Students use their laptops during class in Foellinger Auditorium. Photo by Michael Stein, the Daily Illini.

To some, going from high school to college may seem like getting seized from that comfortable pond and thrown into a much bigger ocean. Large classes, which are characteristic of the freshman experience, can be daunting for someone who has never been in a situation where the instructor might not know his or her name.

While large classes can be ideal for networking and exchanging course information with many peers, students sometimes can find professors in such classes difficult to approach. For someone used to high school class sizes, approaching instructors can be harder than anticipated. But students who do talk and gain advice from professors can see
benefits when studying.

Lynford Goddard, an assistant professor in Electrical Engineering who taught ECE329 (Introduction to Electromagnetic Fields) in spring 2011, said being professional is important when approaching professors.

“Being respectful to faculty members is one thing,” Goddard said. “The best time to visit the professors would be the office hours.

Goddard also said it is important that a student makes an appointment before visiting.

“Showing up on time to an appointment is very important also,” he said. “A lot of times, students make an appointment and do not show up at the expected time.”

Goddard added that motivated students are successful in the coursework in the long run.

“At first there are students who are struggling after their first exam,” Goddard said. “After the first exam, I usually give out a whole section called ‘learning how to learn.’ It is a one-hour discussion of what the exam was like, what skills the professors try to evaluate and thinking about what the professor is trying to ask through the exams … Usually by the third exam, students improve.”

John W. Kindt, a professor in Business and Legal Policy, said students should not hesitate to talk to their professors.

“I would say that the sooner they talk to their professors the better,” Kindt said. “A lot of times students will often wait too long before they talk to their professors.”

Kindt said that students should not shy away from speaking directly to their professors.

“But even before they talk to their professors, they should not be shy. They should try to talk to other students in the class, they should be in study groups. That usually clarifies a lot of questions.”

Kindt added that to be successful, students should know how to search for information and participate well in class.

“They need to aggressively look for good information,” Kindt said. “We are in the information age and it is becoming more and more important to find authoritative, relevant current information.”

Teresa D’Urso, director of advising registration in the College of Business, said freshmen should start by taking a smaller-size classes when possible.

“I would encourage freshmen to take discovery courses taught by a 10-year teaching professor,” D’Urso said. “Discovery classes are set up with a smaller class sizes which is good for students to approach professors.”

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