<p>The technology is changing so fast; Don’t feel bad rentof2 - I first head about clickers only last year.
My kids, who in their sub-teen years felt I was the world’s authority on technology now view me as this luddite who needs to be consulted only if they’re doing an essay on calculators and need some data on slide rules.</p>
<p>Funny, Dad<em>of</em>3!</p>
<p>One of the reasons I don’t usually venture outside of the parents forum is a snobby attitude on some of the other forums. There are so many good little known colleges in our country, it just doesn’t make sense to think that only a small percentage are worth focusing on.</p>
<p>Speaking of old stuff, our son and his friends were very impressed when we got out (and hooked up!) the Atari game system so they could show it in a presentation they were doing.</p>
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<p>In my son’s department (computer science) at the University of Maryland, arrangements were made so that students could not get closed out of courses in their major that they needed to graduate on time. I do not know whether this is true of every department, though. </p>
<p>I also don’t know whether Maryland classes ever used clickers. </p>
<p>My daughter goes to Cornell, and some of the professors there use clickers. Cornell also has what is likely the largest class in the country – an introductory psychology course that draws about 1,200 students every fall semester, *none of whom need the course to graduate<a href=“it%20is%20not%20required%20for%20any%20major%20–%20not%20even%20psychology”>/i</a>. People take that course because they like it – and they have been doing so for the more than 35 years that the professor has been teaching it. I also went to Cornell, and I took the very same course, back in 1972.</p>
<p>Not all large classes are abominations, and neither are all large universities.</p>
<p>^ One would hope that the average Cornell student enjoys or at least doesn’t mind the atmosphere of a large class.</p>
<p>This thread is very insightful to me.</p>
<p>It shows the importnace of asking specific questions when visiting schools.</p>
<p>It also shows the importance of the “parents” forum LOL</p>
<p>I agree fully that all big schools are not terrible and to be avoided. Some kids thrive on the anonymity and size. Many, however, do not. I did not say anything about the big schools that were on my kids’ lists, and one of my went to a big state school.</p>
<p>psych…there are plenty of us who feel there are many things that are more important than prestige and/or have kids who don’t have the stats/desire to aim that high. Take heart! You are among friends</p>
<p>When it comes to name recognition and prestige, many of the flagship Us and larger schools have it over the smaller ones that are highly selective.</p>
<p>As far as I know the “clickers” used by some profs at Harvard are not designed to take attendance but to enable profs to see if students are following their explanation and to pose instant quizzes. The device was pioneered by Prof. Eric Mazur. </p>
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Absolutely agree.
S took a course that had been expected to enroll 37 students but somehow ballooned to nearly 300. No one forced the students to take it. In fact, I expressed concern to S about it: not about the size per se, but about the fact that the unexpected expansion meant that there would not be carefully selected TFs for the new sections. S decided to take it anyway, and his TF turned out not to be very good.
And yet, Justice, by Michael Sandel, is a perennial favorite, drawing 800 or so students, and apparently well staffed because the large size is expected. I’ve heard that the class involves a lot of discussion, and not only during sections. Some students who’ve taken it absolutely loved it.
