I currently teach on campus and online. This module was very infomative. I have two views in regards to being able to reach the student. Some students prefer taking classes on campus simply because they need the vocal interaction. Some students are visual artist that must interact in the traditional classroom setting. With that being said, others such as online students, they should be more disciplined when it comes to taking classes on line. The student becomes more focused on completing assignments on time and interacting with classmates. This is mandatory with some online classes. You do not have the pleasure of someone constantly reminding you that work is due oppose to seeing it posted visually in the classroom. When it is all said and done, the student must determine what works best for them. Some students are disciplined and some are not. Regardless, students must be accountable and repsonsible for their work in the classroom or online.
Well, as I said, if students submit work on time, then the number of students has less effect on how many I can teach and still get a satisfactory return - in student performance and $ return.
I'd say the lower number is better, since then I have less exceptions to handle and spend more time on post replies and comments, which helps students. I think I can handle two sections of 22-28 students or around 50+ students in an optimal way.
English Comp would take a LOT of time to read and grade essays. Math and Algebra are different - the answer and the process to get that answer is very clearcut and it is fast and easy to see if the student has the right answer and also understood the process to get that answer. Grading, likewise, can be faster since there is only one answer per problem, and the errors students make are pretty well known by an instructor after teaching the same subject several times. I think that is why the higher numbers for math and Algebra.
Donald,
Your process is impressive and very useful for long-term improvement in earning/time ratio. Having more fun and increasing your income - definitely win-win. So are you purporting 30-35 or 22-28 as the optimal number of students per math class section? We often have different content areas indicate variance of optimal class size. For instance, English composition classes seem to come in @ less than 20 as being optimal. Any thoughts?
Actually, this may vary depending upon the class and the students. From a purely practical view, a class may only be offered if it contains a particular number of students.
Often, I prefer smaller classes, particularly since I assign a good deal of writing, which takes time to analyze an critique adequately. I have had classes of ten to twelve students which worked well for the subjects taught.
Sometimes, however, if the class is small, it may be difficult to get enough early posts to the asynchronous discussion formats, which can result in a lack of momentum in student response. So, larger classes have their benefits as well.
I teach Gen Ed Algebra to Design and Art students, whom generally don't like math in any form. My goal is to get them interested by trying to come up with examples of equations of lines and other algebra constructs that they use/will use in their career. Or at least they will know something about that which is "under the hood" in software they will use. Success is an email from a student saying that they didn't think they would ever say it, but they now realize Math and Algebra is all around them, and they learned enough that they want to know more.
I start with 30-35 per section [two sections] that drops to maybe 22-28 by the end of 5 weeks. So I deal with that many students, usually. I find that by being organized, using a spreadsheet where I keep comments and scores as I give them, allows me to handle those students who are on time in a very efficient manner. If all students were on time, my effective pay rate would be higher than I made in private industry, but they are not. I allow late work with no penalties so I'd say I get maybe 10-15% late which accounts for a lot more emails dealing with these students. This is where my effective pay rate drops off!
You can handle more students IF they know what they are supposed to do, and get it done on time, which means good announcements and instructor file rubrics that are specific and to the point. When they know how the work relates to points and a grade, they are more likely to do it. And when they do it, they are more likely to like it and want to know more.
Success comes from effort and liking what you do. When you like what you do, you will put in more effort and excel over those around you. The rest [money, promotions, peer and management approval] comes without any more effort on your part, once you know you excel and keep at it. I try to drum this in to them, too.
I like what I do, so I get it done in optimal time. Teaching what you really enjoy [I'm a retired engineer, programmer and software designer] like Algebra for me, is not work, its being paid to have fun. But what I have found is that I do it in a way that minimizes my time, and maximizes my output.
Here is something else I do; see if it works for you. Keep track of your hours spent by categories over 2-3 sections of teaching. Compute your effective hourly rate for the average hours spent and dollars received. If you are making close to minimum wage, then you should have motivation to do better. Then, look at each category and see if you can do it to the same quality level by trying different approaches, by using a spreadsheet to prevent you from repeating or relooking up in the classroom, work or replies or grades you don't remember for a given student. Do a better job on rubrics and specific announcements and reminders to the students. I have a whole set of Word doc announcements I keep and just cut and paste over and over for each section. Takes a little time initially, but pays off later. Set a goal of a reduction in total hours spent per category and per section. At the same time, set up stats on number of students who dropped, average grade per section, percentage of F's and D's. Make sure that anything you do to decrease your hours does not negatively impact your stats that show how well you are doing overall.
A side benefit of keeping these details is that when your boss asks you to submit "Success Factors" or other types of goal improvement documents, you can do so, show what you do and the improvement in performance over time. Then you will get two sections to teach instead of one when the boss has the option to do that.
I think if you have not done this, and try it, you will find ways to improve and be motivated to make those improvements. AND, you will be able to handle a higher Student-Instructor ratio over time, which will increase your income when you can teach more sections while making a higher effective hourly rate.
Win-win for all.
This is not an unusual scenario for an early, lower level class at many schools. Do you teach for a state university? private college? for profit? Is it an entry class? undergrad or grad? We find that many different circumstances are found across the spectrum of classes, but (generally) drop rates tend to get lower as students get further along in their studies. Does that seem to be commensurate with your experience?
