next »

[edumacator]

I received word yesterday that the two classes I was scheduled to teach this spring have one and two students, respectively, presently enrolled.  Barring a miracle, these classes will therefore be canceled.

Drat.

Fortunately, I don't need the money - I have a full-time job with benefits - but it does mean I won't be in a college classroom this term.  And I was really looking forward to it, too.

I've fired off emails and CVs to department chairs at a couple of other local colleges with news of my availability but, while there's always the outside chance that I might score something last-minute, I'm not optimistic.  So I'm planning ahead with an eye to teaching over the summer and next fall.

My only real disappointment is removing the line from my CV about being an adjunct and subsequently letting assorted search committee chairs know of the change.  I doubt that it will have a serious negative impact on my candidacy and, if nothing else, gives me an excuse to contact the search committee when all on the fora advise against doing so under ordinary circumstances.  So that'll be nice.

Still... I was really looking forward to it.

Not asking for advice here.  Just wanted to vent.

[bibliologos]

Sorry about that.

I'm tenured and had a course canceled this term for the same reason.  And it was the course that I was most looking forward to teaching this year.  It's a bummer, for sure.

[reener06]

Edumacator, I feel your pain. I'm waiting/begging/praying for just one more student to sign up for my class before they decide to cancel due to under-enrollment. I found out today that cancellation will occur sometime between 10 am and 1 pm tomorrow. I've sent out a plea to advisors to push students into my class, which bumped it up by 3 or 4 people. Just need one more.

And I'm teaching 3 other courses this semester, and a winter intersession course (which was almost cancelled at last minute). I do need the money, although thankfully this is one of the lower paying courses (if it is cancelled). I could use the time as well. I keep trying to tell myself that either way, I get what I need. Too bad my creditors don't feel the same way.

It's also hard gearing up to teach and then finding out you aren't. This is one reason/excuse I have for not doing syllabi until the last minute, i.e., this weekend.

I hope something else comes up for you. And that I get my one student.

[edumacator]

Edumacator, I feel your pain. I'm waiting/begging/praying for just one more student to sign up for my class before they decide to cancel due to under-enrollment. I found out today that cancellation will occur sometime between 10 am and 1 pm tomorrow. I've sent out a plea to advisors to push students into my class, which bumped it up by 3 or 4 people. Just need one more.

And I'm teaching 3 other courses this semester, and a winter intersession course (which was almost cancelled at last minute). I do need the money, although thankfully this is one of the lower paying courses (if it is cancelled). I could use the time as well. I keep trying to tell myself that either way, I get what I need. Too bad my creditors don't feel the same way.

It's also hard gearing up to teach and then finding out you aren't. This is one reason/excuse I have for not doing syllabi until the last minute, i.e., this weekend.

I hope something else comes up for you. And that I get my one student.

Here's hoping you get the one more you need.  (Just one?  God, that sucks.)  I need nine and eight, respectively, to prevent cancelation.  Something tells me that won't happen.  I'm already making plans for the summer and fall.

Best of luck.

[samspade]

I feel your pain. I currently have two classes with no one enrolled. Our students traditionally wait until the semester to actually register so I am holding out hope they make.

[msparticularity]

MrP is in a similar situation, waiting to see if his new CC course will make enrollment--fingers crossed for all of you! (My new special topics seminar is under-enrolled at the moment, but since I'm in the department full time I'm in a better position to beat the bushes for likely victims students.)

[reener06]

Miracle of miracles--the registrar didn't cancel my class, although I was short one student. I sent out an email begging faculty to push the students to sign up for it, and I got a good response to that, just to the fact that the class was even offered, and how cool it was. Then I was asked to give a guest lecture in another class. So, this has worked out for me really well. I think I may pick up a few more in the next few days. At least I hope I do.

[edumacator]

Congratulations!  I hope the rest of us have equally good news.

[edumacator]

It's official: both classes were canceled due to under-enrollment.  The program chair asked if I'd be willing to try again in the fall, to I responded, "of course."  So we'll see how that goes.

With luck, I won't have to post bad news here ever again.

[samspade]

I got lucky-we are a joint department and the other side created a class and forgot to assign it to anyone. Even though its not my discipline, I ahve taught the subject before so I swapped a class that wouldn't make for it. I think I am going to get the overload I wanted for the semester.

[msparticularity]

MrP's class has been canceled, too. One of the major problems with this course is that they never assign it to anyone enough in advance for that person to do any advertising for it. MrP actually takes a novel approach to teaching the course, and incorporates film as well as readings. This generally draws a lot of students--when they know about it. I'm hoping they'll be able to work through this kink more effectively in future.

[compdoc]

MsP, One of my colleges does posters for cool courses. They have the graphics department design them. Then they put them up anywhere students would hang out. If they don't assign the class before registration, it might be hard to advertise, but maybe something like this could be worked out or MrP could create his own flyer next time?

[msparticularity]

MsP, One of my colleges does posters for cool courses. They have the graphics department design them. Then they put them up anywhere students would hang out. If they don't assign the class before registration, it might be hard to advertise, but maybe something like this could be worked out or MrP could create his own flyer next time?

Yes, exactly. In this case what happened was that a more senior person in the department took the freshman comp class MrP was supposed to get at the last minute, so he got bounced to an elective class at a satellite campus that no one else wanted because it never makes enrollment. If they bring it up again in future, though, he may be able to do something to advertise it.

[mickeymantle]

We've been seeing this a lot at my cc this semester: classes with enrollment under 10 students get cancelled, regardless of whether they're general education or not.  I know tenured colleagues whose upper-division courses have been terminated as well.  The pain is general all around, although it's worse for adjuncts, of course.

It reminds me of a situation years ago at another college I taught.  The chairperson of a department suddenly announced that a long-time fulltime adjunct could only work parttime, and that another adjunct would be let go.  The latter went to see the associate dean, but hu's response was, "What can I do?"

[prof_cj]

Just happened to me for my Basketweaving 101 class at one of the places I teach, and I DO need the teaching hours/income.

Time to start monetizing side projects and pray someone drops out so I can teach their sections...