Guidelines for Optional Course Enrollment Cap Requests

The Curricular Policy Committee (CPC) brings to the faculty guidelines for optional course enrollment cap requests for pedagogical purposes. In recent years, course caps have been allowed for reasons of space, equipment, or travel limitations, as well as standard caps on Earlham Seminars and Writing Intensive courses. The new guidelines would also allow instructors to request course caps for pedagogical reasons, taking into account the needs of the department, college, and students.

Course caps have the potential to redistribute students from very high-enrolling classes to others. Smaller class sizes (to a certain point) may also increase pedagogical efficacy. In order to encourage equity in the request and approval of course caps, CPC has developed the following guidelines for course caps. Course caps are optional.

These guidelines have been formulated using comparative data from other institutions as well as the course enrollment numbers considered in ranking by US News & World Report (see below).

Course enrollment cap requests will go into effect Fall 2023.

Introductory access courses: Minimum acceptable cap of 39 students

• 100 or 200 level courses with no prerequisites that serve as introductions into a field, funnel students to the program, and/or are prerequisites for higher-level courses in the program

Intermediate courses and non-access introductory courses: Minimum acceptable cap of 29 students

• 200 level courses or 100 level courses that are neither ESems or access courses into the program

Upper level courses and seminars: Minimum acceptable cap of 19 students

• 300 or 400 level courses that offer greater focus on discussion, hands-on work, or student-led sessions

Earlham Seminar course caps will remain at 16. Writing Intensive course caps will remain at 19.

Course caps may still be requested due to limitations in space (studio/lab, for instance), equipment, or transportation.

• Needs of the program: Consider not placing caps or requesting higher caps on courses that introduce students to a major/minor, are required for a major/minor, or act as prerequisites for other Consider not placing caps or requesting higher caps on courses taught infrequently.
• Needs of students: Course caps may make it more difficult for first years and students with account holds to register for desired classes. Account holds, in particular, disproportionately impact students from marginalized and underserved communities.
• Pedagogical efficacy: Smaller courses, to a point, may benefit student learning experience. An enrollment cap may allow faculty to engage pedagogical approaches not feasible in larger classes.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/ranking-criteria-and-weights

Schools receive the most credit in this index for their proportions of undergraduate classes with fewer than 20 students. Classes with 20 to 29 students score second highest, 30 to 39 students third highest and 40 to 49 students fourth highest. Classes that have 50 or more students receive no credit. U.S. News has not disclosed to any schools the weights assigned to different intervals within the index.

Presented to the Faculty Meeting on February 22, 2023.