Class Size

Class Size (55)

This term type referenced the number of students who could enroll in distance education courses. Generally, the term limited class size to a certain number. Fifty-five contracts included restrictions on class size.

Class size is one of the few areas, besides “hours, wages and terms and conditions of employment” that was specifically mentioned in some state statutes. California includes class size as a mandatory subject for bargaining and Illinois specifically includes it as a permissible topic for bargaining. In all other states, it would be a permissible topic for bargaining.

Examples

Observations. One of the possible “advantages” of distance education is that class size is not limited by the number of seats in a classroom. However, the ability of a teacher to adequately serve a group of students is limited. In community colleges, faculty members rarely have teaching assistants and have to do all of the grading and other course work themselves. Thus, even without the limits of seats, the limits of good pedagogy dictate limits to class size.

Most institutions capped online classes at the same limit as traditional classes. Some even reduced class size, particularly the first time an instructor taught a distance education course.