Reforms Pushed on Simultaneous Classes

Last fall Tej A. Toor ’10 knew she was interested in economics, and she also wanted to give computer science a try before she had to declare a concentration. But Economics 1010a, an intermediate microeconomics course required for her intended concentration, met at the same time as Computer Science 50, the introductory computer science class.

Toor, with the two instructors, drew up a plan that would involve Toor attending all economics lectures and watching the computer science lectures by video.

“Both professors were in favor of it,” Toor said. In fact, the professor of the computer science course, David J. Malan, wrote a letter to the Ad Board arguing that because Ec1010a and CS 50 are “gateway courses,” not allowing simultaneous enrollment can “impede one’s potential advancement to higher-level courses.”

Nevertheless, Toor’s request was denied.

“It was just frustrating because I had spoken with both professors,” Toor said, adding that she did not receive a reason why her petition was turned down.

Responding to the concerns of students like Toor, the Undergraduate Council adopted a resolution recommending amendments to the Student Handbook that would make it easier for students to take classes that meet simultaneously.

Currently, a student must petition the Ad Board in order to take two classes that meet at the same time, and the request will only be considered if certain conditions—such as if the student is a senior who needs both courses to fulfill degree requirements—are met.

Students pursuing simultaneous enrollment must also receive certain accommodations, such as hour-to-hour personal instruction from the professor or the ability to view lectures by video.

The resolution calls for the elimination of the Ad Board’s role in approving all cases of simultaneous enrollment.

And while the circumstances in which students could take two classes with overlapping meeting times would remain the same, the resolution calls for some relaxation of the other provisions, such as allowing a teaching fellow to provide the personal instruction to the student instead of the professor.

“We’re not making it so people can skip classes,” Undergraduate Council President Matthew L. Sundquist ’09 said. “It’s just putting the decision directly into the hands of the faculty members.”

“We are getting rid of the middleman,” he added.

The resolution will be discussed at the May 7 meeting of the Committee on Undergraduate Education, which is composed of students and professors. After that, it could be voted on by the Faculty Council, the governing body of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences that is responsible for setting the Faculty’s agenda.

—Staff writer Chelsea L. Shover can be reached at clshover@fas.harvard.edu.