Undergraduates Should Teach, Bamberg Tells Alumni Forum

Paul G. Bamberg Jr. '63, associate professor of Physics, said yesterday that Harvard should use undergraduates as teaching assistants to help individualize instruction in large lecture courses.

In a speech to officials of the Associated Harvard Alumni, Bamberg said that many undergraduates are capable of helping to teach courses despite the fact that "some view the idea of undergraduates teaching with alarm."

"A properly chosen undergraduate is invariably a better teacher than a randomly chosen graduate students," he said.

Particularly Effective

Bamberg said the use of undergraduate teaching assistants would be particularly effective in the Physics Department, which he said has "the largest proportion of high quality physics students in the country."

Bamberg said the use of undergraduate teaching assistants in his introductory physics course.

"Students learn more by teaching than going to some classes," he said yesterday.

In his talk on ways of improving teaching in large classes, Bamberg also said the use of self-paced instruction and specially-prepared audio-visual materials help facilitate individual learning.

During a discussion session with alumni after his speech, Bamberg said undergraduates "generally no longer feel it's knowledge they need, but credentials."

Bamberg's comments on undergraduates seeking credentials for professional schools came in response to a speech by David Goldberg '76, who said there must be major curricular reforms "? If Harvard's objective is not to become a vocational school."

Stepping Stone

Goldberg told the alumni yesterday "there is a disproportionately large use of Harvard as a stepping stone to medical and law schools."