Six Reasons to Teach Undergraduate Courses in SCALE-UP Classrooms: Suggestions for Higher Education Authorities and Instructors

Abstract

In Turkey, funding for higher education institutions has increased drastically in the last ten years. This has caused a profound increase in the number of new universities and undergraduates. As a result, there has been a focus on the design and construction of new buildings on the campuses, but not in the design of the classrooms. This oversight has resulted in omission of contemporary active learning environments such as Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP).

SCALE-UP classrooms are highly interactive learning environments equipped with technologies for large enrollment introductory undergraduate courses. They were initially designed to cultivate student learning through collaborative problem solving in the sciences. In a SCALE-UP classroom, the instructor circulates around the room and asks students questions, encourages students to share their work, and supports student learning in groups. This pedagogical approach encourages students to question and collaborate with their peers, while learning content.

In this paper, the SCALE-UP approach was explored with an experiential qualitative method through observations, interviews, and various documents. The observations occurred in different SCALE-UP classrooms over the course of a semester. Interviews were also completed with the creator of the SCALE-UP classroom, who also coordinates a network all around the world. In addition, the first author’s journal regarding SCALE-UP classrooms was a source of information.

Although the SCALE-UP system is catching on globally, it is a new concept for Turkish universities. The increase in student learning and the desire to learn in this novel setting reinforce the importance of this classroom design. With these results, we suggest to the authorities and instructors of the Turkish universities that SCALE-UP classrooms should be implemented throughout Turkey.