An intimidating lecture hall, like those in McCosh or McDonnell, can easily overwhelm a wide-eyed visitor with its sheer size and number of students. Because a drowning sense of anonymity is hardly conducive to discussion and direct involvement, precepts offer a closer, more intimate setting for students to participate comfortably.
In the past, some courses have maximized this potential by offering two precepts a week, accompanied by one lecture, allowing a more intensive study of course material in small group tailored to discussion-based subjects like history or English.
Recently, the administration has decided to eliminate this format, citing a shortage of student contact with professors.
"We believe students should be taught primarily by faculty rather than by preceptors," explained Associate Dean of the College Howard Dobin.
The change in policy targets a system that has worked remarkably well in several classes, including the lauded NES 201: Introduction to the Middle East and HIS 373: The New Nation, taught by professors Michael Doran and Sean Wilentz, respectively.
If student ratings are any indication, the new restriction represents a misguided effort to fix a system far from broken. Whether by asking professors to extend office hours or to attend more precepts, the University can encourage more direct contact between students and professors without enforcing a blanket rule that refuses to consider such glaring counterexamples.
Professors need to be able to determine what methods work best for their courses. In classes specifically geared toward personal analysis and original thought, students can often glean much more from a meaningful relationship with a close preceptor than a lecturer addressing hundreds of people.
By enacting this policy, the administration offers a superficial solution to a problem rooted elsewhere. Individual professors may need some encouragement to more effectively interact with their students, but it makes little sense to assume one size fits all. This is a change that will likely result in students spending less — not more — time directly interacting with instructors.
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