How Much Time Do History Professors Spend on Teaching and Preparation?
The amount of time history professors dedicate to teaching and preparation can vary widely based on numerous factors. These include the level of education they teach, their position, the school they work for, their career goals, and their personal enjoyment of their job.
Factors Influencing Time Allocation
Level of Education: Whether it is undergraduate or graduate education, this plays a significant role. Undergraduate classes are typically more frequent and are designed to cover a broad range of material. Graduate classes, on the other hand, may be smaller and delve deeply into specialized topics.
Position: Positions such as junior, assistant, associate, and full professorships each come with different expectations and responsibilities. Full professors are often involved in more research and publication, whereas assistant professors may be required to spend more time in the classroom and in preparation.
School Contract Terms: The terms of the contract with the school can also affect the amount of time spent. Some prestigious universities may prioritize research, leading to less time dedicated to teaching. Conversely, schools that are more focused on undergraduate education may require more teaching hours.
Career Goals: Some professors may prioritize research and publication, which can reduce their teaching hours. Others may have a passion for teaching and may choose to spend more time on it.
Teaching vs. Preparation Time
The amount of time spent teaching and preparing can vary greatly, and this difference significantly impacts the overall workload. For instance, some professors may teach a standard course multiple times, making the preparation time much less exhaustive. However, creating a new, custom course can require hundreds of hours of preparatory work.
Besides teaching, professors must also mark papers, design exams, hold office hours, and mentor graduate students. These extra responsibilities can add several more hours to their weekly schedule.
Example of Varied Workload
Consider two examples to better illustrate the variability:
Example 1: Prestigious University: At a highly prestigious university, a professor may spend less time on teaching and more on research and publication. This can mean that their teaching hours are significantly reduced, as they may have teaching assistants (TAs) who handle a substantial portion of the heavy lifting. Such TAs take on tasks like grading, tutoring, and even moderating discussions.
Example 2: Low-End School: In contrast, a professor at a lower-ranking or less prestigious school may face a much more demanding teaching load. During peak term times, they might spend between 50-60 hours a week just keeping up with teaching. This high workload is due to the frequent repetition of the same courses and the use of standard texts, where much of the teaching time is devoted to covering the material. However, prep time for new, custom courses can be much more extensive, potentially reaching up to 500 hours of class time.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the time spent by history professors on teaching and preparation is a dynamic and multifaceted aspect of their career. Understanding the variables that influence this time can provide a clearer picture of the demanding nature of their role.
Note: Keywords: history professors, teaching hours, preparation time.