Published Monday, February 16, 2004
Students See Stars
Forty Percent of HGSE Courses Limit Enrollment
By Becky Branting
APPIAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

An asterisk is rarely welcome. The symbol typically sends readers to the bottom of the page where a paragraph of legalese shatters one’s hope of winning fabulous sweepstakes prizes. Sure, e-mail has brought the asterisk new status when used to replace vowels in a certain four-letter words, but this wildcard, rogue symbol is clearly not welcome while planning one’s semester.

Sixty-five asterisks peppered the pages of the Spring 2004 course catalogue. On first glance, it appears that the majority of courses are starred, designating them as classes with limited enrollment. But, according to data from the Registrar, after accounting for independent studies, practicums and courses listed more than once under different programs, about 40 percent of the semester’s courses were restricted by class size.
Some professors opted for a lottery system to determine who would be granted admission into these courses, while others, like Joe Blatt, asked the 40 students who shopped his Designing and Producing Educational Media class to submit their project ideas. He selected 22 students – a group he feels is still too large.

“It’s awful saying no,” Blatt explained. “But not saying no would be a worse mistake. We’re already overflowing the multi-media lab, but even if the school bought additional equipment, I still wouldn’t take more students. A central part of what you learn in this class is from contributing to each other’s projects. That’s what multi-media productions are about. And I see myself in professional terms as the executive producer, offering my guidance of experience and provocative questioning. I can’t constantly be asking students, ‘now, what is your project, again?’”

Most students at the GSE understand professors’ desire for small class sizes. Many of them, like Tracy Wagner, have taught large classes themselves, and desire the personal attention that only a small class can offer. But in the final semester of a one-year master’s program, Wagner and many other students are feeling cheated out of the education they came to Harvard to receive.

“Three out of the four classes I wanted to take were limited enrollment. I ended up getting into only one of these classes,” said Wagner, a student in the Learning and Teaching program. “I am paying a pretty price for my education here at HUGSE, and I would like to take the courses that I would like to take. I also have to admit that my public school teacher-self kicks in and says: If I had a class of 30 and one more student really, really wanted to take the class, I would always find a way to let them in. I understand if professors want to cap at 15, but I hope they see the irony of this when you think about it in the context of HUGSE students' own teaching experience.”

Jim Stiles, Associate Dean for Degree Programs, says he understands students’ frustration, and he confirmed that the class of 2004 is larger than had been expected. Still, he says the administration has made progress limiting the number of limited enrollment courses.

“I understand how difficult it is,” Stiles said, “but when professors choose to limit the courses, it’s for pedagogical reasons, not just because they want to keep a class small. Last year, professors were asked to justify why they were limiting enrollment and as a result, fewer courses are starred this year. I suspect you’ll continue to see the pattern of courses being more open.”

Blatt confirmed the push for fewer limited enrollment courses in the Technology in Education program, but he says knowing which courses are turning students away and just how many students are affected by limited enrollment would be helpful.

“I know how many students I turned down, but nobody’s asked me,” Blatt said. “I think every student should be guaranteed getting into at least one limited enrollment course in their year here. Perhaps we should mine statements of purpose for information on students’ interests before classes start. We’d know if, for example, 100 students had expressed an interest in taking Sarah Lawrence Lightfoot’s course, and we could plan for that.”

Many students said they selected Harvard over other schools in order to study under one or two renowned professors or take specific classes that intrigued them. Students like Human Development and Psychology’s Erica Fletcher did not expect to be frantically sending out e-mails the morning of registration day, asking if anyone had shopped a class or knew anything about a professor. “I am desperately trying to find a fourth class,” she wrote.

Stiles says the administration is committed to strong curricular planning. He points to this year’s new block scheduling, where all courses on a given day are the same duration, as an example of improvements. In addition, he has a vision for academic planning that not only takes into account how many program-specific courses are being offered at the same time, but also classes that appeal to people across programs, such as elementary education, policy and gender.

Students say they understand the dilemma the administration faces, and that no solution can possibly appease everyone, but they question whether the administration really understands just how frustrating it is to make the most of their short year at the GSE.

“My griefs with the limited enrollment system are simple: it takes way too much running around and emailing and crossing of fingers,” Wagner says. “I do not appreciate having to parade my ‘worthiness’ and accomplishments competitively against other students in order to get into a course; I do not like leaving my course enrollment up to a lottery system.”

Jim Stiles welcomes comments and suggestions from students. He can be reached via email at: jim_stiles@gse.harvard.edu.

Becky Branting, an Ed.M. candidate in the Administration, Planning and Social Policy program, is a contributing writer for The Appian.