Skip to Main Content
MCPHS Library Logo

Center for Teaching & Learning: Planning for Large Classes

Supporting the MCPHS faculty and staff in their commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching and learning

Assignments and Assessments

  • Decrease the amount of work, but not the rigor.
  • Rethink the learning value and points value of an assignment as it aligns with the course objectives.
  • Spread out the due dates to smooth the workload for you and your students throughout the semester.
  • Automate your feedback when possible. Use both the "correct" and "incorrect" feedback boxes when building tests. Explain the concept or where to find the relevant information, for example.
  • Use a transparent assignment template to clarify in detail the expectations. This may reduce your emails.
  • Develop assignments for other formats of delivery. For example, infographic, audio recording, poster, bulleted lists. Worksheets/templates, such as concept mapping too. These may appear easier or too short, but the ability to be succinct requires deep understanding and strong communication skills.

Read more for assignment and assessment types

Planning for Large Classes

Do you have 50, 100, or 200 students in your course?

Maybe you have fewer. No matter the size, these tips will help you adapt your course so you spend less time on emails or grading and more time on the fun stuff, like teaching!

Time Saving Tips for Teaching Large Classes

Streamline Your Grading

Rubrics are fast and easy to use. Simply evaluate the student work against the rubric’s qualitative statements and assign the associated points. The feedback is “built in”. Develop your own or use one of the many rubrics found online. Build your rubric in Blackboard and it’s ready to use. Share it with your students in advance to set expectations and supply structure.

Top 5 Blackboard Tools for Large Course Management

Use the right tool for your instruction. This list includes the types of instructional activities or content that you may use in your course. Learn which tool in Blackboard can be used to streamline your large course.

Top 5 Blackboard Tools for Large Classes

View image full size

Leverage Peer Work

Manage Students' Course Engagement

Missed our live sessions?

The webinar recording is available on-demand:

Webinar Resources

Grab these resources and print them out to support you as you integrate the Retention Center.

Connect with the MCPHS Libraries via Social Media: Instagram