Seltzer says she agrees that undergraduates can be of particular value as TFs.
"They're much closer to the particular kinds of problems that the student is having," she says. "They've taken the actual course that these students are taking."
And students who have been taught by undergraduate TFs say their experiences were excellent.
"As a general rule, undergraduate TFs were better prepared and, if nothing else, more concerned," says George A. Marcus '97, a physics concentrator.
But undergraduate TFs face special obstacles in their teaching.
"As an undergraduate TF you might feel too sympathetic to people because you know what they're going through," says Maria K. Blees '97, who has been a TF for CS-50 and CS-51.
She also says that students feel more comfortable calling undergrad TFs at any hour because it is assumed they are available.
"I think the students like the accessibility [of undergraduate TFs]," Jones says. "If there's any danger at all, it's on the TFs own work because they are accessible a lot for the students."
But administrators see other dangers in using undergraduates as TFs.
Current University policy limits grading of undergraduates by other undergraduates to material that is "objectively right or wrong," according to Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education Jeffrey Wolcowitz.
However, Wolcowitz told The Crimson during the last academic year that "it wouldn't be hard to convince me we should curtail the use of undergraduates."
Desperately Seeking Faculty
Despite generally positive reviews for TFs, many say they cannot fill the gap that exists when Faculty are unavailable.
According to Buell, the role of TFs in teaching is "somewhat more central than what I would personally like to see."
"We need to worry if we are relying on graduate students too much as a prosthesis to buffer ourselves from undergraduates," he says, adding that he would like to see more sections taught by course heads.
"There's a noticeable difference with professors who take the initiative initially to make contact with students," says Joshua S. Hausmann '97, an economics concentrator.
Shoshana R. Dobrow '97 also terms student-Faculty contact inadequate. She recommends making Core classes smaller so students have more close contact with professors, explaining that she has enjoyed her seminar courses the most.
But, she says, "for the most part TFs were good so I don't feel like I lost anything."