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The illusion of attendance: a critical study of large-class lectures.

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Title: The illusion of attendance: a critical study of large-class lectures.
Authors: Loughlin, Colin1 (AUTHOR) colin.loughlin@uvet.lu.se
Source: Teaching in Higher Education. Jul2025, Vol. 30 Issue 5, p1256-1271. 16p.
Subject Terms: *Operant conditioning, *Curriculum alignment, *Educational outcomes, *School attendance, *Active learning, Supply & demand
Abstract: Large-class university lectures remain commonplace, yet their educational value is contested. While the majority of criticism contrasts transmissive lectures with active learning pedagogies, this case study evaluates a lecture series on its intrinsic qualities, looking at staff and student understandings of the lecture's contribution to academic outcomes and the affect attendance has on students' study habits. The study took place within a health sciences module at a UK university. Data sources included lecture observations, interviews, focus groups, a survey, and institutional documentation. The conceptual framework used in the analysis is Snyder's Hidden Curriculum, in which the formal curriculum of knowledge creation, is undermined by implicit expectations which foster instrumental learning behaviours. The findings indicate that the low demands placed on staff and students in transmissive lectures encourage an 'illusion of attendance' – in which assumptions of learning from, and physical attendance at, large-class lectures are greater than empirical data evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Teaching in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: The illusion of attendance: a critical study of large-class lectures.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Teaching+in+Higher+Education%22">Teaching in Higher Education</searchLink>. Jul2025, Vol. 30 Issue 5, p1256-1271. 16p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Operant+conditioning%22">Operant conditioning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+alignment%22">Curriculum alignment</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+outcomes%22">Educational outcomes</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+attendance%22">School attendance</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Active+learning%22">Active learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Supply+%26+demand%22">Supply & demand</searchLink>
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  Data: Large-class university lectures remain commonplace, yet their educational value is contested. While the majority of criticism contrasts transmissive lectures with active learning pedagogies, this case study evaluates a lecture series on its intrinsic qualities, looking at staff and student understandings of the lecture's contribution to academic outcomes and the affect attendance has on students' study habits. The study took place within a health sciences module at a UK university. Data sources included lecture observations, interviews, focus groups, a survey, and institutional documentation. The conceptual framework used in the analysis is Snyder's Hidden Curriculum, in which the formal curriculum of knowledge creation, is undermined by implicit expectations which foster instrumental learning behaviours. The findings indicate that the low demands placed on staff and students in transmissive lectures encourage an 'illusion of attendance' – in which assumptions of learning from, and physical attendance at, large-class lectures are greater than empirical data evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Teaching in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/13562517.2024.2441183
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Curriculum alignment
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      – SubjectFull: Educational outcomes
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      – SubjectFull: School attendance
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      – SubjectFull: Supply & demand
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              Text: Jul2025
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