Professors can now learn their students' faces regardless of how much those students participate in class. That's because along with students' names, course rosters professors receive now include photographs.
The photo rosters were first made available to professors May 31 and replaced traditional rosters that contained only the names of each student enrolled in the class. The new rosters are available to professors through the online course management software Sakai.
The advent of the photo rosters was prompted by requests by professors to the vice president of Academic Affairs, said William A. Gonzalez, manager of the Rutgers University Connection Card Office. Gonzalez's office produces the official identification cards used by members of the university community.
The university was able to use the photos from student ID cards and attach them to the class rosters, said Michael Beals, vice dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and a professor of mathematics.
Beals said Rutgers put into effect its own photo roster after the program's successful trial run last spring and its success at other institutions.
"I really like it," said Beals. "It's a good thing and I'm pleased that they made this available at Rutgers, because it's been very useful so far."
Some students agree it's a useful tool.
"I think it's a pretty good idea, because it helps professors know who's in their class and get to know them a little better," said Dave Cole, president of the Rutgers College Governing Association. "My professor had downloaded [the photographs] ahead of time, and when class started he had already known most of the names."
Even before the new photo rosters became available, some professors used similar techniques to develop a closer relationship with students. Jennifer Mandelbaum, associate professor at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, said she asks students in her courses to bring in a photograph with each of their names printed on the front. She then puts all photographs on a board in her office and keeps them the whole semester. In her free time, she looks at the photos to try to match the names and faces of her students.
"I constantly drill myself to remember the names of my students, and it helps a lot in larger classes with the photos I have. Especially if I talk to some students after class and call them by name, I find that those students are more inclined to participate in class discussions," Mandelbaum said.
Mandelbaum said she feels this technique encourages her students to participate more actively in class.
While professors seem happy with the availability of photos with rosters, some students have mixed feelings.
"I am kind of split on the photo rosters," said Sharo Atmeh, student representative to the board of trustees and a Rutgers College junior. Atmeh said though he feels the new rosters make it easier for professors to identify fraud and to learn students' names, "A student may not want the professor to form opinions about them before actually meeting the student in person."