INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE

Teaching Technique 43

Punctuated Lecture

ACTIVITY TYPE TEACHING PROBLEM ADDRESSED LEARNING TAXONOMIC LEVEL

• Active/Engaged Learning • Poor Attention/Listening • Learning How to Learn

• R
 eflecting
 Punctuated Lecture
During a Punctuated Lecture (PL), students listen to the lecture for approximately
15–20 minutes. At the end of the lecture segment, the teacher pauses and asks students
to answer a question about what they are doing at that particular moment.

Clarify your teaching purpose and

learning goals for the lecture

Identify exactly what you want to

know and consider the question format

Determine how students will

respond to the lecture prompts

Develop a plan for learning

assessment or grading

Communicate assignment
parameters to students

Implement the technique

Reflect upon the activity and

evaluate its effectiveness
Step-By-Step Instructions
In this section, we provide you with guidance on each of the seven
steps involved as you consider this technique.

STEP 1: CLARIFY YOUR TEACHING PURPOSE AND LEARNING GOALS

Punctuated Lectures help promote student engagement during a lecture through the process
of asking students to be more self-aware of their own involvement (Angelo & Cross, 1993). The
activity also can help students refocus attention if their minds have wandered, which can improve
active listening. Over time and with practice, students can develop skills as self-monitoring
listeners. In short, Punctuated Lectures can help students develop metacognitive skills, or the
ability to think about their own thinking and learning.

STEP 2: IDENTIFY THE LEARNING TASK’S UNDERLYING PROBLEM

AND PROMPT
During a Punctuated Lecture, students listen to the lecture for approximately 15–20 minutes. At the
end of the lecture segment, the lecturer pauses and asks students to answer questions about what
they are doing at that particular moment. Before implementing a Punctuated Lecture, consider
exactly what you want to know. Some options include:
• How much students were focused on the lecture content at a given point.

• How distracted students were by technology or by each other.

• W
 hat students were physically doing, whether listening or taking notes or doing
something unrelated.

Also consider your question format. You might ask students to respond to an item based on
a scale (5=extremely high, 1= extremely low) with prompts such as:
• How would you describe your level of focus on the lecture?

• How would you describe your level of distraction from the lecture?

• O
 r you might also ask an open-ended question such as: Describe what you
were doing when the lecture paused.

STEP 3: SET ASSIGNMENT PARAMETERS

You will need to determine how students will respond to the prompts, whether by choosing a
response or supplying the answer on their own. You might have them respond on an index card, or
you might use an automated response system (clickers) or an online survey.

Punctuated Lecture 3
Step-By-Step Instructions (CON’T)

STEP 4: DEVELOP A PLAN FOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT

OR GRADING
Punctuated Lectures also are a useful method of providing instructors with information about what
learning strategies students use during the lecture. In turn, instructors can use the information to
help guide students during lectures, such as directing students to attend to important content or
reviewing a concept for understanding. The answers to the prompts, then, serve as useful data.

STEP 5: COMMUNICATE ASSIGNMENT PARAMETERS TO STUDENTS

Simply tell students ahead of time that you will pause the lecture occasionally an ask them to
record what they are doing. Tell them also how they should record their responses.

STEP 6: IMPLEMENT THE TECHNIQUE

• Begin the first section of the lecture, which should last approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

• Stop the lecture and ask students to think about what they were just doing.

• Ask students to answer the question(s) you have developed.

• Resume the lecture, and repeat every 15–20 minutes for the duration of the class.

STEP 7: REFLECT UPON THE ACTIVITY AND EVALUATE ITS

EFFECTIVENESS
When reflecting on the activity and how effective it was, consider the following questions:

• Did the technique match the course learning goals and objectives?

• Did it meet my goals for this learning module?

• Was it appropriate for the students?

• Did the technique keep the students engaged?

• Did it promote student learning?

• Did it provide me with information about student understanding?

If you answer yes to all or most of these questions, next consider how you might improve
the activity for the next use.

Punctuated Lecture 4
Support Materials
The materials in this section are intended to help you with the process
of implementing this technique. For Punctuated Lecture, we are
providing you with ideas to vary it.

OBSERVATIONS & ADVICE

Students new to higher education may find this activity particularly beneficial, as it teaches them
self-monitoring, which is a skill that can help them in other courses as well.

This activity can be effectively scaffolded. You can begin by using it at each class session and then
reduce to using during half of the class meetings. Also, you can start by breaking every 15–20
minutes and move to longer lecture segments.

You can also ask students to journal their responses over time. Take up their journals to assess
them periodically. This variation will allow them, and you, to see changes over time.

