grist for the mill

["Rauber, Joel Phys" <RAUBERJ@mg.sdstate.edu>]

> I don't know that the effectiveness of Physics education has changed that
> much since the 50s. My freshman class, in 1959, have 70 physics majors;
> only six graduated with degrees in physics, and one had transferred from
> Math. I really don't believe that the other 65 were all to dumb to
> succeed in physics.
> All other factors aside, physics instruction is still failing to reach an
> unacceptably large number of capable students.

Students changing their major from what they established as a freshman, 
isn't necessarily a sign of failure of the system or of the original major 
department. Students come to a university and find that there are all sorts 
of possibilities than what they imagined.  So perhaps the anecdote is really 
a sign of the success of the University system rather than a failure of the 
Physics Department there.  Those 65 simply may have found majors that they 
enjoyed better and suited there life goals better than the Physics major 
would've.

I sometimes think that a student that hasn't changed their major one or two 
times in the course of university education probably hasn't done enough 
exploring.  In this regard I actually liked the policy my college had. You 
weren't allowed to declare a major until the end of the sophmore year, i.e. 
as a rising junior.  I wish more schools would do this.

Just a thought or two.

Joel