In an effort to add depth to students' academic experience, the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education is holding a series of events and panel discussions during its second annual Education Week.
SCUE is sponsoring a series of faculty dinners and lectures to gain student feedback on issues ranging from the curriculum to the effectiveness of undergraduate teaching assistants.
SCUE Chairwoman and College junior Farrah Freis hopes that events such as yesterday's Research Fair in Houston Hall will encourage students to take a more active role in their education.
One of the aims is to "connect an administrator's role to a student's reality" by increasing students' exposure to campus resources and research opportunities, Freis said.
A forum on academic integrity is intended to generate discussion around a topic that is not typically explored and shed light on gray areas -- such as when collaboration between students becomes cheating.
Vice Dean and Director of the Wharton Graduate Division Anjani Jain, one of the professors hosting a dinner discussion this week, intends to allow the discussion to be shaped by students' interests.
"Education is an activity ... that should be engaged," Jain said.
Jain will encourage students interested in enrolling in MBA programs to explore a wide range of interests "without feeling too constrained about what their choices at the undergraduate level would imply for their graduate pursuits."
Working to gain a perspective on student concerns, SCUE also relied on student input to design a portion of Education Week.
Approximately 900 students responded to e-mails requesting that they vote for their favorite lecturer. Their votes were used to select professors for a series called the Spotlight on Teaching Lectures, to be conducted throughout the week.
College freshman Benjamin Maslin, who stumbled upon the Research Fair while eating lunch in Houston Hall, said he had a rewarding experience and intends to attend some of the other scheduled events.
"I was actually inspired to continue studying sociology," said Maslin, adding that he received information on research and study-abroad opportunities that is difficult to find online.
