IT IS THE CONSENSUS OF RESEARCH REPORTS THAT THE CRITICAL VARIABLE IN TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IS THE QUALITY OF THE TEACHING AND OF THE SUBSEQUENT LEARNING, NOT CLASS SIZE. OF THE VARIOUS METHODS USED TO OBTAIN QUALITY TEACHING, PROBLEM-ORIENTED APPROACHES TO TEACHING PRODUCED MORE AND BETTER LEARNING THAN ANY OTHER METHOD. PROBLEM-ORIENTED APPROACHES INCLUDE NOT ONLY PROBLEM SOLVING, BUT ALSO THE SOCRATIC METHOD, USE OF CASE STUDIES, INDEPENDENT STUDY, AND TUTORIAL INSTRUCTION. ALTHOUGH CLASS SIZE IS NOT THE MOST CRITICAL FACTOR IN HIGHER EDUCATION, TRENDS SHOW THAT CLASSES WILL BE LARGER AND THAT THE STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO WILL INCREASE. THIS TREND IS BASED ON SUCH FACTORS AS ENROLLMENT PRESSURES AVAILABLE STAFF AND ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL PRESSURE. THE INDEPENDENT STUDY METHOD CAN BE USED IN THESE INCREASINGLY LARGE CLASSES. LARGE CLASSES, COMBINING MANY DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF OPINION, PERSONALITY, AND EXPERIENCE CAN BE THE VEHICLE FOR SPARKING THE STUDENTS' INTEREST AND FOR LEADING HIM TO DO INDEPENDENT STUDY. THE EXPERIENCE IN LARGE CLASS DISCUSSIONS OR LECTURES WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY SMALLER MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, OR TUTORIALS. THIS ARTICLE WAS REPRINTED FROM "JUNIOR COLLEGE JOURNAL", VOLUME 32, NUMBER 1, SEPTEMBER 1961.