Impersonal education afflicts big schools

Fishing is one of the most stressful activities I have ever
experienced. Multiple attempts to whip the fishing pole into the
vast ocean left me physically and mentally weary. However, the most
distressing part was the limited interaction required in the sport;
sitting perfectly still until the right catch came along left me
rather bored and frustrated.

Years later, I find myself in the same boat ““ only this
time not in the Atlantic Ocean, but in lectures at UCLA. The
nonexistent student-professor interaction within lecture settings
leaves me rather bored and frustrated.

Sometimes, however, the right professor comes along, and sitting
in lecture grants greater satisfaction than reeling in a great
catch. Then, even the driest of subjects somehow transforms into
the most fascinating of topics. Fishing is fun again.

However, like any great catch, I find that such professors can
be quite rare at UCLA.

And such are the perils of attending a large public research
university. Don’t get me wrong; attending a top-notch
university with cutting-edge research is a great privilege. But any
benefit comes with costs ““ and this time at the price of
education. Realistically, research, not teaching, prevails as the
main emphasis within these universities. Potential for research
contribution ““ especially in the math and science departments
““ usually has higher precedence over teaching priorities.
Charles Buchanan, physics and astronomy academic vice chair, noted
that UCLA is “typical” in how it balances teaching and
research.

Additionally, the large enrollment, a usual characteristic of
public universities, leads to less time and resources available
““ meaning fewer professors and thus a more impersonal
educational system. Also, teaching credentials are not
prerequisites to teaching at any higher-level institute, which can
sometimes result in lack of teaching strategies and techniques.
However, what I’ve discovered from interviewing professors is
that teaching quality is highly dependent on the approach and
attitude of the professor, not particularly the teaching
logistics.

“It’s not just how you teach the material, but how
you establish relationships with the students,” physics
Professor Katsushi Arisaka said.

Indeed, when professors maintain open communication with
students, the learning environment is greatly enhanced. Students
feel welcome to approach the professor for clarification and
assistance. And as an added bonus, professors’ enthusiasm can
be infectious. It seems that professors, albeit appearing small and
faraway from the lecture seats, can significantly impact
students’ learning, motivation and interest. Understandably,
such a responsibility is difficult to balance with the demands of
research and publishing the findings of that research.

Perhaps this accounts for South Campus’ notoriously
difficult professor-student interactions. Because of the heavier
research-driven nature of the math and sciences, the equilibrium
between research and teaching is more prone to teetering on the
brink compared to other departments.

On bruinwalk.com, the top 10 least recommended professors are
mostly South Campus professors. Nevertheless, research is vital for
the university and society. It would be illogical to request less
devotion to research. Rather, just by approaching teaching with the
same enthusiastic attitudes for research, the quality of teaching
at UCLA can effortlessly flourish.

Of the top 10 most recommended professors on bruinwalk.com, a
number of professors teach writing programs. This is not purely
coincidental: The hiring of professors in this department is
heavily dependent on the desire to teach instead of research
motivations and contributions, writing Professor Steven Steinberg
said.

True, English composition classes are much smaller than
lectures, which allows greater ease in personalizing education.
However, it seems that teaching is particularly effective in this
department due to the professors’ visible passion for
teaching. And students are first to recognize this.

“I think there’s a hunger on the part of students
here to learn things. … And I think we (as a university)
sometimes don’t recognize it,” Steinberg said.

And to feed on this hunger, students fish quarter by quarter,
hoping to hook a great catch to feast upon knowledge. After all, as
the saying goes, “Feed a man a fish and you feed him for a
day; teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” And
such epitomizes the importance of education. Sure, fishing requires
diligence and patience ““ and can even be boring at times. But
with a little enthusiasm and the right approach, fishing can
certainly be fun again.

If you share frustrating experiences with fishing, pitch an
e-mail to jyoo@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to
viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.

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