Large Lecture Classes Having left the confronting atmosphere of home schooling or typically small high school classes,

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Large Lecture Classes

Having left the confronting atmosphere of home schooling or typically small high school classes, college freshmen’s find it difficult to adapt to large lecture classes. There classes are varying in size from 50 to 200.

In my fall class, Chemistry 1301, Professor Dr. Young teaches approximately 70 students every morning. Typically, classes like Chemistry 1301 at Baylor University contain 70 to 100 students. Numerous problems arise in these outsized lecture classes. First, large lecture classes prevent students from asking questions, about matters they do not understand. Students are inhibited from asking “dumb” questions. They are left thus prevented from understanding the material and cannot further develop ideas about the material being taught. In my case, asking questions has become very difficult, because I feel that my inquiry is irrelevant and unimportant to the subject a hand. Asking a question has become a rarity in typically large lecture classes.

Furthermore, the professor goes too fast to take notes. Because of the large student body count, professors do not spend enough time explaining the material. When I can’t take notes, I can’t understand nor retain the subject. Note taking is a crucial aspect of a student’s development learning curve. Class notes can serve as an important tool for reviewing for exams and distilling key concepts. As for me, it is very complicated to comprehend the material when the professor goes too quickly to obtain notes. This in turn, prevents me to understand the material properly.  

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Furthermore, large lecture classes lead to impersonal, distant relationship between students and professors. The number correlation between students and professors should be close, so that students can ask for advice and relate to the professor’s demands of the student. In addition, in a large lecture students it is very difficult for a professor to keep in contact or communicate with the other students. Professors do not take the time to meet with the students; rather students must meet with the professor. With a large student body classroom, it is difficult for a student to talk to the teacher personally and ...

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