The Michigan Daily-Thursday, September 6, 1979-Page F- EXPERIENTIALICO UR SES, SEMINA RS, A ND FIELD WORK OFFERED Different class formats enhance 'U' curriculum By JOHN SINKEVICS Students often complain about sitting long hours in stuffy lecture rooms day after day, absent-mindedly taking notes and often falling asleep. nBut courses at the University are not always confined to classroom lectures. In fact, students here have the oppor- tunity to register for a wide range of .classes which offer unique learning ex- periences such as field trips, special lab sessions, and community service assistance. THESE NON-TRADITIONAL cour- ses are offered in nearly every depar- tment, school, and college at the lUnivesity. In many cases, the emphasis is upon "experiential learning -lear- n ing through work outside the classroom, graded on a credit/no credit basis. Perhaps the best example of an ex- periential course is Project Outreach (Psychology 201). Outreach students are given the option of registering for different service-oriented projects. Most of the projects are worth two credits. ome of the classes involve: * Working at the Child Care Action Center, a project which focuses on- studies of early childhood develop- ment; * Serving as a tutor at the Washtenaw Juvenile Court, a program where students work with juveniles needing academic and emotional ad- justment; and Aiding and providing services for elderly Jews. Students enrolled in this section will hopefully develop relation- ships with the elderly and gain insights into the experience of aging. "I LEARNED a lot and changed in more ways than I can say in the four years I was involved in the program," said Kathy Bohn, a University graduate who served as a coordinator in Outreach last year. "I got to see dif- ferent aspects of different organizations which are involved in Outreach, and all my experiences were good ones." Although Outreach will be offered this term, some changes have taken place in the program since last year. Due to financial constraints, fewer sec- tions will be offered. Another experiential option open undergraduates at the University Project Community (Sociology 389). to is "PROJECT COMMUNITY is an op- portunity for people to have a little more independence at the University," said Prof. Ellen Offen, director of the program. "It's a matter of going out and learning in the community," she said. Many students taking Project Com- munity work in the Innovative Tutorial Experience program where they gain teaching experience by helping pre- school to adult students deal with their learning handicaps. The Inmate Project allows students to work at a variety of institutions in- cluding the Maxey Boys Training, School, a juvenile correctional facility, and the State Prison of Southern Michigan at Jackson, where students provide tutoring services in remedial reading, math, and other disciplines. Project Community and Project Outreach certainly are not the only unusual and creative alternatives to traditional study at the University. Most schools and colleges at the University offer a number of classes for which students from any college or program can register, and these cour- ses often provide experiences rarely found at other universities. For example, the School of Art offers several courses in metalsmithing and jewelry-making which emphasize skills in craft rather than art. According to Art Prof. William Lewis, many of the lecture courses offered at the school are also unique. "The Origin of Contemporary Design (Art 111) is not an art history course but rather gives a design perspective of the relationship between cultures and the use of materials," said Lewis. "Many lecture courses of this type have -ho prerequisites, often involve slide presentations, and sometimes allow students to go on field trips to view art exhibits in Chicago and Detroit." AN AREA OF study which cross-lists courses in the School of Art, the School of Engineering, and in LSA is Film and Video Studies. Students in this progrm, often along with students from other See 'U', Page 6 ,. _ _in craftwrather than, art. According-to TAs link profs and students By JOHN GOYEKR If you happen to wander into your first class and become alarmed because your "professor" doesn't look like he's yet begun to shave, don't fret. Before you stands nQt an elder, ex- perienced teacher, but one of the elements of the University which allows it to remain so large: the teaching assistant (TA). TAs bear much of the responsibility for running introductory classes. They supervise labs and discussion sections, give quizzes and tests, and often grade students. For courses that have no large lecture section, the TA may teach the entire course with the unseen guidance of a professor. The average TA earns about $2,500 per term for 20 hours of work per week, according to Joseph Katulic, a Univer- sity labor contract administrator. He said the graduate students are often required to teach as part of their program of study. Graduate students also fill administrative and