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[ega110]

I have a question for the professors out there. I have recently read a book by a Barrett Seaman called Binge: What Your College Student Won't Tell You. Seaman took a tour of twelve leading residential colleges to find out what college is like for modern day students. There is one thing he talks about that I have a hard time believing. I don't think he is lying, what he says is just too crazy to be true.

The subject is how colleges have lowered academic standards in order to keep students happy. One method he mentions is doing away with Friday classes. The reason he states is that professors are finding that too few students show up for class. In fact, many campus clubs have parties on Thursday nights because they see it as the beginning of the week end. to make matters worse, he says that Monday classes are weakening also.

I know that some professors shy away from eight o clock classes due to low enrollment but this seems hard to believe. It is my understanding that many classes operate on a Monday wednesday Friday schedule. If you lop off two of those days you are left with only one.

[concordancia]

I have been teaching long enough to observe that the student behavior hasn't changed that much - I always had trouble with attendance in my Friday afternoon classes. What has changed is colleges accommodating the trend.

My current institution tried to do away with Friday classes and it was immediately decided that we were wasting resources (ie, empty classrooms on Fridays). We now have classes only until noon on Friday. On our campus, this has not directly affected Monday classes - we just have MWF classes in the AM and MW only classes in the PM.

I also know of schools that moved to MW and TR classes only a very long time ago - this frees up the professors to travel to weekend conferences and even those with the crappiest schedule get a free day to focus on their research.

However, the vast majority of our students prefer Tuesday/Thursday schedules. They will whine and scream up the chain that they have to be, elsewhere - home, taking care of parents or children; at work; just not here - until someone gives them an override. This means that they are in class 5 to 8 hours on Tuesday and Thursday and often don't spend anytime on their studies the rest of the week. If we were able to offer a full schedule of MW classes, we might actually have more even distribution between two identical schedules.

[sinenomine]

I teach classes on Fridays, but I'm annoyed by how few of my colleagues on my campus do -- I'm told it's because faculty request Tuesday/Thursday classes more than any other schedule.

[prytania3]

I teach classes on Fridays, but I'm annoyed by how few of my colleagues on my campus do -- I'm told it's because faculty request Tuesday/Thursday classes more than any other schedule.

Why should you be annoyed? Why not suggest other classes to teach?

We are a cc, and our Friday classes meet once a week. They go 9-12. Same goes for Saturday. We don't have classes in the afternoon on those days those.

8AM classes at my cc fill up quickly.

I'm sure that is different from a residential college.

[kohelet]

I teach classes on Fridays, but I'm annoyed by how few of my colleagues on my campus do -- I'm told it's because faculty request Tuesday/Thursday classes more than any other schedule.

I know I avoid Friday classes because the only way to teach a Friday class is to be on a MWF schedule.  I despise 50-minute sessions--just doesn't work with my teaching style.  I keep asking around at my university, and I can't find anyone who actually likes MWF schedules.  My preference would be a predominance of M/Th and Tu/F classes with Wednesdays reserved for labs etc., W-only classes, and a block of time in the middle of the day for seminars, speakers, meetings, etc.  (I miss that from my undergrad SLAC!)  And I'd keep the option of once-a-week courses in the late afternoons and evenings as we have now.

I would start campaigning for this, but I'm choosing my battles.

[fishprof]

I know I avoid Friday classes because the only way to teach a Friday class is to be on a MWF schedule.  I despise 50-minute sessions--just doesn't work with my teaching style. 

I am in the same boat.  I've developed a course for 1hr, 15 minute lecturews, and when I am forced into the MWF Blocks, it all goes to hell.

I don't object to Friday classes, I just want the longer blocks. 

I've seen the argument for Wednesdays being "lab days", but my department has so many students, and so few labs, that we have all of them fully in use 5 days a week, 8+ hours a day.

[sibyl]

Approach the registrar directly.  Say that you would like to teach 2x75 rather than 3x50 but don't want to be locked into Tues/Thurs.  Ask whether this can be accommodated.  If your registrar is halfway decent, it can be.  If not, approach the dean or something.

As for the larger issues - I think there is more accommodation of a "light" Friday, especially when there are facilities that don't require it.  The question is whether it makes sense to accommodate other student needs like work and childcare schedules, or to put class time first and compel students to work around that.

