IT'S COURSE registration time, which for most students is a big deal. And for the others, it should be. Our course schedule's will largely determine the character of our next semester and yet we have very few resources to use to make these decisions. The establishment of an accessible, comprehensive course evaluation database would make choosing courses more efficient and consequently improve the University's academic environment.
The Course Offering Directory offers students the logistical information: time, place, class size and professor name. Each of these elements reasonably need to be considered circumstantially in setting one's schedule for the next semester. Further, individual departments offer skeletal descriptions, usually written by the professor teaching the class. Naturally, this can further enlighten a student's decision, despite being of a necessarily subjective character. Working at this year's majors fair, my job was to tell first and second-year students about the requirements for the history major. However, most visitors to the fair turned out to be upperclassmen looking for course recommendations. Certainly, this is indicative of the problem.
The importance of scheduling courses cannot be overemphasized. We are fortunate enough to have such impressive course offerings, but we are limited in the credits we can take. Most students will find that after they finish their core requirements and complete their major, they will have few spots left for elective. They should not be wasted. Few students will have similar academic opportunities after they graduate, and many will leave regretting that they did not have time to take this or that course. Further, the add/drop period is actually quite short, and coursework really begins on the first day of classes at the University, denying students a "shopping around" period that other schools have. We are not allowed the time to use our own observations to decide whether or not to take a certain class. Therefore, we can at least learn from the experience of others.
The Echols Scholars program's Website displays a narrow assembly of student course evaluations, which in scope covers very few offerings and further, appears to be badly in need of updating. But the right idea is there. A good recommendation resource would cover all courses offered at length and in depth. It is not enough to say which books will be on the syllabus, an e-mail to a professor could answer that question for you. More subjective information of teaching style, discussion character, and grading policies would help students find the courses most interesting and best suited to their needs. An Online database is surely the way to go, perhaps in a format similar to the COD. Students are already required to complete course evaluations at the semester's close, so the collection of data would hardly be burdensome.
Logically, if students were taking classes they liked, they would fare better in them. Or at the least it would do something to reduce the huge problem of academic apathy. We all have to suffer through certain requirements, but it's much worse being in a horrible class that you just did not have to take.
This would not result in some classes filled to capacity and others attracting no students. Rather, it would amount to a redistribution based on the particular academic character of each student. A comprehensive course recommendation would not say categorically say, "yes" or "no." Instead it would help students know what they could expect in the next semester. The publishing of these critiques might even be helpful induce professors to improve their courses.
The job does not seem too hard. I recommend that a student group, like Student Council or one of the class councils, take it on. This would be a tangible and appreciated initiative, unlike many others those organizations undertake.
It is probably too optimistic to say that by improving the course selection process, we could convince more students to like the academic side of school. But contributing as much information as possible to a decision-making progress can only benefit those who utilize it.
(Kimberly Liu's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at kliu@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | YesterdayInstead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
EDITORIAL: Celebrating and reflecting on The Cavalier Daily’s independence
By Editorial Board | April 18, 2024Our independence grants us the ability to ask the hard questions and to say what University representatives cannot.
ARRAS: U.Va. must revise the Sexual Assault Prevention Training module
By Aoife Arras | April 17, 2024In addition to its failures in interactivity, the module lacks details specific to the University and discusses key concepts in universal terms.
