Over the years, quite a few pedagogical advances have been demonstrated to work effectively. The common factor in most of them is interaction. However, economics at large universities simply require that classes have large enrollment to be sustainable. The SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment for Undergraduate Programs) project was developed to implement reforms designed for small classes into large physics classes.

Notwithstanding its specific initial motivation, the SCALE-UP learning environment is general in terms of both class size and discipline. Over 50 schools across the country, ranging from Wake Technical Community College to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have adopted it for classes of various sizes. SCALE-UP has also been employed in a variety of courses such as chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, and even comparative literature.

In this article, we will discuss the classroom design and teaching techniques that allow pedagogical advances to be used in large-enrollment classes.