THE DROP CALIFORNIA day VOLUME 85 PASADENA,... CALIFORNIA / FRIDA Y, MARCH 2, 1984 NUMBER 20 An Interview With President Goldberger Committees Rec'ommend Profs Must Teach Curriculum Changes By Lily Wu and Ken Whang by Ken Whang background material in Chem sions. Last of three parts. pression that there is the "kind The 1984 faculty-student 1. • The remedial English course of dedication,' overall, to conference concentrated on • Chemical bonding and is not rigorous enough to MARVIN GOLDBERGER: What do undergraduate teaching as an issues from the last conference' quantum mechanics should be prepare students for other your professors say when you institution, as might be in 1982 that have not yet been taught third term, ·after the humanities .and social sciences talk with them about teaching? desirable. resolved. freshman have a better courses. Or don't you? There are a lot of very good The main topics of discus- mathematical background. • The current selection of LILY wu: Well, some students and dedicated teachers and sion were reform of the • The course should be more social science courses is too complain about excessive there are a lot of people who freshman chemistry course continuous, with no more than small. The prerequisite of Ec homework assignments, and don't like to teach, and don't (Chern 1), problems with the one professor per term. 11 for many courses is restric­ lost of professors try to make a do a very good job. humanities and social sciences Committee members were tive. Committee members were joke of it and say, "Well, it LW: But they teach anyway. program, option for students Evan Cromwell and Teresa only took my T.A. four hours wishing to transfer out of Solberg. Glen Crawford, Peter Fay, MG: They teach anyway. to do it," and, "this one's Caltech, relations between Sunney Chan noted that Paul Filmer, Castor Fu, Jerry trivial," and I don't see, by and Everybody has to teach. Pro­ McGann, Mac Pigman, Aaron fessors are professors, they graduate and undergraduate within the current 6 units for large, a very understanding students, and the Summer the course, professors can Roodman, Robert Rosenstone, faculty. will, by God, profess. and Chris Wood .. But there is a spiritual ele­ Undergraduate Research assign nothing more than Part of the problem seems Fellowship Program (SURF). "Mickey Mouse problems" and McGann defended the divi­ to be that teaching doesn't have ment to it, which is hard to get across, about the importance The conference attracted can not cover the material sion's lack of writing instruc­ very high priority here. I don't roughly equal numbers of completely. tion, saying that the faculty are think the professors have of it. But you have to be careful. faculty and students. Many Bill Goddard, another hired as humanities and social enol,tgh incentive to take time students missed the conference Chern 1 professor, emphasized science researchers, and really to teach us properly. I mean, if you write anything about the subject, there are an because of scheduling early repeatedly that his material, don't know how to teach MG: In my inaugural address, I awful lot of people on campus, Saturday morning. quantum mechanics and bon- writing. maybe you don't see so many Each topic was given a 40 ding, is very important and can Daniel Kevlas put the HAny reasonably of them, but there are a large minute time slot, during which not be adequately under the responsibility on the students number who take teaching ex­ the committee stuqying the current course structure. to spend more time writing and bright, brand new tremely seriously, and a sugges­ issue presented its re,commen- Chan also explained that rewriting drafts of their papers. Ph.D. can teach a tion that nobody takes teaching dations and members of the the course is lectured by several Undergraduate Brad seriously at Caltech would pro­ audience voiced their opinions different professors so that Marston stated that, for the course in quantum duce mass outrage, and ap­ in response. The program was each can spend more time on tuition he pays to come here, electrodynamics, or propriately so. moderated by Jim Morgan. his research and lecture only on the humanities and social Following the last commit- topics in his area of expertise. sciences classes offered are not something, that's LW: Do the department heads or the professors actually pay tee presentation, Dean of Perhaps this is less a pro­ diverse enough and are too low just duck soup, I Educational Computing Geof- blem of heavy research obliga­ in quality. (See Marston's letter attention to the TQFR? frey Fox presented a report and tions than of lazy professors, in the issue.) but to really teach MG: Absolutely. addressed comments on educa- suggested aeronautics professor Several professors in the freshman physics LW: Because that very clearly tional