3/11/98

CONTACT: Marisa Cigarroa, News Service (650) 725-9750;
e-mail marisac@leland.stanford.edu

ASSU guide reviews approximately 200 courses

The first Associated Students of Stanford University Course Guide in more than five years is scheduled to be released on the weekend of March 14 and 15.

More than 6,000 free guides will be distributed to undergraduate dormitories, said Matt Spence, deputy chair of the student senate and project director for the course guide.

"This is something that will really give undergraduate students a greater voice in their own education," Spence said. "It lets them choose classes from a more informed perspective and also allows them to really have a say in the quality of undergraduate teaching."

The guide includes listings on approximately 200 introductory undergraduate courses in the School of Humanities and Sciences. Among the data included on each course is information obtained from course evaluation forms completed by students at the end of each quarter.

Information on course workload and grading breakdown, provided by individual faculty members, and the number and cost of required books, provided by the Stanford Bookstore, also is listed.

Senior Jesse Oxfeld managed the project; Ellen Woods, associate vice provost for undergraduate education, acted as liaison to the university; and representatives from the Undergraduate Advising Center, the Registrar's Office and the Stanford Bookstore contributed to the effort.

"It was a true partnership," said Spence, who hopes the course guide will become an annual production. "We have a lot of details to work out. We're going to sit down and discuss what went right and what we can improve on. The goal is to make this a business project of the ASSU."

-30-

By Marisa Cigarroa