The next time I take up a teaching commitment...

[major_clanger]

...I'll remember that every hour of lecturing typically takes six to eight hours of preparation in terms of reviewing the subject matter, planning the lesson and preparing a presentation (certainly if you're like me and try to produce engaging and interesting alternatives to Death By Powerpoint).

I am teaching at Exeter two hours a week, plus an hour's seminar. Even though the latter takes rather less preparation, and I only have to prepare a new one every other week (half the class does a seminar each week) that is still about 20 hours a week, coming out of evenings and weekends. OK, I get a fair bit done by thinking about how I'm going to tackle a subject whilst I'm on the way to or from work, or shopping, but even so this may explain why I spent quite a while working in the corner at Conrunner last weekend, or why I took my laptop with me this weekend when I visited my mum to do a long-planned session sorting out her accumulated paperwork.

Hopefully this will get a bit smoother as time goes on. And I am really enjoying the teaching, even though it does involving being out of the flat by 6.15 on Monday mornings to make sure that I get my train to Exeter in time to teach at 11. Also, the pay is good (allegedly - my contract is still stuck in University admin hell) and if I ever want to apply for a teaching job the experience will be invaluable. For now though, if I seem to go quiet, this is why!

Comments

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

You could have caught the direct train from Woking to here and had a lie in tomorrow. Always welcome.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the offer! I've booked tickets for the next few weeks already but may try to sort out a visit after that...?

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

OK. End of Feb is your last chance

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Ah, dead old Exeter Uni. Tempted to attend Microcon in March?

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Potentially yes.

Um, was that deliberate, a typo or a Freudian slip?

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Oops. My Freudian slip is indeed showing.

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

Welcome to our world :-)

Of course, teaching the course more than once reduces the amount of preparation per lecture given but I don't think this helps you...

[fjm.livejournal.com]

And now he knows why all Uni lecturers veer between--shit, I get paid to read books?/Look through telescopes? And damn, I'm knackered, tell me about this strange concept called "vacation" again?

[sharikkamur.livejournal.com]

And, what's more, no-one outside of academia will belive you when you tell them that. Welcome to our world! :)

[fjm.livejournal.com]

My dad, a builder, has been a lot more respectful since he came to stay with me for a week.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Yeh. WHS :-)

At least you're not full time so you don't get the "Well I guess you're on holiday for the next 3 months then?" line!

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

Fortunately you do find survival tactics - but I've had to write new lectures every year since 2000. Maybe next year I can coast - but I was pondering about changing the thrust of the sf module, and the horror module needs three new lectures, and the comedy one may be spread over a year... And the intro to cultural studies is tired...

[uitlander]

Uni teaching, always such a joy. FWIW you're spending about the right amount of time in prep work.

However, I would not trust Exeter Uni very much to honour their side of any verbal agreement. My only experience with them was not a good one. I was appointed to what they had advertised as a 'permanent post' which turned out to be a 1 year fixed term non-renewable jobbie when the contract arrived. The salary agreed verbally and the salary offered in the letter diverged somewhat. The proposed teaching load was doubled when it transpired that they had decided to give another member of staff a sabbattical on the assumption that I could also cover their teaching in a completely different area I did not know.

I queried all of these with the Head of Department, whose view was 'Yeah, we lied, but you've committed to come so so tough'. She wasn't very bright, and didn't understand what 'I've decided in light of your proposed changes to our agreement not to sign the contract and to continue with my higher paid fixed-term contract elsewhere.' It was quite funny to see some of the emails she sent to my boss at Newcastle complaining that I'd broken my contract with the Uni.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I did today get to sign my contract, which is vague in many respects but very clear on what I am going to be paid (which is the amount I expected). So far the main wooly bit is what my role in assessment will be - it looks like I will have some input into exams and consequently may have to mark a few of them too.

[coth.livejournal.com]

They told me on my effective presentation course to allow 8-10 hours preparation for every hour of new presentation. Then I went back to work and they asked me to present a 2-day training course at 3 days notice, and laughed at me when I queried the discrepancy. Of course, this (extrapolated) might be the reason why business presentations are usually quite dire.

I'm glad your students are getting better.