I just realized...

I just realized that I know why smaller classes are better. It has nothing to do with the quantity of time that the professor can offer outside of class to individual students. It has nothing to do with the style of grading, testing, or any of that. It doesn't matter that your professor isn't available for a quick email in the middle of the night, either, since (if you ask me) it's impossible to glean any valuable information from a quick email.

These are all worthy and positive outcomes of a smaller class size. But they're subsidiary to the depth of learning that it provides simply by student participation. Stunningly simple, but I'm unswerving in my conviction here.

The "best" way to learn is to teach others. That is not to say that you should immediately teach somebody by rote, such as by simply reading your textbook. I should qualify that the "best" way to begin learning is to read or listen. But learning is not complete without the ability to teach it. The way you teach others should be confident, eloquent descriptions of the fields you mean to understand. If you can't competently teach something, then you don't REALLY know it.

A smaller class is better because individual students can participate in the lecture. I suddenly realized this today when it hit me that Dr. Komogortsev's lecture style was paralyzed without participation, but thankfully the students were willing, and he was eager to aid the line of questioning into exactly what the students knew, and so allow their level of knowledge to take the lecture as far as it could go. I don't know if this is accidental or extremely brilliant, but for me it's utterly effective to be answering questions while learning. Albeit without the benefit of any graded materials yet, I think Komogortsev is an outstanding professor.

Of course this relies upon the students taking advantage of the opportunity of participation. There is nothing sorrier than a silent room after the professor asks an introductory question, or of a professor posing irrelevant, stupid questions that insult the intelligence of the students. But it's not a knock against this particular style. If you've got a bad prof, that's just the way it is. And if you don't read your text before class, it might be one of those classes you get an A in, but it won't be something near and dear to your heart. And I don't presume to tell anyone what to do with their lives, but if something is actually important enough to learn in the first place (particularly at the price of college today), shouldn't it be important enough to stay in your memory and understanding for years to come?