research positions in return for degree credit and financial support. MANY STUDENTS claim they are more sympathetic to questions from the class than are professors. Many studen- ts also say TAs are easier to find and ask for help than professors, who often handle classes of more than 300. "They are willing to help you with your special problems. They aren't just going to process you in and out," said LSA senior Jeff Fleischman. LSA senior Lisa Amans said she finds TAs are easier to talk to than professors. "They're closer to your age. They're not actually professors, they're students too. It wasn't so long ago that they were undergraduates and going through the same things you are going through now," Amans said. BECAUSE THE TAs are still in school, they teach differently than professors, according to LSA senior Leslie Emans. TAs know the material, Emans said, "but also don't make it seem as if they are lecturing. They make it more enjoyable, they make it seem like they enjoy it instead of like it's their job." But students do gripe about TAs. A frequent complaint is that they do not have enough teaching experience to ex- plain course materials to students, even though they may know the material very well. "Sometimes I wonder about their teaching ability," Amans said. "I know they know their subject, but I don't know how good they are at helping others learn it." IF A STUDENT has a problem in a class, he should discuss the problem with the TA before he goes to the professor in charge of the course, ac- cording to Associate Dean of Curriculum John Knott. "It's always good advice to tell someone to talk to a teacher," Knott said. "The good thing about TAs is that they're more accessible. But while professors may rarely be seen by many students in their classes, Knott said it is general policy that a TA's course supervisor has final say on grades. In addition to complaints about teaching inexperience, students say that they often get non-American TAs that can't teach effectively because of a language problem. "THE WORST TAs are the foreign TAs because you can't understand them and they can't understand you. I think there are too many foreign TAs," Fleischman said. LSA Associate Dean Robert Holbrook said that the University is in a bind with respect to TAs. The University is un- willing to deny them support, he said, especially when TAs are in such demand in certain departments. Knott said the University ad- ministration recognizes the problems in a system that has graduate students teaching undergraduates. Recently, he said, the University has been putting ef- fort into persuading senior professors to teach undergraduate courses. In some departments, such as chem- istry and mathematics, students demand for courses is so great that the University is having a hard time fin- ding enough qualified TAs, according to Knott. He added that several of these departments are instituting programs and seminars for TAs in order to strengthen their program. Tom Flagg, a psychology TA, has some advice for undergraduates: don't be afraid to approach a TA. "A lot of us are just wishing someone would aks us a question. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification on an assign- ment or something like that," Flagg said. LSA SENIOR Amans said the only time she has ever been afraid of ap- praching a teacher was "when I was totally lost in the subject and I didn't know what was going on." "When you're totally lost, you go up to the TA, and, you know, where do you start? I didn't want them to think I was stupid," she said. Flagg said TAs feel the same way about asking students whether they are having problems in a course. "I feel sort of weird about that unless it's someone I know or something," he said. "I feel like it's up to them to look me up. Welcome Students TO THE DASCOLA HAIRSTYLISTS ARBORLAND-971-9975 MAPLE VILLAGE-761-2733 E. LIBERTY-668-9329 E. UNIVERSITY-662-0354 Daily Photo MOST UNDERCLASSPERSONS will find that a large share of their instructors will be graduate student teaching assistants (TAs). Although frequently the target of complaints, TAs can usually offer more personalized attention than a professor. PROGRAMS S TRESS LIVING-LEARNING EXPERIENCES: Pilot, RC offer educational alternatives , By VICKI HENDERSON One of the more frequent complaints muttered by students across campus is that the immenseness of the University stifles individuality. But two programs do exist which may counter the "feel- like-a-number" syndrome new students may experience. r These two options, the Residential College (RC) and the Pilot Program, both emphasize the "living-learning" experience, combining the dormitory housing experience with communal learning. They also offer many of the benefits of smaller institutions as well as those of the mother institution. The Residential College, located in East Quadrangle, was designed with a the small college atmosphere in mind. It was established by LSA faculty in the fall of 1967 to "provide a congenial learning environment for