Lectures vs. Seminars: Barnard's Classroom Experience

My seminar classroom in Milbank. 

 

 

 

Small class size was a huge factor in my decision to attend Barnard, and while I’ve had the opportunity to take a number of small classes here, I’ve found that even professors of “larger” classes at Barnard are just as available to interact with students as well. 

As a first year, you’ll have at least one small seminar style class, if not more. In a seminar class, you’re asked to do readings and then discuss them in class. The professor usually provides some suggestions or questions throughout class, but the way the class proceeds is really up to the students. These classes give you the opportunity to discuss a specific subject matter with 12-16 of your peers and really get to know your professor.  

Lecture courses at Barnard usually (but not always) consist of slightly less discussion among students, and more presentation by a professor. When I hear my friends at larger universities talk about their gigantic lectures in auditoriums where they see their professor on a screen, I realize that what I define as a “large” lecture course at Barnard... really isn't that large. Yes, there are certain lecture courses, like Intro Biology and Introduction to Art History, that are a bit larger than the average Barnard class. However, for courses like these at Barnard, there are often weekly sections where you break up into smaller groups and discuss the material in more depth. Professors also hold weekly office hours where you can ask specific questions and get to know your professors better. 

Lehman Auditorium, a lecture hall in Altschul. 

I’ve found that a lot of classes at Barnard fall somewhere in the middle of “large lecture” and “small seminar.” For example, the History of Science course I took last semester was considered a “lecture” course, but it was around 18 people. The professor often asked us for our take on the readings or to discuss a question with someone sitting near us in class. There are probably 100 or so people in the Philosophy class that I’m currently taking, but it doesn’t feel so large because, in every class, the professor is constantly asking for the students' thoughts about an idea or theory he is presenting. Barnard faculty members have a commitment to teaching undergraduates, no matter the size of the class.

While smaller seminar courses are usually the ones that you see taking place on Lehman Lawn at this time of year, just last week even my Organic Chemistry lecture class got to take a practice quiz outside! 

Margeaux

How many of my classes will be taught by Teaching Assistants?

When I was exploring schools, I was looking for a college environment where professors were truly invested in their students. Part of what that meant for me is that professors would be in classes and actually teach those classes -- makes sense, right? So naturally, one of the things on my radar during my college search was the number of classes taught by Teaching Assistants (TAs) as opposed to actual faculty members.

 

At Barnard, the answer is 0%. TAs never teach at Barnard. You will have TAs at Barnard in a few of your classes.  What’s different is that TAs at Barnard live up to their acronym – teaching assistants – and are never substitutes for a professor in the classroom.  Where you will see TAs are in discussion sections, labs, and other supplementary academic environments (like the math help room).  Many of them are PhD students at Columbia who will help you formulate a paper thesis or host a small group review session before an exam.  Another plus is that they are often on campus during the hours you are – and hold office hours accordingly. 

 

Many of the techniques I helped to teach in intro biology
I now use as a research fellow for the NIH

Some TA positions at Barnard work a little differently.  Especially in introductory labs, you will sometimes have a student assisting the main lab instructor.  This means that in a lab of 15 students, you have two people to ask for help.  My sophomore and junior year I worked as a TA in the introductory biology labs.  It was one of my favorite things I did in college.  It gave me an opportunity to get to know a wider variety of students, especially those who weren't in my class year.  Plus, I got the chance to do all of my biology labs over again, which I loved (perhaps an early sign that I was destined for a career in medicine).  Overall, my responsibilities were few: grading multiple-choice quizzes, helping to set-up experiments, and assisting during lab time with students’ questions.  All of the teaching and major grading was done by the lab instructor – and she was always on hand for questions I couldn't answer. 

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I think Barnard strikes the right balance with the way it approaches TAs.  It’s important for students to have exposure to teaching, especially at the PhD level.  Because of Barnard's small size, these opportunities are even available to you as an undergrad. But it also wouldn’t be Barnard if you didn't get to know your professors, so having them in the classroom and available to you outside of class is a must.  

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Melanie