<p>
[quote]
As one of the world’s most renowned research universities, Harvard is where academic superstars are continually expected to revolutionize their fields of knowledge. Cutting-edge research is emphasized, and recognized with tangible rewards: tenure, money, prestige, prizes, fame.</p>
<p>But now, with strong support from the university’s interim president, Derek Bok, nine prominent professors are leading an effort to rethink the culture of undergraduate teaching and learning. Headed by Theda Skocpol, a social scientist, the group has issued a report calling for sweeping institutional change....</p>
<p>It’s well known that there are many other colleges where students are much more satisfied with their academic experience,” said Paul Buttenwieser, a psychiatrist and author who is a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers, and who favors the report. “Amherst is always pointed to. Harvard should be as great at teaching as Amherst.”....</p>
<p>The effort here comes as the federal government and state accrediting agencies, as well as students and parents, press universities nationwide to provide more accountability for how well their faculties are teaching. “If we don’t do it ourselves,” President Bok said of the government pressure, “they’re going to make us do it their way.”
<p>Why are institutions of higher education, including Harvard, so afraid of government assessment and accountability? I can't help but think that they are pretty sure the government will screw it up. They don't want the government to dictate in any substantial way how they run their institutions. They will gladly accept federal money (who wouldn't?), but don't want federal interference (who would?). Harvard has already shown that they are willing to conform to government requirements for the acceptance of federal money when they backed down on the issue of providing access to military recruiters. Federal funding has only increased since that time. Is Harvard after real undergraduate reform or are they merely trying to perpetuate business as usual?</p>
<p>Quote: "Harvard has had a poor reputation for teaching for quite some time."</p>
<p>I'll have to pass that along to my sophomore son at Harvard, who has yet to tell me that any of his teachers have disappointed him, and has raved about most of them. This semester in particular, he is loving his classes, is so engaged in the subject matter, and despite facing finals, is actually sad to see the semester come to an end.</p>
<p>I agree with Donemom - I'll have to pass this on to my daughter who is a freshman who when she has had a complaint about a course or professor has gotten immediate attention either from the professor or the whole department. This is still the same bs that is continually perpetuated.</p>
<p>Clearly Harvard is not so blind as to think they are an institution without room to grow or improve...since they did create a taskforce to work the issue. </p>
<p>Good for them. </p>
<p>I think the bs that is perpetuated is that Harvard is somehow above critique.</p>
<p>My '09 daughter has had some excellent professors as well. I always enjoy the comments by those that have never attended but throw out knowledgeable comments like
<p>Harvard has had a poor reputation for teaching for quite some time. Loren Pope in "40 Colleges That Change Lives" mentions this.</p>
<p>People want to get into Harvard because of its reputation but they want to get into other schools because of their education.
<p>bandit - almost as enjoyable as those who would imply because their kids have had an enjoyable couple of years at Harvard, all issues of concern which do not cast the school in a favorable light are to be dismissed. </p>
<p>Personally, I have not attended, nor does my child....but our family does have 'connections' to the university. Specifically, a close family friend for which one of the JFK Centers which is named, as well as a couple of family alums. All agree there is a tendency at many schools, Harvard included, for faculty to prioritize research over teaching...and that this is an issue that merits discussion.</p>
<p>Oh wait, research is about teaching graduate students.... perhaps they mean that Harvard will actually notice that they have UNDERgraduate students as a result of this report?</p>
<p>The point is not that Harvard is above reproach in...all schools, including Harvard have room for improvement, and Harvard should be commended for seeking to better its educational experience. It's that whenever Harvard does work on improving something, it takes a nanosecond for everyone (who doesn't attend) to make sweeping (read inacurate), negative generalizations like several above that completely mischaracterize the student experience there.</p>
<p>With one kid at a LAC and one kid at Harvard, I can't say that the one at the LAC has had better profs or classroom experiences. Are there some brilliant scholars who are not the best classroom teachers at Harvard? Yes, there are; and it's not because they don't care about teaching. But there are profs who are not so great teachers at LACs, too. And frankly, I'd rather my S be in a class with 50+ other students and a prof and 3 TFs than in a class with 50+ students and a prof and no TF--which is what I know happens at many LACs.
