When you are in a college setting where there are a large number of students about, it is only natural for you to be in certain classes where there will be so many students that only a lecture format could possibly work. And while the lecture format is the kind that least lends itself to personal attention and individual learning (and lends itself best to frantic stenography and sleeping without disturbance), it can be salvaged if a few things about its usual structure are changed, in order to reflect a slightly different way of looking at the educational process itself. For instance, the process of a lecture can be broken up into a group discussion, the class can be broken up into small groups and give presentations to the class, and students can send questions to their instructor before class begins, in order to influence the course of the lecture and alleviate the usual boredom it inspires.
Let’s face facts- lectures are usually the most boring way that has ever been devised for learning something. Even reading a dusty old volume can be made slightly more exciting, either through doing so on an exercise bike or through taking occasional (or perhaps frequent) breaks. But in the context of a classroom setting, traditionally the students have been required to simply sit there and attempt to vegetatively absorb the knowledge which is tossed in their general direction. Without some level of interactivity, today’s students simply will not be able to focus for such a long period of time.
Granted, this is not to suggest that every class needs to become a discussion based class. In these kinds of situations, all that needs to be changed to become more interactive is to allow the students to ask questions, and have them be answered as a part of the lecture. This way, a student can focus in, hoping to hear the answer to their question. And in addition to that, the students can also be broken up into teams, for the purpose of presenting something that is both interesting to their classmates and them.