The following from Jack Wenders concerning large classes
in UI's basic writing course. Jack is an professor emeritus of economics at UI.
Jim Fisher worries about large
classes in UI's basic writing course, English 101. The more important issue is
why this course exists.
Students are assigned to English 101 if they score below
roughly the 60th percentile on their SAT or ACT verbal tests. Those on the still
lower end go into an even more basic course, English 90. At present, 823
students are enrolled in 34 sections English 101, with 43 on wait lists. English
90 has 160 students in four sections.
This means is that UI has presently enrolled
some 1,026 students in essentially high school, or lower, English courses. At
the end of July, about 1,200 freshmen had registered at UI.
This problem is not confined to
English. UI's math department presently offers 5 or 6 college credit courses
that don't count toward a major, and all of which are essentially college prep,
high school courses. There are currently 1,769 students enrolled in
these.
Rather than squabble about the
difficulty in teaching these courses effectively, more fundamental questions
are: What is a university doing teaching high school courses and giving college
credit for them? Why does the public, and the Legislature, tolerate a public
school system that graduates and sends to college large numbers of students not
ready for real college work?
UI brags, with a
straight face, that 54% of freshmen graduate within six years. Given the
preparation of incoming students, it is not surprising that 46% disappear. What
is surprising is that UI still calls itself a four-year
college.
Fisher's knee-jerk answer is send
more money to everyone. But in the past half century, real per pupil
spending in public schools has increased by six times, and pupils per teacher
have fallen from about 27 to 15. Yet student performance has declined. There are
other things going on here, but whatever they are, more money has not been, and
will not be, the answer.
Jack Wenders
Moscow
John T. Wenders
Professor of Economics
University of Idaho
2266
Westview Drive
Moscow, ID 83843
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