Encouraging experiences of interactive lectures

BACKGROUND: Traditional lectures typically represent unidirectional transfer of information from teacher to students whilst interactive lectures involve student activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the experiences of students and teachers of interactive lectures by observation and questionnaires during a course organized by Helsinki Biomedical Graduate School. RESULTS: Teachers and the majority of students found interactive lectures highly motivating although we observed that only a fraction of students participated in discussions. Students were of the opinion that interactivity improved their learning. CONCLUSIONS: Supplementing lectures with interactive elements encourages students to adopt active learning techniques.