Editing Williams College (section)

===Oxbridge tutorials===
Certain portions of the Williams education are modeled after the [[tutorial system]]s at the universities of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]. Although tutorials at Williams were originally aimed at upperclassmen, the faculty voted in 2001 to expand the tutorial program.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.williams.edu/admin/news/strategicplanning/curricularinnovation/facultyvote.html |title=Williams Curricular Innovation Faculty Vote May 16 2001 |access-date=2018-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022075730/http://williams.edu/admin/news/strategicplanning/curricularinnovation/facultyvote.html |archive-date=2007-10-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There is now a diverse offering of tutorial courses that span many disciplines, including math and sciences, and cater to students of all class years. In 2009–2010 alone, 62 tutorials were offered in 21 departments.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.williams.edu/registrar/catalog/ |title=Course Catalog 2009–2010 (PDF) |access-date=2009-10-05 |publisher=Williams College |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926064216/http://www.williams.edu/registrar/catalog/ |archive-date=2009-09-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Enrollment for tutorials is capped at 10 students, who are then divided into five pairs that each meet separately with the professor once a week. Each week, one student in each tutorial pair writes and presents a 5–7-page paper while the other student writes a critique response. The same pair reverses roles for the next week. The professor takes a more limited role than in a traditional lecture class and usually allows the students to steer and guide the direction of the conversation. Professor (and former Dean and English Department Chair) Stephen E. Fix was one of the early advocates for expanding the tutorial system at Williams and worked to increase support for the concept and the number of tutorial classes offered to students.

Student course evaluations for tutorials are typically very high. In a survey of alumni who had taken tutorials, more than 80% rated their tutorials as "the most valuable of my courses" at Williams.<ref>{{cite web| title =The Williams College Difference| publisher =Williams College| url =https://www.williams.edu/admission/academics_difference.php| access-date =2007-07-15| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071011052924/http://williams.edu/admission/academics_difference.php| archive-date =2007-10-11| url-status =dead}}</ref>