As for large schools, lots of students loved them.</p>
<p>At my large uni I remember having had some classes taught by extremely boring professors, and others by excellent, engaging grad students.</p>
<p>And as far as “personal attention”–my S attends a small college and missed classes for a week due to illness. None of his professors called to see what was up.</p>
<p>Oh, there are plenty of threads where people advocate “aim high or choose your state flagship.” You get a lot less positive feedback when you explain why your smart kid chose a “second tier” or “third tier” private (and I have only heard terms like that here on CC). Never mind that these schools are often in the target size that many kids like (5,000 to 12,000); have merit scholarships to give; and often have highly ranked departments within them.</p>
<p>In answer to the original question, I think people just have their biases toward/against certain schools. D is attending her “dream” school (NYU) which seems to be a school people love to hate. Despite the large size of the school, her classes (mostly required freshman classes) are very small and she knows her professors. As I have said before on other threads, this school doesn’t appeal to everyone, but D loves it. It is somewhat annoying to read negative comments from people who have no experience with the school.</p>
<p>I believe that all schools have their own strengths and that there is a school for everyone. People in my own family have attended a wide range of schools from state flagships, military academies, tiny Christian LAS, art school, medium size regional university,community college, etc. Everyone of us liked the school we attended and felt it fit our needs. And we all received a good education.</p>
<p>Well said, FallGirl.</p>
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<p>The value of using clickers in small classes is also big. When a prof is teaching a math or physics concept to a class (regardless of size), he can put a problem up and tell the kids to input their answer, using their clicker. IMMEDIATELY the prof gets feedback as to whether the class just understood the newly-taught concept and reteach as necessary.</p>
<p>And, yes, they are also used for taking roll and taking quizzes. But, I really think getting the immediate response when a prof presents a new concept is the best thing ever. It’s like the prof gets to “read the kids’ minds”.</p>
<p>My kids’ high school is using them for classes as small as 9 kids. Kids don’t want to raise their hands and say, “I don’t understand what you just taught,” so the clicker kind of does that for them.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Yeah for clickers!!!</p>
<p>What I find very interesting is this…</p>
<p>Some of the same people who “look down” on large publics and will only consider smaller privates, are often the same people who criticize others for sending their kids to private schools for grades k-12. Why is that??? </p>
<p>Frankly, the public higher education system does a much better job overall than the public K-12 system. Granted, there are obvious reasons for that - selectivity in higher education. But, the point remains. Why do some “put down” public universities, but also put down those who sent their kids to private schools for grades K-12?. The funny thing is some say that sending your kid to a private K-12 doesn’t prepare them for the “real world”…well, the same argument can be said about intimate little privates. (For the record, I don’t support that argument in either case.)</p>
<p>And, yes, the larger publics can offer much that the smaller privates sometimes can’t. Larger publics can offer virtually any major, so if a kid changes his mind, he doesn’t have to change schools. </p>
<p>Personally, I like that both my kids are at the same flagship U. It makes it easier on us (move in day, parents weekend, etc). I know others don’t mind having their kids at different schools, and that’s totally fine :)</p>
<p>Also, at larger publics, there are often two or more profs teaching the same class. So, if there is a prof that you don’t “like,” you can often avoid him. That can be almost impossible at a smaller school - especially if the class is needed for your major.</p>
<p>Larger publics usually have a wider variety of campus activities, mega rec centers, numerous eating venues, specialized dorms (dorms for nursing students, dorms for engineering majors, dorms for foreign language majors, etc), and other such things that just aren’t practical or doable at a smaller school. Many now have a “prof-in-residence” who lives in the dorms with them. These specialized dorms also help provide that “smaller college feel” at a big college.</p>
<p>For smart kids who want that “nurturing touch,” many big schools offer honors programs. I support schools that don’t severely limit access to these programs. Honors programs (and similar programs) also help provide that “small college feel” at a larger U.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that larger publics are for everyone, but I’ve never heard of someone being unsuccessful in life simply because they went to their flagship U.</p>
<p>I’m a liberal arts college alum with a son at a huge state flagship. He wanted a big school and a specific program; he’s not there by default. Reading positive experiences with state flagships on CC raised my own comfort level when he was applying (his comfort level was fine!). I just had to look around (especially on the boards of schools he was interested in) to find what I was interested in. So yes, there may appear to be a bias, but if you dig deeper you’ll find a balance. CC was downright refreshing compared to the prestige-happy atmosphere we live in.</p>
<p>By the way, the TA myth is definitely a myth at his university. He hasn’t had a TA as a teacher. I think he would say that the two most engaging teachers he had first semester freshman year were in huge lecture classes.</p>
<p>The bias on this board reminds me very much of the bias I experience here in my prestige-oriented community. Smaller is better. Private is better. Our state flagship is a safety at best. I tired of hearing “why did he go THERE?”
Well, now that we don’t have any children in this local system, I’ve been thinking about moving!
But I stay on this board and I also have remained in this neighborhood because there are some really nice folks hanging around that don’t fit the mold!</p>
<p>My oldest is at a smaller private university because it really suits her.</p>
<p>I can’t even imagine we will look at anything other than big state universities for my youngest. At all. Would feel like her clothes were too tight.</p>
<p>Kids are different. Heck, kids are different at different times in thier life. Go figure.</p>