Overworked Faculty
We all seem overworked; I personally am both staff and faculty. Which means I'm here, and must be here on campus at least 40 hours a week, our faculty members, not so much. My concern is getting them to really notice the importance and power of their influence on both Academic Erosion and Stagnation. I see it outside my office (I'm in a very central location) all the time, students asking for help and faculty being too busy for the extra care. I am putting together a seminar to inform faculty of what I'm learning in this course, as well as other topics, but I'm struggling with the "how do you make someone care that doesn't, or doesn't perceive themselves as having time to go the extra mile?" How do we make that part of the school culture "we care?†Any and all idea encouraged and welcomed! Tara
No apology needed. Great points. I hope they lead others to be more sensitive and engaged with the culture around them.
First, I find it somewhat offensive to assume that faculty does not care. I have been on both sides of the aisle, faculty and administrative, and there are often things which are overlooked.
It kills me when a student states that I am unavailable. I have office hours. I make appointments. I even give them my cell phone number. Heck, I have spoken with students while shopping in the grocery store and while making dinner for my family.
What is unavailable or "too busy" care??
Hmmm...
When the student wants to meet RIGHT NOW and you have another course to teach at another school (your schedule was given to students).
When you tell your students that you do not make or accept calls after 9 pm due to family, and they can't leave a message and they want the answer now (oh, and it is 11:45 - the assignment is due at 11:59).
When you explain to students that they can't wait until the last minute to ask for help. Gee, I'm sorry, I don't sit at my computer or phone 24/7.
Now, how do we show we care?
Do you know if your faculty actually calls and checks up on the students? I do.
Do you know if your faculty maybe is spending extra time online with the students? I am. I even create extra "help" power points so that my students can answer their homework.
Do you find that students are always going to particular faculty with questions - even when they do not have a current class with that instructor? I have had many students come to me with questions in other classes, questions about the school or even life. Not to toot my own horn here, but that is probably a good sign that the students think this instructor cares.
Has any member of your faculty given students information on where they can get food boxes or other necessities because the student mentioned they were hungry, and through conversation the instructor discovered they hadn't eaten in 2 days? Yep.
And I am not the only one. I see many other members of faculty reaching out to students. It never ceases to amaze me how faculty members know this student is having trouble at home, this student needs extra help with math, or taking a student under their wing who needs a bit more support.
Finally, yes we are all overworked. So the next questions are bounced back to administration.
When the instructor was hired, what did you tell the instructor about the job? Have you added more responsibilities than stated during the interview? How many hours of work do you think the faculty needs per class? Are you unrealistic in the amount of work (prep/teaching/grading/etc) that is performed by your faculty? I recently surprised my PD when I laughed at his estimation of how many hours I grade per week. When he heard my reply he commented, "I only meant for this course" to which I replied "That is the figure for JUST this course".
Does administration drop new tasks that need to be done in the next week on faculty? In the middle of a course, or my favorite, needs to be done when final grades also need to be submitted?
Finally, how do can you get faculty to go the extra mile? Just as our students will go the extra mile if shown appreciation, so will faculty.
Sorry about the rant.
Some times you have to work doubles becouse ofstaffing but it is better than being overstaffed and loosing your job. Also with out retention student enrollement drops and we are out of a job
I can't say that this post should apply to everyone(especially the part about not having enough time to do something). I constantly find myself in this situation due to the fact that at my institution, we are pretty much forced into doing double shifts at least one day per week. With only one hour between classes and having to post attendance, grades, etc., it becomes very difficult to find any extra time. Choosing what I WANT to do on these double shift days becomes almost impossible. Fortunately the students are aware of the situation and are usually OK with going to another instructor or waiting until the next day when I can allocate them the time that they need.
I would say that it is a way to go, but not the only way. Students deserve a diverse mix of age ranges and experiences from their professors.
The hiring of part time and full time instructors can change every quarter due to enrollment. I have found that when hiring part time instructor's, finding a retired person with the required practical experience and knowledge is the way to go. When questioned why are you still working, the response was "I like what I am doing". This creates a setting that the students believe that the instructor is not simply in it for the money.
We need to maintain a healthy balance for ourselves and for the students.
It takes all of us to help students reach their goals.
What can't happen without a team? There are good teams and bad teams. What distinguishes one from the other?
Can't happen without a team
One certainly follows the other. If you [student or instructor] don't care, you are unlikely to prepare. A student who doesn't see the importance of the subject matter is much more likely to blow off the assignment. Similarly, a faculty member who is bored with the material won't make the effort necessary to bring the subject to life.
I am very lucky to have faculty that really cares and are always willing to help the students. There are of course a few that are not quite as committed but they get the job done and the students respect them.
I believe that there are two key elements to success in the class room, and this applies to both faculty and studentss. You must care and prepare.
Surfiene
Our Institution has a good core of full time instructors and around that we use the same part time instructors nearly every time, it has taken a few years to get to where we are now, the full time instructors teach between them 70% of the program, the part timers are placed through out the program and bring something different to the students, so i do believe we have a good balance through out the curriculum, as i said earlier this did not happen over night, your institution needs to want to constantly improve the instructors.
You really need to look at your staff and see where improvements need to take place
The question about part-timers is always a tough one. Clearly they bring a wealth of practical experience but they also have other priorities. How does your institution decide when to hire part timers vs. commiting to a full time position?
What's the criteria? Do you have a base cadre of returning part timers or do you find that you have to continuously hire new people?
We have a 'tribe' concept at our institution which sends the message that everyone must work together as a tribe but we are all held accountable for our individual roles. We seem to have a hard time with our part time instructors, they work full time and then teach one or two days a week for a few hours. They seem to have less of a commitment to our students and helping them succeed. I agree with an earlier post, this is a hiring issue, but sometimes its hard to tell who's really going to be committed.
I like what you are doing. I know that as faculty we need to wear many hats. I think that when a instructor takes the position they knew that there will be many items that were need to be done. A lot of time we have to go above and beyond and I think that all faculty should have that attitude. Some feel as though there classes and students are the only ones that are important. It is a good idea to share this course with others.
Wow That might work in the short term but I have to believe there are better alternatives: clear performance standards and objectives, training, peer mentors are a few that come to mind.
Anyone have other suggestions?
Sure, when the team fails, fire them all! This will return us to the hierarchy, where everyone has their own responsibility, and the chain is only as strong as the weakest link.
Well, I think the appreciation of the performance of the team members is in the hand of the team leader, on the other hand, each team has to have very clear and well defined regulations applicable for both ends of the spectrum.
