Lightweight Techniques to Support Students in Large Classes

With surging enrollments in computer science, large classes are becoming standard, even at the upper division. Unfortunately, this new reality can leave students feeling anonymous and unsupported. This work examines the impact of several lightweight interventions on students' sense of connection with instructors and the class. These strategies were employed in a range of large courses at a public research-focused university. The implemented techniques include: opportunities for one-on-one tutoring, seating assignments with consistent teaching staff members seated in class, and assigned small discussion sections, among others. All strategies are lightweight and require only the usual staffing resources afforded to a class. In this report, we evaluate student sense of community and reflect on the benefits and challenges of these techniques.