I think it's obvious that students have a higher potential of learning with a teacher that actually has time to have a conversation with them now and then.

Personally, the fact that stand and deliver lectures is the norm for college classes has never ceased to amaze me. Why even have a professor rather than just read a book at that point? University has become a twisted simulacrum of it's original form and it saddens me to watch it decay even more with time.

When I did my undergrad the core modules had upwards of 400 people in them, never had a single multiple choice test in my entire degree. Thats a choice not a neccessity.

Sounds like there needs to be a change for how people are educated then.

I'm not excluding hiring good teachers and TAs from the picture. I'm not excluding paying them a good enough wage to attract talent either. But that's another conversation.

In my university days lectures were paired with seminars. And those had a max size of about 30, and a TA who would explain and help apply the lecture knowledge. The lecturer would visit seminars on rotation and ensure the quality of TAs. And the kicker? The whole gang would be there for the (free form) exam, including the grading.

In short: it can be done because that's where we come from, actually.

And personally I hate multi choice tests, there is no opportunity to see the thought process of the student, or find and be lenient towards those that got the theory, but forgot to carry a 1 somewhere. They simplified the grading, sure, now you can have a machine do it, but thats about it.

Except you have forgotten the reason we are having this conversation is that they aren't learning in those situations because of rampant cheating.