May, 1982
ROBINSON
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
GUIDELINES FOR OFFERING LARGE CLASS SECTIONS
Scheduling Large Class Sections
As a part of the annual course scheduling process of the RCB (which is completed
at approximately February of each year), the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
(hereafter Academic Dean), or his designee, in consultation with the departmental
chairmen will list the number of sections and class size limits of each multiple-section
course that the departments intend to teach in each of the three quarters of
the coming academic year. In making this preliminary determination of the number
of seats to be made available during the academic year (by quarter), consideration
will be given to historical enrollment patterns which usually result in fall
and winter quarters having larger enrollments than the spring quarter of a given
academic year.
Given this preliminary information, the Academic Dean will determine, in conference with University administration officials, the number and size of large classrooms available -- in order to determine whether departmental requests can be met. Based on any differences between the University allocation and departmental requests, the Academic Dean and the departmental chairmen will negotiate the allocation of large classrooms. Among the factors to be considered in the allocation process are the history of the department in generating enrollments to fill large sections, the academic quality of the instruction in such large-class sections, innovative delivery systems designed for large class sections, and mentor-protege relationships between senior faculty members and GTA's.
Monitoring Large Class Instructional Quality
The departmental chairman will be responsible for assuring the satisfactory
academic quality of any large class course sections taught by his department.
The Academic Dean will be responsible for monitoring instructional quality in
large class course sections, taking into consideration the following factors,
among others:
An appropriate faculty
member is teaching the course section.
Appropriate instructional
methods, including development of educational media, are employed in the
large class course section.
The classroom and other
facilities are appropriate for conducting the large course section.
An appropriate mix is
maintained between GTA and faculty-taught class hours during the quarter
in a mentor/protege relationship.
The delivery system for the large section is unique or innovative.
Other Considerations
Only regular members
of the faculty can teach a large course section (i.e., be the instructor
of record). Doctoral students and PTI's may not teach any course section
with a class size in excess of the normal maximum.
In situations where
a faculty member is the instructor of one or more large course sections,
normally no classroom assistance should be expected by the faculty instructor.
However, upon the recommendation of the departmental chairman, the Academic
Dean will give consideration to providing classroom assistance to that faculty
instructor through the use of student assistants to help in the preparation
and distribution of materials, grading, and other matters essential to the
conduct of the course. In making this decision, the Academic Dean will take
into consideration not only the size of the class but the nature of the
course and any other relevant factors.
Written approval of
the Academic Dean is required prior to the beginning of the quarter for
any case in which it is planned that a regular faculty member will be assisted
by a GTA in a large section. Graduate Research Assistants (GRA I or GRA
II) cannot be used for such purposes since a condition of their employment
is that they are hired to do research, "which is primarily for the
purpose of fulfilling the requirement for an advanced degree." (See
certification language on personnel form 2A.)