un- dergradutes," according to Prof. Carl Cohen, who was a member of the RS planning commission. RC DOES NOT cater to students in any particular field. Any student accep- ted into LSA may be admitted to the Residential College. "In the early years of the College, competition for spaces in the Residen- tial College was much greater than it is now," said Razelle Brooks, assistant to RC Director John Mersereau. "Since the decline in enrollment in liberal arts, - anyone interested in Residential College is accepted." One of the objectives of Residential College, said Cohen, is to keep enrollment in the college stable. Ap- .4f proximately 100 students were enrolled in the 1978-79 academic year. Students in the Residential College take some classes in East Quad, but they may also elect classes outside of t RC. SINCE RC CLASSES are taught in the Quad, many RC students are "YOU REALLY GET to know a lot of people" since LSA students also take RC classes, junior Laurie Esler said. "It's convenient having classes in the same building." Esler said the language requirement "isn't really great." Many Residential College students are disenchanted with -x x ..the environment also cultivates outside activities such as poetry readings and political activi- ties simply because they're easy to organize.' -Residential College Prof. Carl Cohen class-a one credit course composed of panels, films, and lectures centering around a major theme-and English Composition 125, which is required for all LSA students. These are the only two required courses. Outside the academic realm, the Pilot Program offers counselling, minority programs and special interest corridors where students in the same field of study or with the same interests live on the same hall. The Pilot Program will be un- dergoing some changes that will be im- plemented in the fall, according to Rene Radcliffe, Student Advisor for the Pilot Program. A new director from Berkeley, California, new resident staff and teaching assistants are part of these changes. Pilot is "improving and expanding the number of offerings so there's more to choose from," said Radcliffe. She said a "lot of time and effort" has gone into finding out the opinions of students and "upgrading the quality of TA's." B.H. A Jewish Experience For Eey Jew/ i - ". - e" i(i = habadi se stu 715 Hill St. (Cor. of Oakland) Ann Arbor CHABAD HOUSE FEATURES: KOSHER KORNER RESTAURANT " fried chicken, hamburgers, felafel and more "*b full line of deli " meal contracts, special discounts available ROOMS " furnished rooms available for students CLASSES CAreading Hebrew " translation and meaning of prayer " Chumash (Hebrew Bible) and " Shulchan Aruch (Jewish law) " Talmud " Mysticism " introduction to Judaism (everything they didn't want to teach you in Sunday School) " anything else not mentioned here "SABBATONIM" (week-end retreats, services, etc.) " every Friday evening and Saturday morning " full service followed by festive Shabbat meal AT NO CHARGE with Hassidic songs, stories and gems of wisdom. DAILY MINYON (Services) " with free cake and coffee OTHER FACILITIES " complete English language-Judaic library (cassette and music library being established) " game room with pool table, ping-pong table, etc. " gift shop with jewelry, Jewish records, books, and much more. PHONE 99-LEARN or POWER-77 familiar with each other. And after class "study goes on together," Cohen said. "It carries over into ex- tracurricular activities of the students. The physical proximity advocates not only studying as a group, but the en- vironment also cultivates outside ac- tivities such as poetry readings and political activities simply because they're easy to organize," Cohen said. Pam Applebaum, an RC junior, said, "It's nice having classes with your friends. Also, you get to know your professors more and are more comfor- table with them to go and talk." According to Cohen, studies have been done involving students and faculty during both their years as un- dergraduates and after their graduation. "The responses have been remarkedly supportive and positive," he said. the RC's language requirements, which demands that those in the program pass a foreign language "proficiency test." One course of study RC students may follow in an effort to pass this exam is to take RC intensive language classes. These eight-credit classes, which are well-respected around cam-, pus, culminate in the proficiency exam. All RC students must pass such a test to graduate. The Pilot Program is another small college program offered by the Univer- sity. Pillot was initiated by Profs. Theodore Newcornb and Don Brown in response to interests of faculty mem- bers and the University housing office in 1962. ALICE LLOYD dormitory is Phot's home base, and its 250 participants are required to live there for one year. The program requires a 'theme experience' Join The Daily! ENGLISH COMPOSITION BOARD WRITING WORKSHOP., 1025 Angell Hall FREE TUTORIAL ASSISTANCE FOR ALL LSA UNDERGRADUATES I MONDAY TIIPSDlAY 10-12 0.12 1-5 7_5 _n - I i