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 share his thoughts outside the classroom. Large lecture classrooms prevent professors to work with students.
Finally, professors cannot determine students learning difficulties until it’s too late. This in turn, stops the progress of a student’s learning curve. The student’s production of knowledge cannot be determine and evaluated by the professor. Evaluation by the professor is fundamental it helps the student to keep up with his studies and gives the professor the change to explain a student’s strengths and weakness. In addition, knowing a student’s learning difficulties; the professor can ease the student’s tribulations and recommend answers that will eventually help him in an exam or assessment.
To every problem there is a solution. The obvious solution is to decrease the size of all classes. This would allow students to learn more. In smaller classes, students can actually engage the material rather that just memorizing for exams. Smaller classes allow more one-on-one attention between students and professors. Dr. Marshalita Sims Peterson, an associate professor of education at Spelman College says, “Not just a single year of a smaller class size or a reduction in class size, but a three to four year continuous period of small class size really has a significant benefit in terms of academic achievement.” Personally, smaller size classes allow me to be more open and express my educational needs without being judged. Students in smaller classes are more likely to believe learning is enjoyable and to carry that attitude forward. In addition to smaller classes, professors should have recitation sessions that with pre-exam help. These sessions should occur once a week, and should include only 20 to 45 students. Professors should encourage or require students to ask questions and create an active participation environment by calling names.
Moreover, professors should have undergraduate teaching assistants that are experienced in the course and who can relate to other students and more believable. For large lecture classrooms this helps students relate better with students who have already taken the class. Teaching assistants can attend to the students needs without judging them. In addition, workbooks developed by the professor and given to the students at the beginning of the semesters entail details that are not stressed in the lecture or text. Workbooks provide a focus for information and make available testing through old quizzes. Furthermore, it provides a summary of information and study guide and exercises can be assigned.
Even though each solution is effective and can help decrease the size of lecture classes, there are some drawbacks. For example, small classes cost more and might reduce course offerings. This drawback can allow classes with low demand to be cut, but the necessary funds should be taken out of upper-division classes.
In conclusion, large lecture classes create much unease for a typical college student. Students cannot ask questions, the professor goes too fast in taking notes and relationship between students and professors have become impersonal. With this said the solution in the problem is to create smaller classes, have undergraduate teaching assistants and the professor should assign a workbook. Personally, if these solutions were placed the large lectures should help rather hinder student’s academics.