Some of us have been teaching large classes for years and have made the adjustment, but even more faculty at the University of Arkansas are likely to have the experience in the future. If indeed the enrollment increases to 20,000 and we continue to face budget constraints, larger classes are inevitable. Even if the faculty-student ratio does not increase, increased pressure to obtain funded research and publish will result in lower class loads and larger numbers per class.
Current trends point to more and more large classes.
We may lament these developments, but ultimately we must make the adjustment. Some of the most innovative and creative teaching on this campus takes place in a large classes, but too many of us feel limited by them. There are readily available excuses for handling large classes in a perfunctory way. The following objections to large classes may be heard in faculty coffee rooms anywhere across the campus. This is certainly a problem unless there is a determined effort to establish relationship.