Save the Oxford Tutorial
As we report this week, the threat to the tutorial is taking on a more formalised character.
The OxStu has had access to a report of the Senior Tutor's Committee showing the extent of the problem facing students who support the tutorial system as the main method of teaching.
At least thirteen faculties have confirmed that they are following the Univeristy wide stint reforms to cut back on teaching time, and classes are the most likely replacement for the tute - already in force for many subjects in various colleges that have in the past been taught in much smaller groups.
As our campaign uncovers the truth behind changing teaching methods, support has steadily grown from all areas of the University. More and more people are voting online, and others continue to send messages of encouragement to our dedicated email address. In fact the "Save the Tute' online poll is one of the most popular we've ever run.
Whole colleges too have pledged their support. Corpus Christi JCR was mentioned last week, and now we can add Pembroke JCR to the list.
As our selection from the letters bag this week shows, for some the problems created by shortages in tutorial teaching are not entirely new, and it is allied to others related to the time-tabling of joint schools courses and lectures.
The national newspapers have picked up on the campaign as well. The Times "Higher' supplement ran a report of our discoveries on Friday which was then followed up in the main section of the newspaper in the Saturday edition.
The Guardian similarly followed our lead in reporting the decline of the "treasured hallmark of Oxbridge teaching.'
As the OxStu campaign gathers momentum it is crucial that the fantastic level of support is maintained so that the policy makers in positions of authority take us seriously. One Divisional Board Head has told The Oxford Student this week that the University wants to hear the views of students. make your voice heard by taking motions to your JCR and JCC meetings - stand up for the Oxford tutorial.
Dear OxStu,
I am writing to you at the risk of incurring the wrath of my college's Orwellian authorities, but I feel that this needs to be said.
Since I began Oxford life at the start of this term, I've found a lot of elements of this so-called great institution to be dismally bad. Firstly, many of your correspondents have mentioned the tutorial problem.
Well, I don't have any tutorials. As a Philosophy and Modern Languages student my German "tutorials" contain five students. The only contact I have with my philosophy tutor is in a class: with nineteen students. My A-level classes were all smaller than that. Trying to learn logic this way is frustrating -- I can see that people are confused and want to ask questions, but (understandably) don't want to waste 18 other students' time.
This problem is compounded by the fact that, due to careless timetabling, I have to miss half the logic lectures as they clash with German. In general, this standard of teaching (huge classes and timetabling errors) is an utter disgrace.
That's one thing. But you'd at least expect expect a university as obscenely rich as Oxford to be able to get more basic facilities than tutorials right.
I could go on: about the way I waste time every day looking for a computer which works, or about the £4000 more it costs to study here than anywhere else. But I won't. Perhaps the best way I can explain is by saying that if the New College authorities governed the UK, they'd be overbearing, disorganised, unpopular and would offer exceptionally poor value for money.
Dominic French, New College
31st Oct 2002