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<p>Of course, counting by student credit hours means that those who happen to teach stuff like freshman general chemistry or economics (with hundreds of students per class) will be counted as “more productive” than those who happen to teach stuff like senior or graduate level courses in the same subjects.</p>
<p>While a 500 student introductory general chemistry course is a greater teaching load (even when the faculty member has assistance of TAs as is typical in such large courses) than a 25 student advanced chemistry course, it is not the same teaching load as 20 sections of 25 student chemistry courses.</p>
<p>Using the “student credit hours taught” measure, it may turn out that LACs which emphasize small faculty-led classes at all undergraduate levels are seen as “least efficient” because each faculty member can only teach a small number of students per semester or year. But is the “efficient” large classroom with hundreds of students really what everyone wants (and is it even possible as students reach the more specialized advanced level courses)?</p>