[quoting Norman, 3 Apr 96] Ah yes. Now we pass out of the realm of theory and move to the realm of practice. Real teaching takes place in a complex atmosphere of social and organizational demands. There are multiple pressures upon the system, one of the largest being cost: the desire to minimize the expense of education.
I suggest you look at the work that Professor Jack Wilson is doing at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York State. They have instituted a "studio" teaching model for Physics, maths, and (soon) chemistry. Class sizes are of the order of 700. This learner-centered model is both more effective educationally and costs less to run. Traditional classes were 2 hours lecture, two hours tutorial, and 2 hours lab, and were replaced by 4 hours in a studio. The studio is a large room which accommodates over 60 students at over 30 computers. Experimental work, discussion work, and mini-lectures are mixed in each 2 hour session.
The model may not work so well in areas other than Science.
Jack visited Curtin University recently, and his arguments in favor of the model seemed to catch the interest of the highest decision makers, as well as faculty interested in effectively teaching their students.
Look in The Physics Teacher, volume 32, Dec 94, p. 518., "The CUPLT Physics Studio." See also: http://ciue.rpi.edu/studio/studio.htm
The conclusion is that it IS possible to obtain a cost-effective learner-centered educational environment for large classes. The key issue is change management and being able to convince senior management to cough up the initial investment.