[concordancia]

Approach the registrar directly.  Say that you would like to teach 2x75 rather than 3x50 but don't want to be locked into Tues/Thurs.  Ask whether this can be accommodated.  If your registrar is halfway decent, it can be.  If not, approach the dean or something.

As for the larger issues - I think there is more accommodation of a "light" Friday, especially when there are facilities that don't require it.  The question is whether it makes sense to accommodate other student needs like work and childcare schedules, or to put class time first and compel students to work around that.

Woah.... this depends on the institutional culture - in many cases their are coordinators and chairs who would never forgive you for going directly to the registrar. And rightly so, if a unique schedule means that students have to suddenly choose between classes instead of being able to take two classes.

[corny]

Three of my classes this semester are MWF, in the mornings; the fourth is a 75-minute MW. I actually prefer the 50-minute periods (though shifting a class from 75-minute to 50-minute is a huge pain, I agree), and in a lot of ways I do better balancing my workload this way. The four-day weekend of the TR schedule lulls me into dangerous complacency.

Also, I give a weekly quiz on Fridays, because I'm mean that way.

[sinenomine]

Just to confirm, almost all classes on my campus are one a two-day schedule, so Wednesday/Friday is an option.  Here, it seems to be a case of what the initial post brought up -- that there could be a lot more classes on Fridays.  Mine is, by the way, a residential campus, and not one know as a "party school."

I teach classes on Fridays, but I'm annoyed by how few of my colleagues on my campus do -- I'm told it's because faculty request Tuesday/Thursday classes more than any other schedule.

[paddington_bear]

I prefer teaches MWF classes to TTh. Three days a week makes it convenient for my writing instructor colleagues, for example, to have more  in-dept editing sessions, but I find that the time between Thursday and Tuesday is too long. A student could read a whole novel - or certainly half - in that time, but an hour and a half isn't long enough to talk about all  what was read. I'm sure people do it. Obviously they do. But I've found that too much doesn't get covered, although a lot gets read, in a TTh class. Paddington U has few classes that are offered past 2 p.m. on Fridays. My department only has one class, that starts at 3. There are no classes at 4. I think that almost half of my colleagues teach a two-day schedule.  That's a big increase over the percentage that used to teach twice a week.

[fishprof]

My Uni's Provost announced a policy (new or newly enforced) is unclear, that Full-Time faculty are expected to be on campus at least FOUR days a week, regardless of teaching schedule.  This Provost has actually started verifying that Office hours and Final exams are being held (and being one who consistently does both, I am pleased). 

We have also received (indirectly, through the registrar) the instruction to spread out the teaching.  Too many department (not mine, labs preclude this) had all their sections on TR between 9 and 12 and then the departments were deserted after that.

We'll see if it helps...

[oldfullprof]

My Uni's Provost announced a policy (new or newly enforced) is unclear, that Full-Time faculty are expected to be on campus at least FOUR days a week, regardless of teaching schedule.  This Provost has actually started verifying that Office hours and Final exams are being held (and being one who consistently does both, I am pleased). 

If any serious research is being demanded, I think three mandatory days on campus is the max.  This doesn't apply to lab sciences, of course.  Some of us can't (or prefer not to) write on campus, and this works better for us.

[fishprof]

Oldfullprof,  I concur. 

I meant that I agreed with the 2nd policy re: Office hours and Finals.  I have a written exemption on the first b/c I could demonstrate that I was doing research on my off days (although I don't think I should have to do so...)

[mickeymantle]

I tend to like 75 minute classes myself, since I can lecture for 60 minutes and fill the rest of the time with a video or discussion.  The problem is that students can't sit still for more than 30 minutes, so I often need to shorten my lectures and show films.  The 50 minute time period still seems too short, however, especially on Fridays.  I'd rather get in on T, R and get out.  But such is life....

As for Friday classes, my cc actually has classes on Friday nights.  I've never taught those sections, but I understand that they are relatively well attended (many attendees are full-time workers who can't make the classes otherwise.)

Finally, I am teaching a M, W, F class at 8 a.m. this semester, and the class is pretty full.  In fact, they're my best students gradewise so far.