Punctuated Lecture 5
Online Adaptation
This section is intended to help you with the process of implementing
Punctuated Lecture in your online class.

SYNCHRONOUS LIVE LECTURE

• D
 ecide in advance exactly what you want to know when you pause your lecture
at the set intervals.

• For example, you might ask students: “What were you doing when the lecture paused?”

• For examples of additional prompts, refer to Step 2 on page 3.

• C
 onsider the manner in which students will submit their responses.
For example: in a quiz, assignment, or through a chat pane.

• N
 ext, determine at what time intervals you will pause your lecture, such as every
7–10 minutes, and ask students to record their response to your prompt.

• C
 onsider having students respond by sending a private chat message to only you
rather than the whole class.

ASYNCHRONOUS PRE-RECORDED LECTURE

If you are teaching an asynchronous class with pre-recorded video lectures:

• S
 top at predetermined points and ask students to pause the video
and respond to your prompt.

• U
 se their responses as the basis for a humorous observation on our current tendency to
multi-task and offer comments about the importance of giving full attention to the lecture.

• Resume your lecture and repeat as appropriate.

Punctuated Lecture 6
Technique Template
Following are two templates to assist you as you think through how
you might implement this technique in your own class. The first is a
completed template, providing an example of how Claire Major adapted
Punctuated Lecture in their course, College and University Teaching.
The second is a blank template for you to fill out to tailor this technique
for your course.

Punctuated Lecture 7
Technique Template
Sample Punctuated Lecture Completed Technique Template:
Content from Claire Major.

College and University Teaching

Course Name

COURSE CHARACTERISTICS
What are the situational factors that impact this course? For example, is it on campus or online?
How many students? Is it lower division or graduate? Are there student attributes such as attitudes,
prior knowledge, reasons for enrolling, and so forth that should be taken into account as you
consider this technique?

This example is from a sociology course that we described in our

Interactive Lecturing book.

STEP 1: CLARIFY YOUR TEACHING PURPOSE AND LEARNING GOALS

Why are you choosing this technique? What do you hope to accomplish?

In this sociology course, the professor believed that students

were being distracted by personal technology. He noticed that
some students were checking social media sites as well as their
personal texts during class. He knew that this habit distracted them
from learning and believed that it distracted other students around
them. He decided to use Punctuated Lecture to help draw student
attention to the issue.

Punctuated Lecture 8
STEP 2: IDENTIFY THE LEARNING TASK’S UNDERLYING
PROBLEM AND PROMPT
What is the question you want learners to address, or problem you want them to solve?

He decided that during a lecture on inequality and stratification

by social class, he would pause the lecture for a minute and ask
students to use their clickers to respond to a series of items.

STEP 3: SET ASSIGNMENT PARAMETERS

What are the assignment logistics? For example, will this be assigned individually or is
it group work? How long will the assignment take? Will students be submitting a product?
What materials, resources, or additional information do you anticipate needing?

He determined that he would ask students to respond to the

following prompts. When the lecture paused, what were you looking
directly at (check all that apply):
1. The professor 5. The floor
2. Your notes (handwritten) 6. Your cell phone
3. Your notes (typed in laptop) 7. Your neighbor’s cell phone
4. The ceiling 8. Y
 our neighbor’s laptop
(off course topic)

When the lecture paused, what were you specifically doing

(check all that apply):
1. Listening to the lecture 4. Checking social media
2. Taking notes on the lecture 5. Watching your neighbors
checking their texts or
social media

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STEP 4: DEVELOP A PLAN FOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT
OR GRADING
If you decide to assess learning, how will you determine that learning has occurred? For example,
will you use a simple +/check/- grading system? If you use a rubric, will you use an existing one or
create one? What will be your criteria and standards?

Because students were to respond with clickers, their responses

would be anonymous. He thought this anonymity coupled with the
large class size would allow for fairly honest responses.

STEP 5: COMMUNICATE ASSIGNMENT PARAMETERS TO STUDENTS

How will you communicate assignment parameters to students? For example, through a handout?
A prompt on a presentation slide? Assignment instructions in your online course?

The professor simply displayed the questions and asked students to

respond using their clickers.

Punctuated Lecture 10
STEP 6: IMPLEMENT THE TECHNIQUE
How will you adapt steps/procedures for your students? Are there any additional logistical aspects
to consider?

