learning and individual reflection; as active participation in a community of learning; and as the promotion of metacognition beyond the curriculum. These conceptions were further dissected in terms of three dimensions of variation comprising interactivity, the role of students, and aims of large STEMM classes. The findings also showed that the teachers' conceptions needed to be understood in relation both to contextual factors and to the extent to which they felt different strategies were accomplishable in particular settings.