OVERDOING THE LECTURE SYSTEM

Back in the Middle Ages when students themselves hired their instructor and discharged him for "cutting" too often or for making too little progress, their attitude toward lectures was quite different than at present. The appearance of the modern type of college student has rendered rigid application of the lecture system surprisingly impotent without supplementary devices.

It can not be denied that, although there are frequent exceptions, many instructors tend to use the same lectures year after year with only slight modifications, grinding out stereotyped ideas in rapid succession without any indication that they are being absorbed by the class. Not without cause, therefore, has the lecture system been defined as the "process of transferring the notes of the instructor to the notes of the student without passing through the mind of either."

The most effective way to master the subject matter of a course undoubtedly consists in conscientious study of lecture notes shortly after each meeting. In this way the student acquires a working knowledge of the context and is led to ruminate upon its meaning. The average undergraduate, however, sits stupidly through his lectures, mechanically jots a few incoherent notes, and goes away without a thought as to what has just been said. It is not altogether his fault; some lectures are extremely monotonous and uninteresting. In vain do professors encourage outside discussion among students, or announce voluntary consultation hours. The modern youth comes to college to learn--but not to study.

Rather than leave the wayward undergraduate to his fate the faculty must educate him in spite of himself. If students will not of themselves learn to think outside, they may at least be started upon their cogitations in the classroom. General discussion and questions keep the students awake and force them to think intelligently. This is particularly advisable in the so-called "thinking courses"--economics and philosophy, for example; but it finds a ready application in almost every branch of the curriculum. At Harvard, where the lecture system is a favorite with the faculty, it is especially important to realize that it can be overdone when there is a failure to recognize the value of discussion in bringing out the utmost in a subject.