EDITORIAL: Out of Class

As officials exploreAs officials exploreeducation in the 21stAs officials exploreeducation in the 21stcentury, they must takeAs officials exploreeducation in the 21stcentury, they must takeadditional measures toAs officials exploreeducation in the 21stcentury, they must takeadditional measures toensure more student-facultyAs officials exploreeducation in the 21stcentury, they must takeadditional measures toensure more student-facultyinteraction.As officials exploreeducation in the 21stcentury, they must takeadditional measures toensure more student-facultyinteraction._____________________________ As the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education tackles this and other issues during the semester, we would like to recognize the efforts that have been made thus far and suggest ways to expand upon them in the future. First and foremost, the University must schedule more seminars in which students and professors can debate effectively. If lecture classes with recitations must be held, professors should be encouraged to attend the sections on a regular basis to evaluate the instruction and interact with students who they may never meet in a large lecture. Professors should also provide opportunities to meet with students on a less formal basis so that they both can engage in more informal stimulating discussions. Psychology Professor Martin Seligman, for example, hosts coffee hours for his students, and Political Science Professor Daniel Deudney holds brown bag lunches with his. College Dean Robert Rescorla eats in a different dining hall each week in order to interact with students more often, and professors in the Engineering School invite students to their houses for dinner once a year. Departments and professors not already participating in these types of activities should be encouraged to emulate these professors. Providing more access to research opportunities for undergraduates, especially those students not studying hard sciences, is also of great concern to us. Professors and departments must offer more chances to do extensive research so that professors can combine their genuine interest in research with the students desire to learn. We also urge the University to improve and expand the faculty-in-residence program. Faculty living in residences provide excellent opportunities for living and learning to occur simultaneously with faculty members hosting lectures and discussions for entire residence floors. Some professors living in dormitories are just using the program to be close to campus and shirking their responsibility to students. The administration must eliminate the faculty members who are failing to make efforts to interact with students and replace them with professors on the faculty-in-residence waiting list. The faculty advising system must also be scrutinized. In the Engineering School, students must meet with faculty advisors two times a year to have their schedules approved, while College students must only meet with their faculty advisor twice during freshman year. Faculty must take a more active role in guiding and advising students. Finally, as the age of technology speeds forward, the University must encourage extensive use of the Internet. All faculty members should have e-mail accounts and know how to use them. They should provide students with their e-mail addresses at the beginning of each semester. Professors and students both can use the Internet to bring about continued communication. Faculty members should follow the examples set by the Departments of English and Psychology, each of which has set up news groups and listservers for classes. Using this electronic medium, professors can bolster their interaction with students. The departments and professors who have demonstrated their commitment to this cause should be commended and recognized for their efforts, especially during the promotion and tenure process. And for those professors currently too wrapped up in their research, we strongly urge the administration to remind them of their responsibility to undergraduate education -- both in and out of class.