Walking into your new classes this semester, don't be surprised if the professor already recognizes who you are. After a successful pilot program in the fall, student pictures are now being included in professors' class rosters in an effort to increase student-professor interaction, especially in larger lectures.
In classes of over 300 people in larger lectures, use of the new lists will help create a more personal learning atmosphere where it's otherwise easy to go unnoticed in the crowd, according to UB officials.
"In large classes it's very difficult to even learn students' names," said Carole Ann Fabian, director of the Educational Technology Center.
Now that professors are able to recognize students from their pictures, Fabian said attendance, seating charts and higher security for exam settings will all become easier.
The photo lists, which use the pictures from students' UB ID cards, are available to professors this semester online via their MyUB Web page.
According to Fabian, concerns about student privacy and the accessibility that came up in the planning and pilot program have been addressed.
"The lists are only available to the faculty of record for the course," Fabian said.
In running the pilot program, members of the Faculty Senate noted that schools similar to UB that already use photo class lists have not had problems with student privacy issues. Before being allowed access to the lists, professors must agree to a waiver that says they will only use the information on their class rosters for academic purposes.
According to Terri Mangione, senior associate vice provost for Student Academic Records and Financial Services, the waiver says that "student digital images are to be considered confidential data," and that the images cannot be shared or re-transmitted in any way.
"It's not a bad idea," said Aek Eisenhauer, a sophomore physics major. "This way, if you go to see your professor, they'll actually know who you are."
As for privacy concerns, Eisenhauer said, "If you can't trust the professors teaching your classes, then who is UB hiring?"
Jamie Lewis, a freshman intended pharmacy major who has several large lectures this semester, also said she doesn't have a problem with her professors having her picture on their class rosters.
"I really like how my biology professor walks around and asks questions," Lewis said, referring to her bio class that is filled to capacity at 384 seats and also has a large lecture that uses a seating chart.
For professors with different sized classes, the lists have different practical uses. Charles Smith, who teaches smaller classes of Music Theory, said he finds the photo listings "very helpful, especially for a class like Freshman Music Theory, where most of the students are strangers to me."
Smith, who usually spends the first four or five weeks of a semester learning new students' names, said he is now making an effort with the photo lists to expedite that process.
In larger classes like David Murray's Business and Society lecture, the photo class lists will help most on in-class exam days.
"I certainly see the use of it," said Murray, who said he plans on using the lists instead of students' IDs before exams.
Some lecturers, however, don't think they'll end up using the lists very often in bigger classes.
"In a class like 101, where there are roughly 250 students in a section, they're an interesting option to have, but not much beyond that," said Brian Reynolds, who teaches a COM101 lecture with over 200 students, among other classes.
Reynolds has "used them a bit" for one of his smaller classes, but for his larger lecture said "they'll probably be of fairly limited use."
English professor Joseph Conte, who recently returned to strictly teaching after several years as the department chair, said that in a pragmatic way, the lists will help professors get to know their students. That's their main purpose.
But while Conte doesn't see any professors misusing the program, he said he was surprised to find himself having to sign that waiver. The move towards such a database, he said, reflects the nature of our digital culture of information.
"It shows another way we no longer control the information about us that's disseminated," he said.
Perspectives Question:
How do you feel now that professors are able to match up your name and face for attendance with this new photo list?
"I would guess it's to personalize the class but it could be an issue of privacy since they made it without you knowing."
- Joon Paik, Senior, Sociology
"Some students can do fine without going to class! It would also be harder to sneak into classes and hire someone to take exams for you."
- Daniel Chan, Sophomore, Math and Aerospace Engineering
"I don't think it's right. I don't want everyone to know who I am. Where's the privacy at? I don't think it's going to make the class more personal since it's still classrooms with hundreds of students."
- Rosario Malaver, Senior, Spanish
"My teacher said that she liked it because it's a small class so it helps her get to know her students better. I actually don't really mind it."
- Ashley Millimna, Freshmen, Undecided
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
