next »

[mountainguy]

I've recently become aware of a CC that is moving toward requiring full-time faculty to teach 6-6 as their standard teaching load. I'd be curious to hear how common this is. I already knew that 5-5 was the norm, but six classes in a single semester seems like an awful lot.

[rroscoe]

I've recently become aware of a CC that is moving toward requiring full-time faculty to teach 6-6 as their standard teaching load. I'd be curious to hear how common this is. I already knew that 5-5 was the norm, but six classes in a single semester seems like an awful lot.

Not very common at all in my experience. I wonder if this is in response to the recession/budget cuts. Do you have idea idea what their expectations are for research and service? Unless the administrators are insane, they would have to cut them back. You're right that six classes is an awful lot in one semester. I'm sure it will negatively impact the quality of teaching, among other things.

[hulkhogan]

I've never heard of 6-6 as the official standard load (well, not until this thread), but at the CC where I used to teach, there was a tacit expectation that faculty would take on overload classes each semester (for pay, to be sure), making the de facto standard 6-6. In that case, research requirements were zero and service requirements minimal. I suspect it's the same at the college the OP is referring to.

[msparticularity]

Wow--if 6/6 is the standard load (with no payment for overload) that will actually make conditions for faculty worse than for teachers at the secondary level, and likely for lower pay (in the humanities, at least). 

[zuzu_]

I've never heard of 6-6 as the official standard load (well, not until this thread), but at the CC where I used to teach, there was a tacit expectation that faculty would take on overload classes each semester (for pay, to be sure), making the de facto standard 6-6. In that case, research requirements were zero and service requirements minimal. I suspect it's the same at the college the OP is referring to.

+1




I willingly teach 6/6, but I make some serious extra cash. Research requirments are zero, and service expectations are reasonable. My life is balanced. IMO, what makes a big difference is experience. When I started teaching eight years ago, I taught 6/6 (as an adjunct) and worked 70+ hours per week. Now I work no more than 45 hrs most weeks, and I do a better job.

My class sizes are small (<25, usually <20), I never more than three preps, and I never have more than one NEW prep. That makes a difference too.

[der_gadfly]

IF the 6 classes are no more than 3 preps, I could live with it. When they did this to us a few years back (not a CC, but a private) we simply scaled back on the number of tests, made papers a few pages shorter, and had routinely cut back on essay homework. We also cut back on committee meetings and slowed any kind of approvals to a crawl... it more or less did the trick.

[iclaudius]

At my CC a 5/5/2 load  is the norm (2 in the summer), but many faculty teach an overload each semester. In the current atmosphere of budget cuts it makes us nervous that our administrators get the idea that if many faculty teach a 6/6 load anyway, why not make it a requirement for all faculty (without extra pay of course), especially since our full-time to adjunct ratio is very bad.

[john_proctor]

Until about a month ago, I'd never heard of a standard teaching load this high; but I don't teach at cc's. 

A friend emails me that this is, while rare, not unheard of anymore.

She writes more, but I can't quit tearing-up long enough read it closely, let alone to post it.

[jonesey]

At my CC a 5/5/2 load  is the norm (2 in the summer), but many faculty teach an overload each semester. In the current atmosphere of budget cuts it makes us nervous that our administrators get the idea that if many faculty teach a 6/6 load anyway, why not make it a requirement for all faculty (without extra pay of course), especially since our full-time to adjunct ratio is very bad.

A school near me has this load right now (CC turning into a BA school).  There was talk of eliminating the mandatory summer teaching and going to a 6/6 schedule, but that's off the table right now.  They also only pay their faculty once a month.

[dr_alcott]

I've never heard of 6-6, either at my CC or the others in the area. Actually, I've never heard of requiring 2 in the summer either. Yuck.

[mountainguy]

Upon further investigation, this is a situation similar to Hulkhogan's former school. It's not *officially* a 6-6, but there's an expectation that instructors will take on overloads. I don't think I could ever work in an environment like that.

[jonesey]

Upon further investigation, this is a situation similar to Hulkhogan's former school. It's not *officially* a 6-6, but there's an expectation that instructors will take on overloads. I don't think I could ever work in an environment like that.

Stay away from right-to-work states (hello, SACS!). 

[cuyler]

At my CC, 6/6 is the standard teaching load. There's some expectation of service (committees, not too onerous) and also some expectation of professional development interpreted very broadly (i.e. no research expectations, but participating in a webinar on some aspect of teaching counts highly). There is also a fairly high advising load, although with the move toward onlline registration and the establishment of an Advising Center for new students, some of that load has diminished. I have 4 or 5 preps each semester but my sense is that that is higher than the norm here. Full-time faculty are encouraged to get away in the summer and recharge.

It's a lot but it's doable. And the pay is not bad.

[jonesey]

It's a lot but it's doable. And the pay is not bad.

I hope by "not bad" you mean at least $65,000+.  That's a crazy load. 

[prytania3]

I'm at a cc and teach 12 credits per semester, which for me comes out to a 3/3. I teach an additional course for extra pay. I wouldn't work a 6/6.