Biology Tutorial Is Not Required For Honors...But It Might Help

The new, "unconventional" biology tutorial is making its debut this week, but with a new twist.

The Biology Department rightly called the new tutorial "unconventional" when they unveiled the plans for it last Spring. Not only is it non-credit, it's not even required for honors. Professors and teaching fellows used adjectives like "informal," "experimental," and "just for fun" to describe it.

New Twist

But there is a new twist this fall. Tutors will write an evaluation of each of their students. George Wald, chairman of the Committee on Undergraduate Tutorial, has told concentrators that "the department will take special cognizance of this [evaluation] in writing recommendations to medical and graduate schools and in awarding honors."

Wald says no one knows now how heavily an evaluation might be weighted by the Department. But it is safe to say that a good one could be very useful for students.

"In the sciences it is difficult to get to know anyone well enough so that he can recommend you effectively for grad school or honors," R.N. Gillham, chairman of the Undergraduate Committee of the Biology Department, observes. He hopes the evaluations will change this.

Gillham said the evaluation was intended to "put teeth into tutorial." We wanted some device to show that tutorial is going to be serious and meaningful even though it is non-credit and not required for honors."

But Wald and Gillham emphasize that there will be no "punitive" measures for not taking tutorial. It will be possible to graduate summa cum and get into Harvard Med without an evaluation.

The evaluation is an interesting incentive to take tutorial and excel in it, but Wald insists that "the tutorial must ride on inherent interests alone."

And in Adams House, where Richard F. Olivo is tutor, this will certainly be the case. He does not intend to make any assignments. "I think the world's too serious already," he says quite seriously.

Olivo wants to use unorthodox means to arouse and develop individual interests. For example, he hopes to make a nature movie if someone is interested.

But the tone of the tutorial will vary from House to House since all the tutors have complete freedom to experiment with teaching approaches. And the incentive of the evaluation will give tutor Allan J. Tobin in Quincy House the "teeth" he may need to get the bi-weekly assignments he expects from his students.