When the professor implemented the technique, he noted that

most students believed that they were listening to the lecture and
looking at the lecturer when the lecture paused; his visual scan
of the room did not confirm this assessment, however, so while
he believed they thought they were paying attention, their multi-
tasking was contributing to a lack of self-awareness. A few students
acknowledged checking social media and texts. However, many students
noted that they were distracted by other students’ technology.
The professor used his own assessment as well as the survey results
as an opportunity to discuss the importance of paying attention to the
lecture for learning and for course success. He also described some
of the recent research on multi-tasking that suggests that it detracts
from learning. Finally, he talked about course citizenship and reviewed
the course policy on technology use during class.

STEP 7: REFLECT UPON THE ACTIVITY AND EVALUATE ITS

EFFECTIVENESS
Note: This step will be completed after you have implemented the technique.
Did this technique help you accomplish your goals? What worked well? What could have been
improved? What might you change if you decide to implement the activity again?

He began to implement the activity regularly. He alerted students

when it seemed that they had not accurately self-assessed, and he
congratulated them when they had and when their attention seemed
to be at high levels. He noticed improvement in attention and fewer
technological distractions over time.

Punctuated Lecture 11
Technique Template
This template is intended for use when planning to implement Punctuated
Lecture in your class. Fill in the blanks below, and use the information provided
elsewhere in the Instructor’s Guide to assist you in your thinking.

Course Name

COURSE CHARACTERISTICS
What are the situational factors that impact this course? For example, is it on campus or online?
How many students? Is it lower division or graduate? Are there student attributes such as attitudes,
prior knowledge, reasons for enrolling, and so forth that should be taken into account as you
consider this technique?

STEP 1: CLARIFY YOUR TEACHING PURPOSE AND LEARNING GOALS

Why are you choosing this technique? What do you hope to accomplish?

Punctuated Lecture 12
STEP 2: IDENTIFY THE LEARNING TASK’S UNDERLYING
PROBLEM AND PROMPT
What is the question you want learners to address, or problem you want them to solve?

STEP 3: SET ASSIGNMENT PARAMETERS

What are the assignment logistics? For example, will this be assigned individually or is
it group work? How long will the assignment take? Will students be submitting a product?
What materials, resources, or additional information do you anticipate needing?

Punctuated Lecture 13
STEP 4: DEVELOP A PLAN FOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT
OR GRADING
If you decide to assess learning, how will you determine that learning has occurred? For example,
will you use a simple +/check/- grading system? If you use a rubric, will you use an existing one or
create one? What will be your criteria and standards?

STEP 5: COMMUNICATE ASSIGNMENT PARAMETERS TO STUDENTS

How will you communicate assignment parameters to students? For example, through a handout?
A prompt on a presentation slide? Assignment instructions in your online course?

Punctuated Lecture 14
STEP 6: IMPLEMENT THE TECHNIQUE
How will you adapt steps/procedures for your students? Are there any additional logistical aspects
to consider?

STEP 7: REFLECT UPON THE ACTIVITY AND EVALUATE ITS

EFFECTIVENESS
Note: This step will be completed after you have implemented the technique.
Did this technique help you accomplish your goals? What worked well? What could have been
improved? What might you change if you decide to implement the activity again?

Punctuated Lecture 15
References and Resources
PRIMARY SOURCE
Content for this download was drawn primarily from “Interactive Lecturing ALT 29: Punctuated
Lecture” in Interactive Lecturing: A Handbook for College Faculty (Barkley & Major, 2018),
pp. 189–194. It includes material that was adapted or reproduced with permission. For further
information about this technique, including examples in both on campus and online courses,
see the primary source:

Barkley, E. F., Major, C. H. (2018). Interactive Lecturing: A Handbook for College Faculty.
San Francisco, CA: Wiley/Jossey-Bass.

CITATIONS AND ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS FOR

FURTHER READING
• A
 ngelo, T. A., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for
college teachers. (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• C
 ashin, W. E. (2010). IDEA paper #46: Effective lecturing.
Retrieved from http://ideaedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/IDEA_Paper_46.pdf

• D
 uke University, Center for Instructional Technology. (n.d.). Lecture busters: Keeping
students engaged. Retrieved from https://mclibrary.duke.edu/sites/mclibrary.duke.edu/
files/public/research/lecturebusters.pdf

COPYRIGHT
These materials supplement the “Punctuated Lecture” teaching technique video on the K. Patricia
Cross Academy Video Library (https://kpcrossacademy.com). Copyright © 2019 Barkley and Major.
Includes material that is adapted and/or reproduced with permission from:

• Barkley & Major, Interactive Lecturing. Copyright © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Released for use under a creative commons attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). You are free to use it, copy it, and share it,
as long as you don’t sell it, don’t change it, and do give us credit for it.

Punctuated Lecture 16