On Mar 21, 2007, at 9:01 AM, Pollak, Edward wrote:
Just out of curiosity, Louis, how many students do you have each semester in your 4 sections of US History? I have 150 students in my 1 section of intro psych and another 120 in my two sections of animal behavior. And, of course, I've got about 75 undergraduate advisees. (And no, I do not have a TA.)
I have kept out of these sorts of exchange some of which, with sincere apology, I must admit that I think they are rather infantile. However, the above does, indeed, contain serious facts about the state of education, and, because the data Dr. Pollak reports are not at all uncommon, it should not be allowed to pass without notice. Given all the expertise, and the excellent teaching skills of Dr. Pollak (I have pleasure in assuming these although I do not personally know him) who, no doubt, does the best he can in the circumstances. Unfortunately, however, despite efforts and good will, his students are receiving poor education--far below what they deserve. What is more, the colleges and universities that promote inordinately large classes, each to be taught by a single professor are, in fact, sweat shops. This is a widely spread scandal not confined to any state or any group of colleges, and by large measure it has remained unnoticed in discussions of funding and quality of education which focus on pre-college from K onwards. Has time come to advocate reforms in the public arena? (I think it had come long ago!) Should the APA be concerned? etc., etc.?
Peter Peter Harzem, B.Sc.(Lond.), Ph.D.(Wales) Hudson Professor Emeritus Department of Psychology Auburn University Auburn, AL 36849-5214 USA Phone: +334 844-6482 Fax: +334 844-4447 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Personal E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
