University of Virginia Library

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."