More than 100 students have dropped out of the LSE100 pilot course.
LSE100 will be a new compulsory course for all first years and employs the studies of economics, anthropology and history to examine topics such as climate change, culture and the difficulty in predicting great events. The pilot began this January, and student registration for the course was deemed a success, with members from all the School’s undergraduate courses.
But of the 421 first years that started the LSE100 course, only 301 remain. Some class sizes have shrunk by 80 per cent since the beginning of the term, with two classes having just two or three students. The course’s total dropout rate is 28.5 per cent.
Dr Jonathan Leape, the course director says that some withdrawals were expected, given the optional nature of the pilot course.
“Since signing up for the course gave you the option to attend, with no corresponding obligation,” he said. “It made sense [for students] to register if there was even the smallest chance [they] might like to take the course.”
He also suggested that most of the dropouts did not have the initiative to continue on the course: “Looking at those who have withdrawn, the most striking thing is that most of them didn’t engage with the course from the beginning. More than half of those who have withdrawn haven’t attended any LSE100 classes, or a maximum of one, and almost three-quarters have attended no more than two classes. So, it looks like the vast majority of those who have withdrawn liked the idea of the course but never really got around to taking it.”
He maintained that the problems with the course are structural rather than substantive.
The workload is one aspect currently under examination. After a meeting with the Staff-Student Liason Committee, the course’s teachers moved a deadline for an assessed essay.
Timetabling will be adjusted for next year’s students. There was an above average drop-out rate of students who had long blocks of lectures as a result of LSE100. According to Dr Leape, arrangements have been made with the timetabling staff so that this is avoided next year, especially for Law students who are currently most affected.
He pointed out that the drop outs do not hurt the pilot’s results – the 301 volunteers still on the course include students from every department in the School. According to Dr Leape, students “have consistently praised” the teachers’ passion and interactive classes, which include card games, debates and presentations.
Shakira Chanria, a first-year Government student says: “The articles are really interesting because they are about subjects that I would never normally read about. It’s refreshing to read about these relevant issues, that are sometimes totally unrelated to my course, from a different perspective.”
LSESU Education and Welfare Officer Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang said: “It is true that there have been several drop outs from LSE 100 over recent weeks, but this is to be expected as students who currently take the course are free to leave it and are inclined to do so when the work piles up. However it is important that as much feedback as possible is
received from students this year in time for when it becomes compulsory. I would encourage students to use all the avenues that are available.”
LSE100 conducts ongoing assessments though focus groups and surveys. Ultimately Dr Leape stressed that “many of the benefits of the course will become clear only over time.”
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