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The Teacher's Place is. To the Editor: I am not unique in my belief that the strength of the American svstem of chemical education lies in our c a.~ a c i.t v for and willingness tt, enter into experimentation and in our willingness ~o be different in the learning process. I have rcad with great interest and admiration the series of articles in the Awil 1978 issue of this Journal rmanaring from the University of Illinois concerning the instruction of large student groups by graduate students using video cassette tapes. Having myself just completed the thirty-first in a series of such tapes, I can applaud the effort that went into their production althoueh I disagree heartilv with the use to which thev have bwn put'i almost-feel as if tie%reat Circle Huute" has hcrn dcscrihed arain referring u, a nianuscri~tthat I felt some pride in construlting many years ago [50,580 (1973)]entitled "Have We Innovated the Teacher Out of the Classroom?" I t would seem as if this indeed has been suggested in the article referred t-authored by one of the very fine teachers in this country, Gil Haight. The switch described by the authors to the small sections, with or without teaching by cassette, is proper. Indeed, I have taken the attitude over the decades that it is essential that well-oriented eraduate students be used in the instruction of large numbers of students. In our University, we are able to ~ o i nto t manv courses that are tauaht s CCTV for - bv. t a.~ e and large student body instruction. In the sciences, our experiences have been generally negative insofar as student evaluation is concerned for such courses. I am essentially holding out for the s ~ e c i aDurDose l use of the tapes rather than primary instruciion. Hop&nY, within a fek months a comprehe&ve "profile of learning" study will be published that will support the contention thBt learning through the so-called lecture approach with personal interaction can be, and is indeed, effective even though a large number of senior staff are iuvolved. I. so to sneak. weeD for the student who does not benefit from the al;nost'dail; and constantly changing contrihutions that the well-trained and intcrrsted teacher will contribure to the lecture or live presentation. I know that Haight is not unique in saying that all senior staff are not equally motivated and concerned with this kind of instruction. I do not wish to negate the importance, however, of these so-called non-textbook contributions to the course. Further, I doubt that even a well-oriented Teaching Assistant will have the experience that asenior staff member will have (whether newly appointed or older either in years or experience) to answer student-oriented ouestions. Havine zone through the Drocess of revisina cassettes, I know that it&vonly the s
