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I read somewhere that on average it takes a teacher about 3 hours preparation for each hour of classroom time. And from my own teaching experience, I'd say that's about right. And much of that preparation time is on your own.
Three hours for every hour? Once a year, right? Or are you saying that for every hour of instruction that a teacher needs three hours of preparation for every day they are teaching? No. Way. Mathematically that is not possible if one teaches full time.
By definiton, adjunct professors are part-tme employees. I know that colleges hire part-time professors to save money because they don't get tenure, etc, but youc an't expect the school to treat her like a full time employee and to pay her a livable salary for teaching only 6 hours a week. I know she is working more than six hours grading papers, preparing lessons, etc. I am a teacher and I teach about 6 hours a day with a lunch period and a planning period. I still take work home.
The school is relying on adjuncts so much that they should be paid full time - the purpose isn't to be paid full time but the school is using them too much
The school is relying on adjuncts so much that they should be paid full time - the purpose isn't to be paid full time but the school is using them too much
Three hours for every hour? Once a year, right? Or are you saying that for every hour of instruction that a teacher needs three hours of preparation for every day they are teaching? No. Way. Mathematically that is not possible if one teaches full time.
Yes, those are the figures I read some time ago. I agree it sounds like a lot, but that preparation time ( at least in my experience- college teaching) includes research and preparation time for each lecture, organizing and writing each day's presentation, test and assignment preparation and grading, and that's after preparing for the course at the beginning of the semester- ie course syllabus, objectives, student feedback forms. This amount of time, as I'm reading now, would be more for a new course, or a new teacher, as the class is taught to multiple sections, or taught repeatedly over the years, not as much preparation for the class is needed. It usually took me that long to prepare, as I adjuncted courses periodically over the years (along with a full time job), so the classes were usually new to me, or needed revision and updating from the last time I taught them. These were medically related science classes, so they did need to be updated for each new class, and I had to find lab material as well. So it took me a while to prepare, because I did want to be well-prepared (no surprises) and do a good job.
And you're right, if one's teaching in the classroom 30 hours a week, that doesn't leave a lot of time for preparation, grading tests and assignments, etc. It looks like that's an area of concern among current educators- interesting reading, IMO, in the links below:
Unfortunately, for most of us, academia doesn't pay enough.
I had a friend who joined the Navy about 10 years ago. There were quite a few recruits who were former college professors. They got bumped down to part time positions, couldn't pay the bills like that, so went to the Navy instead.
A dateline episode showed that a fair share the call girls and escorts work in academia... getting their masters, or actually on that job too. They love the studies, but it just isn't sufficient in paying bills.
Last but not least, you figure out in school that 90% of the grunt work is done by underpaid, low level lecturers. When you see their salaries, it's shocking how some of the higher ups make so much $$, but don't really produce anything on the classroom front (some of them are real dicks TBH), nor the research front (nothing published, and although it's biased, I hear from classmates who are in those fields that there's at best decent stuff produced from some of those departments). Very similar to the corporate world.
you'll get the shaft there eventually, as schools will want football coaches to win more fair share of games than not.
It's not true, or not in every university. Lecturers were phased out of the university where I worked. Tenured professors and those in the tenure track make good money. Some schools, the University of California being a prime example, have more graduate students teaching introductory classes than was the case before major changes to the state budget. But tenure-track professors haven't had their hours cut. I know quite a few professors around the US, and none have had their hours cut. All are living middle-class lifestyles and are homeowners, most are raising kids and doing fine.
Three hours for every hour? Once a year, right? Or are you saying that for every hour of instruction that a teacher needs three hours of preparation for every day they are teaching? No. Way. Mathematically that is not possible if one teaches full time.
Teaching full-time = 2 hrs./day at many universities.
Teaching full-time = 2 hrs./day at many universities.
That is for principle faculty, who presumably have plenty of other responsibilities besides teaching. 9 contact hours per week is a very typical load for me, but I do not spend the rest of my day prepping for classes by any means. I have to direct research, write papers, serve on committees, maintain instruments, manage lab supplies, write recommendation letters, interview students, evaluate educational technology tools, a dozen other things, and still keep my office door open to talk with students whenever they want to see me.
That is for principle faculty, who presumably have plenty of other responsibilities besides teaching. 9 contact hours per week is a very typical load for me, but I do not spend the rest of my day prepping for classes by any means. I have to direct research, write papers, serve on committees, maintain instruments, manage lab supplies, write recommendation letters, interview students, evaluate educational technology tools, a dozen other things, and still keep my office door open to talk with students whenever they want to see me.
Just curious, how much time do you spend on class preparation? I keep hearing numbers all over the place.
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