Graduate quality vs. undergraduate quality

ucbalumnus
Mon, 27 Jan 2014 17:31:43 +0000

jkeil911:

I think of the great researcher who’s also a great teacher of large classes of undergrads as the exception to the rule. You might find two in a department, maybe three. What you may also find is a lot of intro classes taught by grad students who are still learning whether or not they like teaching let alone how to teach.



The most common class format in common introductory courses at research universities is to have a faculty led lecture with associated smaller discussions led by TAs, not the “large lectures taught by TAs” that seem to be implied by the “LACs are always better” posters.

The merits or demerits of such a class format can be debated, but it does seem odd that discussions about class format often give an inaccurate impression of what people believe the class format actually is.