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fiona
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« on: February 06, 2012, 09:19:04 PM » |
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The Fiona or perhaps La Fiona
Professor of Thread Killing, Fiork University
The Right Reverend Fiona, PhD, Bishop of the Fora
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ptarmigan
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« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2012, 09:23:43 PM » |
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One of the interesting things we were told in our multiple-day university-wide TA orientation - and we were told this more than once - was that even though we were expected to do our teaching jobs, we were here to get degrees, not to teach. It's so easy to procrastinate other work with teaching "stuff" because there is really no limit to how much teaching stuff you can do.
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educator1
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« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2012, 10:08:45 AM » |
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One of the most serious punishments for non-tenured TT folks can be the denial of tenure for focusing too much on teaching. About ten years ago we had a new TT faculty member come with a lot of great ideas for improving our required courses. We worked together to make significant and helpful improvements to the courses and how the department conducted them. I felt terrible two years later when my colleague was told that tenure would not be possible, partly due to the fact that too much attention was being paid to teaching and not enough to research.
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isaacsweeney
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« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2012, 12:21:07 PM » |
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It's as if people think the primary purpose of higher ed institutions is to educate students .....
Oh wait .......
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Isaac Sweeney Father. Husband. Writer. Educator. He's John Sweeney McClane.
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 18,288
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2012, 12:46:33 PM » |
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Very good article for newbies, especially.
Yes, excellent. Teaching offers immediate needs (gotta get those papers graded!) and short-term gratification (you nailed that lecture today!) that can quickly push your research to the back burner. Then you wake up one day and are a terminal ABD, or have been denied tenure. It almost happened to me! |
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sciencegrad
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« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2012, 02:12:49 PM » |
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One of the interesting things we were told in our multiple-day university-wide TA orientation - and we were told this more than once - was that even though we were expected to do our teaching jobs, we were here to get degrees, not to teach. It's so easy to procrastinate other work with teaching "stuff" because there is really no limit to how much teaching stuff you can do.
I wonder if this might explain why I've only had a couple TAs who seem to know anything about the course they are TAing. |
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zharkov
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« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2012, 03:16:06 PM » |
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It's as if people think the primary purpose of higher ed institutions is to educate students .....
Oh wait .......
There are teaching focused institutions, researched focused institutions, and those sort of in-between. Gaining tenure at a research institution is mostly a matter of publishing research, albeit with acceptable teaching performance. I recall a prof in grad school (a research inst or R1) who did not make tenure owing to low (or no?) pubs, but who had won a teaching award and I think did some good service work besides. |
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__________ Zharkov's Razor: Adapting Zharkov a bit to this situation, ignorance and confusion can explain a lot.
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spinnaker
Senior member
Posts: 541
I don't deserve these self-entitled students.
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« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2012, 10:29:47 AM » |
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"What if everyone just looked out for No. 1? The entire promotion-and-tenure system—which depends on altruistic volunteerism—would collapse."
Is this piece a satire?
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southerntransplant
Overcaffeinated and punchy
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 7,347
The negotiated indirect cost of this post is 46.5%
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« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2012, 09:18:06 PM » |
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It's as if people think the primary purpose of higher ed institutions is to educate students .....
Oh wait .......
You're on the TT in a teaching focused institution. The demands on your time are quite different than they are for me at my R1. That doesn't mean I'm a bad teacher - I generally get students asking when I'd teach particular undergrad courses again since I've been recommended by others - but there's a lot of other work I need to do as well. |
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"I tried to walk into a Target, but I missed. I think the entrance to Target should have people splattered all around" - Mitch Hedberg
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david_perlmutter
Junior member
Posts: 88
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« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2012, 09:33:32 PM » |
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"What if everyone just looked out for No. 1? The entire promotion-and-tenure system—which depends on altruistic volunteerism—would collapse."
Is this piece a satire?
Nope...25 years in this trade, son of professors, taught or studied at five Universities and I can say that the substantial majority of folks I have worked with try to do their job as best as they can. Still, as my father used to say, one electric eel will spoil the pool party.... |
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"Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us." —Henri Matisse
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spinnaker
Senior member
Posts: 541
I don't deserve these self-entitled students.
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« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2012, 11:42:28 PM » |
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"What if everyone just looked out for No. 1? The entire promotion-and-tenure system—which depends on altruistic volunteerism—would collapse."
Is this piece a satire?
Nope...25 years in this trade, son of professors, taught or studied at five Universities and I can say that the substantial majority of folks I have worked with try to do their job as best as they can. Still, as my father used to say, one electric eel will spoil the pool party.... Fine...what volunteerism? |
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« Last Edit: February 09, 2012, 11:45:31 PM by spinnaker »
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southerntransplant
Overcaffeinated and punchy
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 7,347
The negotiated indirect cost of this post is 46.5%
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« Reply #11 on: February 10, 2012, 09:23:25 AM » |
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"What if everyone just looked out for No. 1? The entire promotion-and-tenure system—which depends on altruistic volunteerism—would collapse."
Is this piece a satire?
Nope...25 years in this trade, son of professors, taught or studied at five Universities and I can say that the substantial majority of folks I have worked with try to do their job as best as they can. Still, as my father used to say, one electric eel will spoil the pool party.... Fine...what volunteerism? Oh, you know, things like: - Volunteering to take over a colleague's course for a class or two so that they could go talk to a program manager - Volunteering to be the faculty advisor for a student organization - Talking with new colleagues to see if there is some common research interest, then seeing if you can bring them on your next proposal - Taking over the grant administration for departed colleagues, and making sure they get their subcontracts at their new job - Taking over the chairmanship of the committee for students of departed colleagues, even though you have little in common with their research. - Taking on a new class so that a new colleague can teach a repeat and thus allowing them to grow their research a little more than if they had another new prep to worry about - Taking over a committee assignment so that a colleague further back on the TT than you are can concentrate on research and getting the wheels in motion etcetcetc. You know, stuff that wouldn't get done if you were looking out for #1. |
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"I tried to walk into a Target, but I missed. I think the entrance to Target should have people splattered all around" - Mitch Hedberg
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ironproffen
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« Reply #12 on: February 10, 2012, 09:31:31 AM » |
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"What if everyone just looked out for No. 1? The entire promotion-and-tenure system—which depends on altruistic volunteerism—would collapse."
Is this piece a satire?
Nope...25 years in this trade, son of professors, taught or studied at five Universities and I can say that the substantial majority of folks I have worked with try to do their job as best as they can. Still, as my father used to say, one electric eel will spoil the pool party.... Fine...what volunteerism? How about volunteering to serve on the tenure and promotion committee? |
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spinnaker
Senior member
Posts: 541
I don't deserve these self-entitled students.
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« Reply #13 on: February 10, 2012, 03:41:47 PM » |
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It's as if people think the primary purpose of higher ed institutions is to educate students .....
Oh wait .......
Not if you look at how the money is spent. |
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isaacsweeney
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« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2012, 03:17:31 PM » |
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The primary purpose of higher ed, even at R1 institutions, should be to educate students. It isn't anymore.
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Isaac Sweeney Father. Husband. Writer. Educator. He's John Sweeney McClane.
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