quote:Originally posted by HomesickGirl:
No, it's not just the old geezers. This is the way they operate now.
Homesick, you are correct. The practice of using mostly adjuncts and very few full timers started when I was in college in the 80’s and has gotten progressively worse. My husband was an adjunct at Ringling School of Art and Design (annual tuition $30K PER YEAR). ALL adjuncts, regardless of subject area were paid $2,000 per class. For every hour spent in the classroom, an average 4-6 hours are spent preparing, grading, office hours, and the performance of administrative tasks. This translates to 30 – 42 hours per week for 2 classes for the whopping sum of $200 per week.
As for the hours full time instructors/professors work, when he worked full time at another private university (again obscenely expensive tuition), he taught no fewer than 5 high end graphics and animation software programs per semester, all of which changed dramatically every few months and required completely reconstructing lesson plans and exams at least once a year. His average work week for the 4 classes he taught was well over 95 hours (not counting administrative BS, reports, busy work, ego stroking, etc). Some weeks he stayed up 2 – 3 days straight. While I can think of a few lazy slugs who are not deserving of any pay (every job has them) most are hard working and put up with a lot of BS from the egotistical administration as well as smartass students who expect to be spoon fed and handed an "A" they refuse to earn. Needless to say, he never wishes to teach again.