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Abstract

In the future, higher education courses will be freely available for everyone to choose, and joint online degree programs will increase. As a result, the sizes of teaching groups may grow. Identified challenges of large group teaching include student passivity, reduced interaction, and difficulties in developing critical thinking. However, large groups are not a barrier to quality learning. Opportunities for social interaction and collaborative knowledge construction should be built into learning. Student activity is crucial for learning, and the teacher’s role is to support the learner’s actions and activity.

Large group teaching was discussed in a development project at Oulu University of Applied Sciences in spring 2024. The article presents the following solutions for large group learning: 1) study groups, 2) teaching and assessment methods, 3) competence-based learning in large groups, 4) pedagogical models, and 5) data-driven management methods. All of these can be utilized in higher education to develop teaching and learning in large groups, both online and in-person.