Imagine this.
A student sits quietly in the middle of a classroom. She just received a C on her paper in her English 1001 class. She has questions for her professor, and decides to wait until the end of class to ask. As she heads to the podium, she is swarmed by other students, all standing impatiently close, waiting for their turn to talk to the professor. That’s because there are 200 people in her class. Her professor tells those he could not speak with to attend a “break out” session later in the week or stop by his office. The sessions conflict with her other classes, and his office hours are quickly filled.
It sounds depressing, but it’s not unrealistic. The College of Arts and Sciences announced this week it would begin eliminating a chunk of instructor positions next year in order to eventually replace them with professors with higher degrees. The plan is meant to move the college in line with the chancellor’s Flagship Agenda – a “strategic plan” of sorts that is supposed to increase LSU’s research productivity and national recognition.
Striving for excellence at the University is a good thing, and the Flagship Agenda can help do that. But we fear the transition to more research productivity and national recognition – both good things – may cost students a personal education.
Arts and Sciences Dean Jane Collins said about 60 percent of the college’s faculty are instructors – they were hired as the quick fix for teaching the growing undergraduate population in general courses like English and math. We remember when the English department was proud to have reduced class size to fewer than 20 students. Yet Collins told The Reveille on Monday that the upcoming instructor cuts could result in larger class sizes, and she does not foresee major problems.
We do. Tutoring and break out sessions taught by graduate students are not the education we pay for. Students should not have to shift their schedules just to learn something they should learn in class.
The talented instructors also will suffer. We can remember how much we learned from instructors who, by University standards, were not the most qualified for the job. These faculty members are not doing research or leading departments – they are just here to teach. These faculty, as they told The Reveille this week, were shocked they could lose their jobs so soon. They also know the value of smaller classes.
In large classes, there is no accountability to the instructor or fellow students and little motivation to attend classes. It may be difficult to get to know the instructor or speak with him or her. Some may like this hands-off approach to college, but it is not the best way to learn. Ask students who have classes in the 1,000-seat auditorium.
Small classes and high faculty-to-student ratios are universal indicators of a quality college education. The Flagship Agenda calls for this. We assume administrators want to eventually make this a reality. But we worry some students will slip through the cracks between the time when instructors are phased out and when the University can afford enough qualified professors to take their spots. Larger class sizes should not be the price students pay until the University gets funding for these more expensive tenure-track professors.