Faculty Asks Tutorial Revision; Plan Emphasizes Course Aspects in 1937-8

Following is the complete text of the statement issued by Dean Hanford's office explaining tutorial changes.

"After careful study and discussion extending over a period of almost a year, the Faculty Council has recently adopted two Important votes relating to the tutorial system in a Harvard College.

"The first of the votes provides that in those, Departments where the situation warrants it, the tutorial system may be so modified that Juniors and Seniors may either pursue the present plan of tutorial instruction, which is to be designated as Plan A, or may receive a modified or less intensive form of tutorial instruction known as Plan D. According to the second of the votes which have just been adopted, the Faculty council has approved the principle that the tutorial function should be distributed among the members of the Faculty as widely as practicable.

Essential Features

"The essential features of the plan which goes into effect next year, are, briefly, as follows. All concentrators in fields which have general examinations will be given full time instruction during the sophomore year so as to offer every student the advantage, of thorough tutorial work for at least one year and also to enable each department to determine under which plan of instruction (A or B) a student will obtain the education best suited to this abilities. After the sophomore year those upperclassmen who give evidence of being able to profit from a type of tutorial instruction which places a large degree of responsibility upon the individual student, and who furthermore desire to avail themselves of such instruction, will carry on under Plan A full-time tutorial work as in the past.

Plan A

"The course requirements for students under Plan A will be the same as those which now prevail,--namely, 15 courses (exclusive of English A.) Especially qualified candidates for honors will also continue to be eligible for course reduction in their junior and senior years in order to do additional work with their tutors and on their honors these.

"Students under Plan D will receive modified tutorial instruction. They will be seen less frequently by their tutors but will be given sufficient guidance to obtain the required understanding of the field as a whole.

"Since the men who are to receive modified tutorial instruction will be expected to rely more heavily on course work rather than on independent study in preparation for the general examinations, the Faculty Council has voted that they should be required to take for the degree 16 courses in addition to English A instead of the minimum of 15 as in the past. Prevision is made for the transfer of any student under Plan B to Plan A if he later demonstrates his ability to profit by the more demonstrates his ability to profit by the more interview form of tutorial work, and declares to make such a transfer.

"Students under both Plans A and B will continue to take general examinations. It is understood, however, that optional groups of questions will he given or other rearrangements of the general examinations will be made so as to take account of the differences in preparation.

"In general, the modifications in the tutorial system approved by the Faculty Council follows the plan which the Department of History has already put into effect this year. As stated by that Department. "Two distinct plans of study and instruction with appropriate difference in the method of examination' have been adopted 'in recognition of the general opinion that all students are not equally capable (or desirous) of profiting by tutorial instruction as compared to course instruction,'

"The experience of the Department of History was given consideration by the Faculty Council in its deliberations. It also had before it the findings and recommendations of a special committee appointed by the President. Most of the departments also made a study of the various proposals as they related to their respective fields. The Faculty Council recognized the need for flexibility in the application to various departments of the recently adopted policies, and accordingly made the terms of the votes regarding Plans A and B permissive rather than mandatory. In this way the principle of the complete freedom of departments in the use of the tutorial system retained, a principle which has been most helpful in the development of the tutorial and general examination systems over the last quarter century.

Reasons

"The Faculty Council has approved the readjustments in the tutorial system because of a conviction that there is a considerable number of students who, in the mastery of their fields of concentration and preparation for the general examinations, would profit more by a less intensive form of tutorial instruction than has been generally given, and by a somewhat greater reliance upon course work.

"There has for some years been a trend in the direction of such a differentiation of preparation through the granting of course reduction to high honors candidates and by the greater amount of time and attention given to those students who give evidence of profiting most from a good deal of independent work. The recent vote of the Faculty Council, therefore, merely gives formal recognition to a development which has been going on for a number of years.

"It is believed that more careful adjustment of the type of tutorial instruction to the degree of interest, aptitude, and ability of the upperclassmen and greater distribution of the function of tutoring among the members of the Faculty will preserve and increase still further the usefulness of the tutorial system.

"The plan which the Faculty Council has authorized the various departments to adopt accords in general with the recommendations outlined in a series of CRIMSON editorials which appeared last year.