Faculty and GTAs hold office hours as well. In addition, Colorado offers a few small sections enrolling about 30 students each. Colorado faces the traditional trade-off between cost and quality. The traditional lecture format is ineffective in engaging students. Only a small fraction of students use the office hours.
Most students simply study the text, turn in their homework, and take quizzes and exams.
The intention of the course redesign is to reproduce the positive aspects of a small class environment in the large lecture sections through the use of technology and learning teams. Learning will be structured around web-based course materials that allow for peer interaction and asynchronous learning. Each learning team will be coached by an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant and will meet with its coach in a dedicated computer classroom for two hours per week. GTAs will be available in an e-mail chat room to answer questions on evenings and weekends. The redesigned course will enhance quality by making many avenues of learning available to students.