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[Phys-l] COURSE LOAD SURVEY



Thanks to all who responded.

I got 21 responses, so doing anything statistical such as averages would not be particularly useful since the responses are from widely different types of institutions. However, I think I can fairly summarize the results.

12 contact hours/semester is common with labs counting one to one as contact hours.

Big research institutions and well-endowed smaller schools have 2/2 and 3/2 course loads, also with labs full credit. Of course I think we can fairly assume that the research demands at such schools can be quite high.

A couple of people have really high loads 15-20 contact hours/semester. I would hope there are little or no expectations for research from such people.

Only a couple schools were so 'stingy' as to count labs only as half credit, although a number seem to count them as 2/3 credit. In some places it depends on the amount of work the instructor actually has to do--setups and lab grading--as to whether or not they get full contact hour credit.

Almost everyone responding does their own labs but a majority of their schools do have at least one professional lab person.

If you want a 'light' course load and LOTS of support staff, go teach for Uncle Sam! ;-)

I was most interested in how labs were counted. Here we have counted contact hours one to one for the 30 years I've been here and before that as well. We have a new dean from a school that did not count labs full. We are currently on a 4/3 load (12/9 contact hours) but the College wants to reduce to 3/3 (9/9). The dean is making noises like the science departments are already at such loads (counting labs the way she wants). Those in the sciences feel we are working ever harder with our 9/12 loads (actually I'm at 13/13 and have many 17 hour semesters under my belt) and are less than enthusiastic about seeing the rest of the campus receive a one course (3 hour) reduction while we stay the same. So we've been asked to 'prove' that other schools count labs as full contact hour credit. Thankfully, many of your schools do--enough, I hope, to make our case.

Thanks again,

Rick

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Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN
rtarara@saintmarys.edu
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