I think it would be really helpful to have more medium-sized classrooms. “When we’re scheduling courses, it’s a huge puzzle. I’ve taught the big courses and the small courses, and I think a lecture of 100 to 200 people is a good size for chemistry, but we don’t have many classrooms of that size,” Kim said. “I think a balance of quality and quantity is very important. Smaller classes mean students are better able to communicate with their professors and feel more confident in making questions and comments. Though Judy Kim, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, acknowledges that the ideal class size varies from student to student, she believes her teaching style is better suited to a smaller class size. “We’ve just learned to live with it in order to make our program available to the number of students who want to be in it, but that means the classes are going to be big.” We’re not super happy with it, but it’s constantly under consideration for revision,” Smith said. “That is a process that is controlled by the registrar, and the system that is one we don’t really have an impact on. With the explosion of enrollment has come the challenge of getting biology classes placed in the classrooms that work for the program. Laurie Smith, director of undergraduate education for the biology department, has been at UCSD for 20 years and has seen the student population massively increase. The faculty and professors interviewed for this article seemed to agree that there is a shortage in the amount of classrooms on campus to meet the needs of a growing student population. not enough classrooms and time in the day to get every class accommodated in an 8-to-5 time frame.” “But it never comes together for every person. “We try to make it as close to perfect as we can,” Parker said. The problem exists because of the competing priorities of students and faculty and because the campus is unable to physically accommodate the amount of classes the students require, explained Dawn Parker, instructional services manager for Undergraduate Services in the Division of Biological Sciences.
The issue affects the order of classes in which students fulfill the requirements for their majors, whether they can meet their graduation dates, and even their future employment or graduate school plans. Unfortunately, it also means that it can be difficult for students to get the classes they want at a time that works best with their schedules - or to get classes that they want, period. Having such a large population means a welcome diversity in academic fields, backgrounds, and strengths of the members of the student body. UC San Diego’s status as a renowned public research university means there are thousands of students who take classes on campus everyday, not to mention the thousands more who apply and wish to attend every fall. Professors and administrators discuss the biggest issues and potential solutions for accommodating the endlessly increasing demand for class enrollment.