Crowd Sourcing: Students reaction to class size

I had an assignment in one of my other journalism classes pertaining to class size at UC.

So I went out and asked journalism students at UC their thoughts on whether they like the student-to-faculty ratio or if they wished it was different.

Here are the three specific questions I asked:

1. Do you feel the class sizes are too big? Too small? Why? Why not?

2. Do you feel the class sizes impact your ability to learn? If so, how?

3. Does class size impact your ability to interact with instructors? Is feedback from instructors sufficient to your liking?

I got a wide range of opinions, but it seemed the general consensus was that students were satisfied with their class sizes.

Here are some of the responses that I received:

"I feel that class sizes in McMicken are just right because you still can interact with the Professor easily. I do not feel the class sizes impact my ability to learn, because I am a proactive student and, no matter how big my class is, I will make sure I communicate with my professor."
Danielle Boyle
Third Year, Journalism

"I don't think that the classes in McMicken are too big, actually I think they are a perfect size. I personally do not like big aud. size classes because I don't think the Professor is able to interact and communicate with the students as well. I've been in those big classes before and it seems that the teacher doesn't have the students participate as much and doesn't even ask questions. It's normally just a boring lecture where all I want to do is fall asleep."
Hope that helps,
Kelli Ives
Senior, Journalism

"I think depending on the classes they could stand to be anywhere between five to ten seats bigger. A medium-sized class - let's say about 20 people - has a lot more people giving input, and that's something anyone could learn from, especially if someone says something particularly ignorant or uninformed and the teacher corrects them. A larger class size doesn't usually affect my ability to talk to instructors. Sometimes I get a lousy teacher who picks out three or four people to pay attention to the whole quarter, and I'm almost never one of them."
Andrew Ritter
Third Year, Journalism


"I feel that my classes in McMicken have been the perfect size. Fairly small, ranging from 15 to 25 students, allows for great class discussion and one-on-one time with professors. I think the small class size is perfect for because I'm receiving individual attention from professors on my core subjects. It's great to get direct attention from a professor about something that will be utilized in my future career."
Alison Jaeger
Freshman UC '12

"I think as far as the journalism department goes, the faculty-to-student ratio is great. As a fifth-year senior, I know that a lot of the faculty know me by name and know what I'm doing as far as internships and classes. They all seem very involved in their student's progress and are very helpful when needed."
Ashley Monk
Senior, Journalism

For the most part, UC Journalism students don't have an issue with their class sizes and seem to be coping well with them.