Only 24 hours in the day PART TWO: Breakdown by type of institution
The above image is of the Anthropology Museum at Beloit College (creative commons license).
Last week we covered some general results from a survey we ran here on the blog in late May. This week I am sharing a more careful breakdown for each of the different types of institutions. We plan to run this survey again this fall to get a more comprehensive view of each of these categories. In some cases (Art & Design schools) we have a low sample size to draw from. Next time we’ll try to paint a more comprehensive picture.
R1 Universities (n=34, 16 Asst Profs, 9 Assoc Profs, 8 Full Profs, 1 Endowed Chair). Based on our data set, this category was the most variable, but also the largest group. These professors are teaching from 0 to 5 classes per semester. They might be teaching exclusively graduate students, mixed graduate and undergraduate, or 100% undergraduate. They spend 0-42 hours in the classroom per week, with 5-100 students in each class and 0-500 total students per semester. People reported that that their University valued teaching across the spectrum, from: “teaching is not important at all” to “excellence in the classroom is required for tenure.” The professors are spending anywhere between 0 and >75% of their time on research.
R2 Universities (n=13, 8 Asst Profs, 3 Assoc Profs, 1 Full Prof, 1 Endowed Chair). These professors are teaching 1 to 4 classes per semester and anywhere from 0-100% of their students are undergraduates. They spend 3-30 hours per week in the classroom with 10-100 students per class and 20-210 students per semester. People reported the importance of teaching as anywhere from: “teaching excellence is considered a bonus” to “excellence in the classroom is required for tenure.” The professors are spending anywhere between 10 and >75% of their time on research.
Master’s granting institutions (n=14, 8 Asst Profs, 3 Assoc Profs, 3 Full Profs). These professors reported teaching 1 to 5 classes per semester to anywhere from 0-100% undergraduates. This totalled 3-30 hours per week in the classroom with 15-115 students per class and 10-250 student per semester. There was a clear emphasis on teaching at these schools with responses in two categories: “teaching is a significant component of tenure decisions” and “excellence in the classroom is required for tenure.” These professors reported spending between <10% and 50% of their time on research.
Tier 1 SLACs (n=7, 4 Asst Profs, 1 Assoc Prof, 1 Full Prof, 1 Endowed Chair). These professors are teaching 2-3 classes per semester to all undergraduates. This totals 5-12 hours per week in the classroom with 12-80 students per class and 25-150 students per semester. Teaching is very important and ranges from “teaching is a significant component of tenure decisions to “excellence in the classroom is required for tenure.” Professors are spending anywhere between 10-75% of their time on research.
All other SLACs (n=12, 8 Asst Profs, 3 Assoc Profs, 1 Full Prof). Based on our dataset, these professors are teaching 2-5 classes per semester and all of their students are undergraduates. They are spending 8-20 hours in the classroom per week with 15-50 students per class and 40-120 students per semester. Teaching is again emphasized, with all respondents answering either “teaching is a significant component of tenure decisions” or “excellence in the classroom is required for tenure.” Professors are spending anywhere between <10%-50% of their time on research.
Art & Design Schools (n=3, 2 Asst Profs, 1 Assoc Prof). In this very small group, professors are teaching between 1 and 4 classes per semester and all of their students are undergraduates. This totals 2-12 hours in the classroom per week, with 20-25 students per class and 20-100 students per semester. Teaching is again emphasized, with all respondents answering either “teaching is a significant component of tenure decisions” or “excellence in the classroom is required for tenure.” This small group is spending anywhere between <10% to 50% of their time on research.
Community Colleges (n=4, all Asst Profs). These professors are teaching 3-4 classes per semester to all undergraduates. This means 16-24 hours per week in the classroom with 20-30 students per class and 80-100 students per semester. Teaching is variable with respondents answering anything from “teaching excellence is considered a bonus” to “excellence in the classroom is required for tenure.” These professors are spending anywhere from 0-50% of their time on research.