University of Virginia Library

Classroom Space

Faculty Survey Shows Overcrowding

By Donn Kessler
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Ed.

A survey recently taken by The
Cavalier Daily has shown that 2/3 of
those College faculty members polled are
suffering from overcrowded classes or
undersized classrooms.

The survey, which was finished last
week, polled over 90 members of the
College faculty. Thirty-seven of the
questionnaires were returned to The
Cavalier Daily. Out of the 37 teachers
answering the poll, 24, or almost 2/3 of
them, indicated that they would like to
lower the size of their present classes.

Growth Questions

The survey consisted of eight
questions dealing with growth of the
University. The faculty was asked the
authorized class enrollments of their courses,
the actual size of their classes, if they had
taught these same courses to a fewer number of
students in the past, and if the size of the
present classes were unsatisfactory to them.

The faculty members were also asked if the
present size of their classes affected or hurt the
quality of their courses and if they would
prefer smaller enrollments in their classes.

The sample of faculty members was
randomly selected. Although the size of the
sample and the wording of certain questions
does not allow the results to be completely
representative, the poll does show that
members of the faculty are concerned about
classroom size.

Increasing Class Size

Course sizes of each class naturally are different
in the faculty's answers, but perhaps most
interesting was the varying viewpoints of the
faculty on the increasing sizes of their classes.

One assistant professor of romance
languages who is presently teaching a lower
level course that is part of the College
requirements stated that at other institutions he
never had to teach more than 15 students in a
lower level course. In past years at the
University, he indicated, his class size ranged
around 20 students. It is presently at 30.

A teacher of a public speaking course stated
that he had to turn away as many students as
he took into the class (the authorized
enrollment was 22). As that teacher described
the situation, large size classes that did not
allow students to talk turned learning into
"passive absorption."

Naval Science

Two instructors in naval science indicated
that their course size had decreased in recent
years but that they preferred smaller classes to
allow for more individual attention to the
student.

One government professor indicated that the
larger classes (in one of his courses the number
of students went up from an average of 60 to
117) made him prepare his lectures more
thoroughly and still allowed for class
discussion. He cited his hope, however, that his
first year and graduate seminars would remain
small.

A teacher in philosophy indicated that his
enrollment had doubled to over 200 students
since last year. He stated that any class of over
30 students allowed too little give and take.
This give and take is especially necessary in
philosophy, he continued. "Where the primary
goal is cultivating a certain sort of intellectual
discipline."

One associate professor in the department of
speech and drama stated that his survey course
was presently at 120 students. Twelve years
ago, he said, there were only 20 students in the
course. He added, however, that there were 220
students in his course last spring.

A sociology teacher stated that one of his
courses had to open a second section and that
the total number of students in both sections
was over 180 while it had been only 60
students, in one section, in past years. He
further described the extremely increasing size
of lecture classes as a "prostitution of teaching
and of the University."

The increasing size of classes warrants an
investigation, he continued, and the University
should not allow a norm of increasing size to be
fixed. He stated that once such a norm was
fixed only the gods or a revolution could
change it.

New Sections

One assistant professor teaching a survey
course in psychology indicated that the size of
the survey courses had not been affected by
increased numbers of students only because of
the adding of new sections in recent years. He
described pure lectures as being too inefficient
and limiting interaction with the students.

One teacher of an upper level math course,
with a size of over 30 students, stated that the
size of the course limited his ability to answer
students' questions and to obtain good
feedback from his students.

One professor of an upper level history
course indicated that his class size had gone
from 40 students five years ago to 140 students
at present. This increased size, he indicated, had
little effect on the content of the course but
hurt the course's effectiveness as he could no
longer require the students to write papers.

A teacher in the department of Germanic
and Slavic Languages stated that the large size
of his course hurt the student who was not
properly motivated or who was doing poorly.

An associate professor of physics hoped for
an increased class size but stated that a problem
was developing in the laboratory sections. He
claimed that the laboratory sections shouldn't
exceed a size of 20 students due to lack of
equipment and space and that the number of
sections couldn't be increased indefinitely.

Finally, a teacher in the economics
department indicated that the quality of the
students rather than the class size concerned
him. He stated that he would prefer to see the
University increase its standards than to grow in
size.