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college workload question
Alright, I just got my first "this class is too much work" email and want to make sure my expectations are appropriate.
Granted, I went to a top tier university, so I KNOW our workload was heavy, thus my personal experience might be a bit skewed. I took that into account when setting up this class.
My general rule of thumb is that you should spend as much time on a course outside of the class as you do in class. So if class meets 3x/week for 50 minutes per class, then you would expect to spend about 3 hours a week outside of class on work.
My bare bones basic rule of thumb (so, for basic introductory courses), if the course is 3 credits, then you should spend about 3 hours outside of class on work.
Do those two concepts seem reasonable?
Now... the class in question is a studio class (aka, drafting lab). We meet 5 hours/week. Studio classes are notoriously more demanding than other classes. If you were an architecture student, you would spend several hours a DAY in studio. You have to make time to draw. Period.
So, I expect that students will need to spend 5 hours a week outside of class on their projects in order to complete them on time. Am I ridiculous for thinking that?
Re: college workload question
Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but I was JUST talking about this with DH about some of my courses.
I fully understand expecting several hours of work outside of the classroom, but sometimes it seems to me that professors don't realize that the students are taking other classes as well--not just their course--plus possibly work, family, etc. If I was to spend the same number of hours outside the class as inside, I would get like 2 hours of sleep a night since I have other obligations during the day.
One of my classes is so loaded with work, it's like the professor thinks she is the only class we have, and it's stressful.
Well, it depends - what kind of college do you teach at, and what level is the class?
DH and I went to a state university, accredited and all, but...well, not always the most challenging. I never had lab type classes (accounting major) but I never spent that much time working on a class outside of class - not until law school. I did hear that rule of thumb of one hour in, one hour out during freshman orientation, but really, I never really needed to spend that much time unless I was studying for a test or was really struggling with a class.
I just asked DH since he had an art minor and therefore had "lab" classes. He said, depending on the project, he would spend 15 hours a week working on something for a class outside of class (3 credit hour class). Other times, however, it wasn't necessary, and he didn't spend that much time EVERY week...it was the exception.
So I guess my answer is "I don't know". Have you spoken with other professors about it? They probably have the same rule of thumb, but they will probably tell you they expect their students to *really* spend x amount of time per week, and they plan their assignments accordingly.
The other thing to take into account is the kind of student telling you this. Is it a person who works hard for a good grade? If so, they probably do that in other classes as well...so if your class is an extraordinary amount of work for the student who always works hard, that may be worth taking into account.
Whatever you do - DON'T take it personally! You're doing an excellent job! Good luck!
MrsG-
I do understand that (I mean, I was a college athlete-I had to balance my course load with 4 hours of practice/lifting/meetings every day and being gone every weekend for meets). Here are my thoughts though:
1) The 3 hours in class/3 hours out expectation comes from the student handbook (I looked it up after I posted it just to make sure I am in line with university policy). For a student with a 15 credit courseload, which is standard, they will be in class for 15-20 hours per week. That means 15-20 hours of work outside of class. Obviously some classes will be less (for example, the class I taught last semester was MAYBE an hour of work outside of class... two if a project was due) and some will be more.
2) If you choose a design major, you have to expect studio classes. They are more time consuming, which is why we design it so that you only take one per semester.
3) This university is almost entirely residential undergraduate students, so they are likely living in dorms/apartments and full time students, rarely with families. Some may have part time jobs. I know there are always exceptions, but these are almost all 18-20 year olds direct from high school who live on campus.
I guess I'm frustrated because I taught the same course last spring and actually lessened the project expectations this spring for my own selfish reasons (aka pregnancy) and the student's email was not very nice.
Yes, I teach at the major university in my town... aka 20,000+ students. So it is a tough school for sure.
I really don't think the class requires 5 hours a week outside of class. I think it does the week before a project is due, maybe, and probably 2-3 per week before then... but there will also be slower periods. I did explain at the beginning of the ssemester that the course is front loaded because of the pregnancy, and that our due dates, etc. are tentative for sure.
Then I wouldn't worry about it.
HAHAHA.
I sent an email out to everyone in the course just to make sure they were clear on the assignment, the timeline, etc. and addressed the time issue. Meaning, this is what the project is, this is when it's due, this is how much time you need to spend outside of class, and yes, we can be flexible if necessary.
Hello can of worms. Now I am getting more emails.
And of course, they are all asking questions that were answered on the first day of class.
OR they are asking questions about parts of the assignment... not only did we discuss that part, but it is explicitly described in their syllabus. So clearly they are just not listening to me.
For the type of students you described, I agree that your expectations are reasonable. On the other hand, I am lucky to get some of my UoPhoenix students to do any work outside of class. Most of them have several kids, jobs, etc.
Also, the nature of your course requires more time than others because of the portfolio/artistic component, right?
Life of mrsjanks
Forgot to add... many of my Davidson (the K12 fine arts school where I work) students graduate and go to art colleges. One of them just came to visit me... he goes to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), and he said he spent HOURS and many long nights in the studio working on his portfolio.
When I was at UGA, I had a friend who did landscape architecture (sp?), and she was always up in that stinkin' lab.
I was a science major, and similarly I was always in the bio lab.
So I guess what you should tell your student is that college = work. Period.
Life of mrsjanks
No, I appreciate it. I genuinely think I am going to have to address this at the beginning of class on Monday. It is ridiculous really. I don't think a single student has spent 3 hours on this project outside of class, and we've been in session for 3 weeks.
This is hands down, one of the most obnoxious parts about teaching.... these types of questions kill me. I agree with the other ladies that your expectations seem completely reasonable for where/what you're teaching!
I agree that the amount of hours worth of work outside of class should be reflective of the amount of credit hours/ hours spent in class weekly. I think this is particularly true if the class is within the major requirements for a particular program and not just a general ed course. I went to a regular old state college and the requirements for my teaching courses were exceptionally time demanding. I don't think you are being one bit unreasonable.
These days, college students are not what they were in the past... they want it as easy as they can get it, and it does them no favors-- like Rachel said, they want less for their money. Don't feel like you are doing them wrong when it's actually the opposite.
Apparently, I am a slacker. I went to a very highly ranked undergrad and law school, did pretty well at both and I can count on one hand the number of classes that I spent as much time outside of the class as I did in the class. I was a poli sci major, so no real labs though. I did a lot of reading and became an expert at cranking out papers in no time and cramming the day before a final.
DH was a EE major also at a major university. He had labs and he spent about as much time doing lab work as he did in class not including homework and reading. He also has a masters from the university where you teach Cassidy (although from a satellite campus) and thought that amount of time for a studio type class sounded right.
Maybe this is why my opinion is different than most of the other girls. As a psych major, I don't have a lot of labs...actually, I've only had one (maybe 2) courses that had one for my general ed requirement. And I study much the way you did...lots of reading, the papers cranked out in one night (usually last minute papers were my best work) and cramming before exams.