Interactive Lecture

An interactive lecture is a way of teaching a large group of students that moves beyond the traditional model of one-way knowledge transmission. Instead of delivering a continuous 90-minute presentation, the lecturer divides the session into short segments of 5–10 minutes, interspersed with brief student activities.

Research on learning shows that students’ concentration during a lecture gradually declines after the first several minutes. Introducing short moments of activity, such as questions, mini-tasks or quick problem-solving decisions, helps students refocus their attention and supports deeper processing of information.

An interactive lecture can incorporate a range of simple active-learning techniques, such as quick quizzes to check understanding, diagnostic questions at the beginning of the class, voting on decisions in short problem scenarios, mini case studies, reflective questions, short interpretation tasks, predicting what might happen next, exchanging ideas with a nearby student, and analysing a single example or real-world data.

Course: Managerial Competencies
Topic: Leadership Styles and Team Decision-Making

Introduction – Opening Question (10 min)
The lecturer begins with a short opening question: Which leadership style do you think is most effective in teamwork?

Students respond through a quick vote, for example using Mentimeter, Slido or a show of hands. The results are displayed on the screen. The lecturer comments on the students’ responses and highlights that, in practice, different leadership styles may be effective in different situations. This question provides the starting point for the rest of the lecture.

Knowledge Segment + Quick Quiz (15 min)
The lecturer introduces the main leadership styles and their key characteristics. After a short explanation, students complete a brief quiz to check their understanding. The lecturer discusses the results and explains the most common mistakes.

Mini Case Study (15 min)
The lecturer presents a short real-world scenario involving conflict within a project team nworking on a new product. Students consider which leadership style might be most effective in this situation, and several students share their suggestions. The lecturer briefly relates their responses to the theory discussed earlier.

Decision-Making Question (10 min)
Students are given a short decision-making scenario: You are leading a team that must make an important strategic decision. Team members hold differing opinions. What do you do? Students choose one of several possible strategies. The lecturer collects the responses and briefly discusses the potential consequences of each decision.

Summary and Reflection (5 min)
At the end of the session, the lecturer asks a reflective question: Which leadership style would feel most natural to you in teamwork?

Students indicate their answer through a short online vote or by raising their hand when the lecturer reads out each option. The lecturer briefly comments on the results.

• When the material can be explored through examples, problem-based questions or short decision-making tasks.
• When the lecturer wants to check regularly whether students understand the concepts being discussed.
• When the lecture can be divided into short segments interspersed with student activity.

• When a large amount of information needs to be delivered very quickly.
• When highly complex topics require extended explanation and careful structuring by the lecturer.
• When the technical infrastructure does not allow students’ responses to be collected quickly, for example because of limited access to digital tools.

• Students may be reluctant to speak in front of a large group → use anonymous response formats, such as short online polls or quizzes.
• Activities may take too much time and disrupt the pace of the lecture → plan very short interactions (1–3 minutes) that serve as cognitive breaks.
• Some questions may turn out to be too difficult or too easy → use questions that require interpretation or decision-making rather than simply recalling definitions.

Easier → Include a few short quizzes or comprehension-check questions during the lecture.
More Challenging → Use short case studies, decision-making questions or tasks requiring students to interpret real-world examples.

• Divide the lecture into short segments lasting around 10–15 minutes
• Plan one short activity for each section, such as a question, quiz or example to analyse.
• Not every activity needs to be extensive; even a single question can help students refocus.
• Refer to students’ responses and comment on them to show that their participation matters and influences the flow of the class.

Formative Assessment
Regular short pauses to check understanding help students develop the habit of reflecting on their own learning, strengthen their sense of control and gradually build independence.

Summative Assessment
An interactive lecture is usually not, in itself, the basis for final assessment. However, elements used during the class, such as quizzes or summary questions, can prepare students for later forms of assessment, such as a knowledge test, case analysis or project task completed as part of the course.