computing at Caltech. Hans Liepmann, who pointed division offered the argument shows that there are a few pro­ Points brought up repeated- out that, on the other extreme, that the classes they teach do is hard." ' fessors who get very mediocre ly in the discussions were that Richard Feynman was able to not have the problems that the or, even downright turkey the curriculum at Caltech i,s too prepare the Feynman Lectures students see in the humanities put a great deal Qf emphasis on grades as they're called, yet narrow and that more em- while he was working on Nobel and social sciences classes in the importance of teaching and they teach the same class over phasis needs to be placed on Prize physics research. general. my own views about that. and over again. This is' the teaching. Maile Smith, who has Transfer Options I came from Princeton, fourth year they're teaching the Following are summaries of. T.A.ed Chern 1 for two years, which, I think, probably all class and for the fourth year the discussions at the con- noted that while professors are Committee Recommendations: around, is the best undergradu­ they'll probably earn four ference: expected to lecture only in their • Caltech should demonstrate ate institution in the country. turkeys again. Chern 1 areas of expertise, graduate recognition that it is not the Not in science and technology MG: Well, the question is, students teach in their recita­ right educational environment or this or that, but overall. "What do you do about it?" Committee Recommendations: tion sections the whole year's for all students, and commit There is a true dedication to You have people who are bad • The freshman chemistry worth of material. itself to enabling all of it ad­ the teaching of undergraduates course should be changed from mits to get the best possilbe teachers for a variety of Humanities and there, it's a historical thing. a 6-unit course to a 9-unit education, at other schools if reasons. Social Sciences Everybody teaches One of the most brilliant course to enable the faculty to necessary. undergraduates. There are not develop the material more ful- Committee Recommendations: • Counciling for potential people who teach only ly. Three of four students poll- • Humanities and social transferees should' be available graduate courses; everybody "Professors are ed felt that this would be ap- sciences faculty should give and .advertised. teaches undergraduates. professors; they propriate. students more instructive com­ • Concerned faculty should I insisted when I was chair­ will, by God, • The institute chemistry re- ments on the structure and make an effort to exploit man of the Physics Department quirement should be raised style of their papars. Students academic connections to in­ that the older, more experi­ profess." from 18 to 27 units. ,This polled were concerned that crease a transferee's chance of enced teachers were the ones would ensure that students take their writing was not improving acceptance by other schools. who taught the undergraduate theoretical physicists that I've all three terms of the proposed at all in the course of their • An official adminstrative courses, and the hot shot ever encountered is a man by 9-unit course. humanities education at position should be set up that young assistant professors the name Eugene, his name is • Students should not be re- Caltech. can deal with these needs effec­ taught the graduate courses. pronounced "vigner ," it's quired to take Chern 3, the in- • Courses on technical and tively. It's much harder to teach spelled Wigner. He's a truly troductory lab course, during expository writing should be Committee members were undergraduate courses. great theoretical physicist. their freshman year. They offered. Similar courses em­ Paul Graven, Barbara Turpin, Students know less.' They're He was one of the all time could take it another term, phasizing oral presentation are Aaron Roodman, and Don less dedicated. worst teachers I ever had, and after they had learned more currently offered by other divi- continued on page 5 Any reasonably bright, he used to come to me and say, brand new Ph.D. can teach a "Why am I such a rotten "'---Notes graduate course in quantum teacher?" This was when I was electrodynamics or something, chairman; I was his boss, The recipients of the 7th ASCITChooses Best that's just duck soup, but to nominally, at Princeton, and I Annual Awards for Ex­ really teach freshman physics is tried to explain to him why he cellence in Teaching for the Teacher,s for Awards hard. was a rotten teacher. There was year 1982-83 are: I made this point, and there no way to help him. His Thayer Scudder - Board of Directors of ,have been some changes, I specific case, I'll tell you, is Allan Acosta - Anthropology ASCIT on the basis of the i think, at least insofar as the interesting.