Thursday, November 5, 1998
UCLA classes, accessibility fare poorly in student surveys
ACADEMICS: Princeton Review reveals unhappiness with TAs,
professors devoted to research
By Sarah Krupp
Daily Bruin Contributor
Devout Bruins, prepare to be offended. In a recent survey, UCLA
received some harsh blows to its academic prestige.
According to the Princeton Review, out of 311 colleges
nationwide, UCLA ranked in the top 10 in three categories of
academic weakness.
UCLA fared poorly in surveys regarding boring classes, overuse
of teaching assistants (TAs) and professors who are difficult to
track down.
So who are these enemies of UCLA? Not slanderous USC students,
but UCLA’s own student body.
"These surveys are completely subjective and have nothing to do
with reality," said Harlan Lebo, a spokesperson for the College of
Letters and Sciences.
However, not all students and faculty dismiss the survey results
as quickly.
"I have had classes in which I had to fight to stay awake,"said
Kim Brayton, a third-year biology student.
But even the boring professors, she said, know their subject
matter well.
"(But) I have never had a professor that wasn’t knowledgeable in
his field. They always have something to offer,"Brayton said.
UCLA was ranked seventh in the category of "professors sucking
all life from materials."
"There isn’t any doubt that when you have a faculty of 20,000
some will slip through the cracks, but by and large the quality of
teaching is high," said Raymund Paredes, associate vice chancellor
of academic development.
Paredes said he has witnessed an improvement in UCLA’s
professors over the last 10 years, due largely to a greater
emphasis on faculty performance in consideration for
promotions.
Student complaints about UCLA professors are not without reason,
though, according to Richard Anderson, associate professor of
political science.
Professors at UCLA are often hired based on their published
research and letters of recommendation, he said.
"What matters in this evaluation process is their research and
not their teaching," Anderson said.
He asserts that while research experience may appear to be a
drawback, it works out to be an advantage.
"The best researchers are the best teachers, but they are not
necessarily well-liked by the students," Anderson said.
Personally, Anderson admits that he is unlike most professors at
UCLA. His research is a means to attain tenure, so he can continue
to teach.
But many professors focus on research.
"The leading people in our department are the best people in our
field … but they can be distracted (and become) more interested
in their research than the students."
In his own experience, English professor Blake Almendinger said
that his research has distracted him from students at times, but
has enabled him to be a better teacher
"I can incorporate what I learn into my teaching; (and) it keeps
me from getting stale," Almendinger said.
According to Paredes, when professors are "stretched thin," they
depend more on their TAs.
While the Princeton Review ranked UCLA fourth for having
"(Teaching Assistants) teach too many upper-level courses,"
teaching assistants at UCLA are not allowed to teach entire
courses.
The role of (TAs) at UCLA is essential, according to
Almendinger. The university can’t afford to hire the number of
professors necessary to teach every class, he said. In addition,
TAs are often here to learn how to become professors.
"They are young, enthusiastic, prepare well and quite often the
following year will be professors,"said Anderson.
But some students still criticize the quality of their teaching
assistants.
"A lot of my TAs have lacked communication skills and had
extremely poor English," said Linda Loera, a third-year Latin
American studies student.
Some students are so dissatisfied that they view their TAs as a
hindrance rather than a help.
"Most of my TAs have been incompetent. They are medical students
who are nervous and unsure of what they are doing," said Nitin
Chexall, a fourth-year biology and English student. "People in my
classes don’t even go to reviews because they know it will only
confuse them."
Chexall also disagreed with the Princeton Review’s assessment of
professor accessibility.
While UCLA was ranked fifth worst in the category of "teachers
making themselves scarce," Chexall maintains that his professors
have always been willing to offer outside help.
UCLA professors are required to have office hours, and they do.
However, problems arise when students seek help from professors
only when exams are approaching and papers are due, Paredes
said.
While most agree UCLA students have access to a good education,
students need to utilize their professors in order to access it,
Anderson said.
"Even though it’s a public school and it’s so large, you can
find an Ivy league rate education if you just look for it,"said
Charisse Castroverde, a fifth-year English and philosophy student,
"but students need a lot of initiative to find it."
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