Class Size & Overrides

By Bill Petkanas

THE SITUATION

At the beginning of every semester, we are besieged by requests for overrides into closed courses.  The decision to grant an override depends on many things:  the instructor's feelings, the Department Chair's position, and the Department's policy (if any) balanced against the perceived needs of the student making the request. 

The issue of overrides gives us an opportunity to think about the meaning and reasons for course capacities.  Section III.5(e) of the faculty handbook says "Class size limits shall be determined on sound educational principles by the appropriate Academic Dean in consultation with the Department."  Assuming we've done that thoughtfully in the first place, should we willingly exceed them?  I think not, or at least not lightly, for several reasons. 

THE STUDENT

What is the effect of overrides on each student in the class?  One way to consider this is to look at the numbers. I am indebted to Hugh McCarney, my colleague in the Communication Department for pointing out that especially in a low capacity performance class, the effect is significant.  In a class like Acting I for example, with a class size is 20, this works out to two hours and 15 minutes per student per semester.  Overriding two students reduces this to close to two hours, about a 12% reduction per student.  Of course, time is not distributed evenly in a course, and this percentage decreases with class size, but the principle stands.  If our class sizes are appropriate for the course, any additional students detract from the available resources.

When we regularly allow overrides, we become subject to abuse.  We might think that we would reserve overrides for only the most exceptional need or unusual circumstance, but once begun, it is much more difficult to determine the degree of relative need and make judgments about which override request is more valid than another.  Add to this that when an instructor makes a habit of granting overrides, this becomes known to students, advisors, admissions, coaches, and others, which had the effect of increasing the number of requests one is likely to receive.

THE CLASS

Class size limits are particularly important to WCSU, where we get to know our students personally.  By the third week of class, I know all their names and begin to know something about their level of interest, willingness to participate, ability to remember ideas from class to class, their attitude toward me, and more.  This is a period of intense concentration, and my ability to make these assessments and adjust the flow of the class accordingly will determine how well the next 12 weeks will go.  I understand the demands of teaching based on the class size I expect; adding to this number only makes it more difficult and possibly less successful. 

If you have had to teach classes of 50 or more, as I have at another university, you'll know that at the end of the semester you are familiar with only a handful of students, usually good ones who are interested and who want to be known.  The rest of the class is mostly a hazy picture of half-familiar faces, and several who, even after 15 weeks, you do not recognize at all.  Exceeding our class caps takes us in the direction of anonymity; away from the small scale, personal relationships for which WestConn is known and appreciated.

THE SYSTEM

A practical consideration for avoiding overrides is that when an entire department does it, it means the loss of other possible sections of a class.  My department instituted a no-override policy for its skills classes when we realized that we were overriding the equivalent of an entire section.  With a class cap of 24, if 12 sections allowed two overrides each, that meant we could have, and should have, had another section to accommodate these 24 students, instead of overfilling our existing sections. 

It's worth mentioning that the reason everyone allowed two overrides was that… everyone allowed two overrides.  That is, when we get in the habit of allowing overrides, our new colleagues will follow suit, believing that it is appropriate and perhaps valued.  This creates enough inertia that the effective cap has been raised without ever considering the pedagogical implications and the reason for the class limit in the first place.

THE OVERRIDE

When is it appropriate to grant an override?  Obviously, my answer is "very rarely."  But I wouldn't say "never."  My department asks three questions to determine if there is a legitimate reason to override: 

1. Does this affect time to graduation?  If there is one particular course (not preferred, but required) without which the student cannot graduate as expected at the end of the current semester or year, this may be a good candidate.  A student with fewer than 90 credits is generally not a good candidate for consideration. 

2. Did the student have adequate opportunity to register for this course?  If a student did not register on time for some reason, we have to ask why, and why we are expected to use overrides rectify the problems of employment, financial aid, or admissions.  This also applies to a senior who asks for an override to a 100 level course that the student simply neglected to take earlier.  Overrides are not appropriate for compensating for poor planning on a student's part. 

3. Is the instructor aware of the increased burden, for both teaching and learning, and willing to accept it?  Instructors should know why the Department and Dean agreed on the cap and consider what will be sacrificed when it is exceeded.

To grant an override, the answers to all questions should be "yes."  This insures that they are never granted lightly; they are, and should be, an exceptional response to an unusual and dire situation.  They should not be a matter-of-fact procedure.  If we keep clear what our class capacities are for, and protect them for the good of our students, we will eventually see fewer and fewer override requests. v

Full-time & Part-time faculty – save the date!

Reception for New Faculty

Wednesday, September 28

3:00 – 4:00

Faculty Dining Room

(a.k.a. “Danbury Room”)

 in the Student Center v

Part-Time Faculty

Save the Date!

CSU-AAUP Conference for Part-Time Faculty

Friday, September 30

at WCSU

• This is the first—and maybe only—year this annual conference will be held at WCSU. 

• Meet your peers from the other CSU campuses. 

• Topics include a presentation of CSU-AAUP Part-Time Survey Results. 

• The conference is free, and includes a continental breakfast & lunch.

• Watch your campus mailbox for details, coming soon.

• Or e-mail us at aaupw@wcsu.edu so you don’t get left out.