Pitt’s English department increased course caps last year to accommodate enrollment growth, and faculty members are raising concerns about the impacts of larger class sizes.
The English department in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences saw an increase in the maximum number of students allowed to enroll in a course following the University’s growing enrollment, according to University spokesperson Meredith Herndon. English faculty members said larger class sizes can increase instructors’ workloads and limit the amount of individual feedback they can provide to students.
In the English department, first-year writing course caps increased from 19 to 22 students, while writing-intensive courses caps went from 22 to 25, according to Herndon.
Herndon said the increased course caps were intended to accommodate Pitt’s enrollment growth and ensure students can access required courses.
“The Dietrich School, like all of Pitt’s undergraduate schools, is charged with making strategic adjustments to accommodate enrollment fluctuations to be sure that our students have access to the courses they need,” Herndon said. “Sometimes that has meant increasing enrollment caps, sometimes that has meant offering more sections of particular courses.”
Shannon Reed, an English professor and director of undergraduate studies for the Creative Writing program, said classrooms in the Cathedral of Learning, a building where many English literature and writing classes are located, have size limitations that can prevent courses from reaching the 25-student cap. This can result in different sections of the same course having different enrollment limits.
“We have sections of courses that are maxed at however many the classroom can hold, which makes a disparity that’s unfair to the faculty members,” Reed said.
Herndon said all Dietrich courses have a minimum class size, but some classes operate below the minimum depending on the space they are assigned.
“Some departments may offer courses below the class-minimum because of the nature of the course and/or any size restrictions of the classroom or lab in which it is offered,” Herndon said.
Reed said differences in class size can affect professors’ workloads, particularly when instructors are responsible for grading papers and providing feedback to individual students.
“I find that frustrating because my workload increased without my capacity to work increasing, and I feel that that ultimately is a price paid by the students in my class,” Reed said. “They’re not getting the same level of attention that they would have gotten when I [taught] 19 students.”
Michael Meyer, an English professor, said there is a correlation between smaller classes and success for writing. He said having more students per class negatively impacts a professor’s ability to provide students with what they need.
“The ideal class size for a writing class is 12 to 14 students, so 25 has a strong negative effect on our ability to effectively teach individuals,” Meyer said.
Meyer said effective instruction can be delivered in larger classes, but writing courses require more individualized attention, which is easier to provide in smaller classes.
“Writing is different because writing is individualized,” Meyer said. “A smaller class size makes that easier than a larger class size.”
According to Meyer, increased class size caps mean professors have less time to work individually with each student.
“We only see students for two and a half hours in class each week, and so when the numbers keep going up, it’s cutting back the minutes [that] we can deal with them one-on-one,” Meyer said.
Meyer said he has adapted his instruction to ensure students are engaged and can participate in a larger class.
“It’s forced me to adapt my instruction so [students] can lead discussion,” Meyer said. “For a student in a writing class, it’s easy to hide in large classes.”
Greta Tibus, a sophomore English writing major, said smaller class sizes help develop a community and positive learning environment.
“I think smaller class sizes are better for learning,” Tibus said, “They allow for more communication between peers and instructors.”