Nearly 600 students are currently enrolled in CHEM 0330: "Equilibrium, Rate and Structure," a popular introductory chemistry course that has historically accommodated only 510.
The class, which comprises mostly underclassmen, is a prerequisite for higher-level courses in inorganic and organic chemistry and a requirement for biology, engineering and chemistry concentrators. Currently, there are three lecture classes, all held in MacMillan 117, which has a capacity of 300 - but even with three separate lecture time options, students are squeezed for space.
"If you don't come to the lecture early, you might not be able to get a seat," said Herald Contributing Writer Noura Choudhury '11. "There are usually about 20 students who have to sit on the stairs."
The unwieldy class size presents an even greater challenge for labs. CHEM 0330 requires five hours of lab a week in addition to the three hours of lecture. The increased enrollment makes it difficult for students to arrange to switch lab section times or make up missed sections.
"Everybody needs to be a little patient as we work things out," said Kathleen Hess, lecturer in chemistry and one of two professors responsible for the laboratory component of the course. Hess and Associate Professor of Chemistry Joan Lusk also lead labs for CHEM 0360: "Organic Chemistry," meaning they are responsible for over 900 lab students this semester.
They have divided the workload so that Lusk handles administrative matters and Hess focuses more on working with the teaching assistants. "It is also a large burden on the TAs," Hess said. "There is a large amount of work that needs to be done."
The over-enrollment of CHEM 0330 is probably not a result of the new Banner registration system, said Peter Weber, professor of chemistry and chair of the department.
"We could not find a convincing direct correlation," Weber said.
Limited lab space has been an issue - despite more space being available than in years past - because so many students are taking the class, Weber said. "We've had fluctuating enrollments, but never this high," he said.
The over-enrollment problem is compounded by a decrease in the number of available teaching assistants. "We had to scramble to find people to staff those positions," Weber said.
Only graduate students serve as teaching assistants in the labs, though undergraduate "student mentors" are also used, Weber said. The number of spaces for doctoral candidates at the Graduate School decreased this year due to a $2.5 million budget deficit last year, which did affect staffing for CHEM 0330, Weber said.
The chemistry department has tried to solve the problem by splitting teaching assistant positions with research assistant positions, but this has created other complications, as some teaching assistants are only in lab half the time, Weber said.
At the beginning of the semester, CHEM 0330 students were offered the option of taking the class in the spring semester to relieve the overcrowding, but students were not interested in the proposal. Arrangements are underway to make the class available during both semesters of the 2008-2009 academic year. "The spring semester Chem 33 should be very attractive to students who have only one chemistry requirement," Weber said.
"I believe we were able to accommodate all students," he added. "I hope that there is no negative impact on any students right now other than the crowded laboratory."
