An empirical case for introductory psychology tutorials in a large-class format

This study examined the effectiveness of an instructional format that Involved conducting introductory psychology tutorials in large conventional lecture theatres with over 100 students per class. We maximised the use of skilled tutors, sharing of student perspectives, and cooperative learning in delivering interactive, active learning activities, Students (N = 284) within each class were randomly assigned to smaller groups that were scaled within the same large class environment. Students reported positive perceptions of their learning experience at an end-of-semester survey. Moreover, they performed significantly better in a major assessment on the tutorial component than a previous cohort taught in conventional small tutorial classes. Our finding indicate that active learning techniques can be implemented just as effectively in a large class tutorial format. These findings have practical implications for designing cost effective yet pedagogically vigorous instructional formats for introductory psychology and other liberal arts courses.