Harvard is not perfect. Neither is any other institution of higher learning.</p>
<p>LDmom--I didn't see anyone here claiming that Harvard is above reproach. I saw people saying that, contrary to the mindless "you can't get an education" comments ubiquitous here (as always), their kids are, in fact, getting a fine education.</p>
<p>I have no connections to Harvard of any kind (I guess not knowing anyone who got buildings named after them makes me less able to comment?), but the kneejerk comments about no one going there for an education are tiresome, to say the least.</p>
<p>Undergraduate education involves "right fit" for students who are l8 years old.</p>
<p>Parents wait for institutions to make their next move, but meanwhile you have your own child to educate.</p>
<p>Our conversation with S, as a junior, went this way, "How do YOU learn best? Will you be more engaged, and think more, by attending a brilliant lecture by an Alan Dershowitz (we chose him only b/c he's on TV and our son's a fan) with hundreds of others, take notes, talk it over with a section advisor some days later...
or do you do better with a professor and 35 others, asking and answering questions throughout the hour, where <em>your</em> question could be among those bandied about...</p>
<p>He thought about that one; chose the second model as the one that would engage his intellect more. So Amherst was "right fit" for him, but that wouldn't be true for someone else. </p>
<p>If an undergrad is inspired by the research performed by the professor, and gets a thrill from studying under that professor's overarching management of the coursework, even if there are 500 others in the room, that undergrad will still find satisfaction.</p>
<p>Our S came out of a dull public high school, where the other academic star went to Harvard, so he had to endure the whole town bowing at the feet of the Harvard-bound kid, meanwhile asking my S, "Amherst? Where's THAT? Don't you mean UMASS..." Very humbling.</p>
<p>That too is a sweeping generalization of Harvard. My daughter loved being in class with Jamaica Kincaid and about 12 others. Few classes at Harvard have the lecture hall with 100's of others. Many popular classes are capped for that reason. Her sophomore tutorial has two instructors and 5 students. Her junior tutorial will be one on one.</p>
<p>"Harvard will actually notice that they have UNDERgraduate students as a result of this report?"</p>
<p>This is the kind of absurd negativity we're talking about. There are thousands of people out there who, like me, attended Harvard for both grad and undergrad. If you can find ONE who thinks that the grad students get a better deal from the university than the undergrads, I'd love to hear from him/her. 100% of the dozens of double grads that I know personally (whose grad schools include Law, Med, Business, Kennedy, and GSAS) would agree that the college is the heart and soul of the university and the undergrads get the best it has to offer.</p>
<p>I don't have the numbers for all of my S's classes, but here are some I recall (may be off a little):
This year, he's had classes with as few as 4 and as many as 270+. The majority have been in the 20-40 range.</p>
<p>Then perhaps the issue isn't the size of the classes at all. The faculty team looking at this problem is more preoccupied with administration's reinforcements and rewards for professors, which they say centers upon research. </p>
<p>Research steals time from undergrads re: office hours for students, follow-through on emails from students, along with faculty time to prepare lessons, think out a teaching approach, learn adult pedagogy. </p>
<p>If a professor finds a graduate student more compelling than an undergraduate, well, there are no graduate students at Amherst taking up air-space.</p>
<p>My husband teaches at a large research university. I would say that in his case research steals time from running, playing the guitar, leisure reading, spending time with his darling wife and, especially, sleeping. I would not say that it steals time from his teaching, which he loves and is one reason he is doing research at a university and not a lab or in private industry (where he would undoubtedly be better paid).</p>
<p>I, too, have a son who is a happy Harvard UNDERgrad.</p>