Teaching loads
Netters:
The following request from my colleague George Phillies is part of
an effort to obtain benchmark information for the current Institute-wide
self study being done at WPI. We will appreciate any information you are
willing to provide us. Repies may be sent directly to Prof. Phillies or to
myself. Thanks muchly.
William D. Hobey
whobey -AatT- wpi.wpi.edu
I have been asked to generate, preferably yesterday, an estimate
of actual teaching loads for faculty in the sciences (and
engineering) and "research-oriented" (i.e., Ph.D.-granting)
institutions. Our time machine isn't up and running, but prompt
EMail answers will be deeply appreciated. Note that I am looking
for actual not nominal numbers. For example, there is one well-
known eastern enginering school at which the nominal load is four
courses per semester, but you get release time for committees,
research, advising, etc. until real faculty actually teach 1-2
courses at a time. The primary question is how much classroom
teaching is being done. I will summarize and report my findings
to the net; I'll be happy to leave sources anonymous.
I believe the following questions give the information I need;
please feel free to expand on them:
1) School:
2) Department:
3) Terms/Semesters in the Regular Academic Year:
4) Courses taught by a faculty member in a year (average):
5) Courses taught at one time by a faculty member (average)
(This should be the ratio of 3 to 4):
6) Frequency of release time (sabbaticals? terms released to funded
researchers? terms in which "seminar" is the assigned course?):
7) Non-course teaching load (e.g. mandatory senior theses? how many?)
If anyone is aware of systematic data on this, please advise.
George Phillies
Professor of Physics
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
phillies -AatT- wpi.wpi.edu