Interchanging Classes

A custom which did much to mitigate the evils of the lecture-system, has lately fallen into disuse. This is the practice, once popular with the faculty, of exchanging lecture-classes occasionally, so as to give the classes the benefit of listening to experts in the fields which they are studying. For example, a lecturer in Ancient History might exchange places, for one lecture, with a lecturer in Greek Archaeology. Thus the students in both groups could enjoy the privilege of listening to men who have specialized in matters that make up a minor part of the entire course, but are nevertheless important.

The advantages of such an arrangement are manifold. The monotony of listening to the same man, week after week, is broken. Then, the student acquires a broader, and valuable knowledge of the professors in his college. And most important of all, the lecture of the specialist piques the curiosity of the student and stimulates his interest in the work.

In view of the general dissatisfaction with the lecture-system, it would be an excellent idea to recall this practice from the desuetude into which it has fallen. The exchange of classes might even counteract the soporific influences that the present lecture-system, unfortunately exerts. Cornell Daily Sun