Making Connections with Individual Learners in Large Introductory Geography Courses

Abstract

Abstract Although many departments of geography face increasing enrollments in their introductory courses, associated increases in funding to provide expanded student support are often inadequate or unavailable. Ironically, this is occurring while concern about the quality of undergraduate education in the United States is on the increase. Introductory classes usually contain a large contingent of first year students who are often at high risk of failing to adapt and succeed in large courses that provide little ancillary support such as recitation sections or sufficient teaching assistants. Together, these factors create obstacles to maintaining a high quality educational experience in large lecture classes. Under such circumstances the burden falls increasingly on the instructor of introductory geography courses to take every opportunity to make individual connections with learners. Three types of connections can be made. They are: instructor-to-student, student-to-course content, and course content to the world beyond the university.