Tonight's commentary on college and university work schedules for students and professors was grossly misleading, just one more attack on academia. I can only assume that you don't really know what such a schedule is like.
A university professor's schedule is far more involved than the hours spent in class each week. Professors have to prepare for classes. This includes: 1. Researching current material to keep lectures and discussions up to date; 2. Preparing testing materials; 3. Determining how best to test students' knowledge of what they have learned and preparing those exams; 4. Evaluating and grading the exams and/or papers that are required in the course; 5. Participating in required committee work within professor's department and the college community as a whole; 6. Researching in his/her discipline to add to the body of knowledge; and oh yes 7. Teaching undergraduate and graduate students.
Now, if you look at community colleges, you will find that professors there are required to do everything college/university professors do without the requirement for original research.
UGA students at ASAP conference
Group of Woodbine Agricultural School students, Wo...
Auburn University students at ASAP conferenceHowever, in its place comes a much heavier classroom workload: more classes and more undergraduate students. We -- yes, I teach at a community college teach five courses per major semester, two during one summer term and never see all those "breaks" you commented on. Many of us take home work to evaluate on nights and weekends. We have to deal with a incredible variety of students who, when they don't earn A's or B's, blame the professors -- we regularly come in contact with students who: 1. Never thought about going to college when they were in high school and find they do not have the skills to do well in their college courses; 2. Have whose command of English is so poor at...