Interesting topic(s). The first part about vacation and the tendency for extended vacations by students and how that is now being sanctioned by some faculty is simple to me. If the schedule says the College closes after classes on Friday the whatever and classes resume on Monday a week later, that is the schedule. It does not start a day earlier or end a day later. When faculty cancel classes before or after breaks, it makes those of us that hold them look like evil ogres. I get tired of students telling me that I am the only class of theirs that is going to meet that day. The same thing goes for finals. One of the things I really enjoy about the SUNY schedule is how they group the vacation days together to make significant breaks rather than taking a day off for each of the individual Holidays. It works very well, especially for an academic schedule, otherwise Monday classes are often far short of other classes as far as number of days met. They group these days together so we end up getting two breaks each semester instead of a bunch of individual days. For me I prefer it that way. dropping class days off the ends of those already longer breaks does not make sense. To me, class time is very important, dropping a day is saying that I didn't have anything important to do that day. It's kind of like the student who after missing a class says "I didn't make it to class last week. Did we do anything important?" I always want to respond, "No, we just sat around and did nothing as usual". When others cancel a class it increases the chances of students not sticking around to come to mine. So for my sake, please meet your class. Now for the second topic. Faculty being in their offices. I think it was Jim that commented about being contacted at very early or late hours. My students have my cell phone number on a card they carry in their wallet. It has rules of use in terms of when they can call. Not during class hours or before 8AM or after 10 at night, except for health or safety issues. It also includes rules for texting hours, 7AM to 11PM. The students honor the guidelines very well. It extends my student contact hours significantly from the 8-5 model. Technology, email and blogs particularly, can dramatically increase communication and contact with students. I am a digital artist so I do most of my research/creative activity, where the horsepower is and that is at home. I, like most of the faculty spend far too many hours doing this and would be long since divorced if I were to spend all of that time in my office. At least at home my wife and daughter can see me sitting at my desk. When I am home I am usually involved in chat sessions with students or emailing back and forth, blogging or even talking on the phone with them. I am more connected than I ever was before. For me, most of my office time is spinning my wheels. It would be far better for me to spend that time in the computer lab where the students have questions and need help than to sit back in my castle and wait for the very few that are ever going to come by. Their problems are almost always involving doing something on the computer and that is where I can help them. The only thing they come to my office for is academic advisement. It's now almost 4:00 on Friday, I have no classes today and was on campus for only a little over an hour. I spoke to one student in the computer lab and have helped 7 students on line. If I would have spent 8 hours in my office today I doubt I would have seen any. I think the important thing is being accesible, not necessarily where you are accesible. Thanks, Sven On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 2:36 PM, McAvoy, Michael ([log in to unmask]) < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > This may be my first response to this list. And writing this from home, > before going to the office, how appropriate! First, more professors may be > on campus than you realize, as many in my department close their doors and > turn off their lights for the reasons I list below. I have to agree with > Janet and the other comments. After 10 years, I am more part of the campus > establishment. However, I feel many (not all) newer members of the faculty > do not view seriously the expectations of the four-days-per-week, on-campus > requirement. Particularly if they have young families and working spouses. > We have job requirements that may be accomplished largely with work away > from the office. In other words, if research most effectively occurs > between 9pm and 2am, then why be in the office during that time period? > > From a practical viewpoint, campus parking is a serious problem, and if > more faculty members were around with greater frequency, well, it wouldn't > be pretty. In addition, many departments share offices. Effective > performance and completion of academic and research work is reduced in this > environment, for a great number of reasons: office door open more than > usual, customary greeting and chitchat with office mate, student > interruptions, need for privacy, so one office mate must leave, the > occasional presence of children and spouses, and so on. > > When I was a newer faculty member, I wished more faculty were around more > frequently. Once my Division moved everyone to Netzer, we know who is > around and who is not, and most of us are now around, if not all day, for > portions of four days per week. Today, I feel somewhat similar, but I also > think, no offense to the group, that chairs and managment/administration are > more concerned about the appearance of the empty desks of professors during > the work day. Many workplaces, from what I hear from family and friends, > have freeloaders, persons who get by on the 10-1130, 2-330 8-hour day > shifts. At least the vast bulk of our academic employees complete their > assigned tasks satisfactorily whether they are around or not. Of course, I > am on campus four days per week during the assisgned work period, so my > views may be biased. Having said that, my Division reminds us at the > beginning of the semester that we are required by the faculty handbook to be > on campus at least four days per week. My chair also gently tells us that > while he couldn't possibly monitor the requirement with any effectiveness > under current practices, he requests we make the effort to get on campus > four days per week. > > Best regards, Mike McAvoy > > ________________________________________ > From: Teaching Breakfast List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of > Day, Janet ([log in to unmask]) > Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 1:18 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Holidays > > Hi all, > To Janet's point about why so few are on campus and Jim's question, some of > my faculty want me to schedule their courses for only two days a week--the > Tuesday/Thursday pattern. They argue that they need uninterrupted time do > their research--a requirement for tenure and promotion. Others want > consideration in scheduling to accommodate their child care/school drop > off/pick up duties. Others do not live locally. Given the cost of gas and > the time it takes to drive back and forth, others want to limit their trips > to only two or three days a week. The use of technology can be a means to > control the work environment--triage the emails and deal with them > accordingly in a time frame that is convenient. > My comments are merely observations. I am here four and five days a week, > but I live locally, I am a grandmother with grandkids in another state, and > I should be doing more research than I am! > Best, > Janet > > Janet E. Day, Ph.D, > Assistant Professor and Chair > Department of Political Science > SUNY-Oneonta > 412 Fitzelle Hall > (607) 436-2754 > > -----Original Message----- > From: Teaching Breakfast List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf > Of Fleisher, P. Jay ([log in to unmask]) > Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 8:52 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Holidays > > Yes, technology now facilitate "working" from a home office, which can be > almost as efficient as being on campus (actually more so due to fewer > distractions), but lets not lose our perspective on why a search committee > selected us to be on the faculty. Much of this had to do with how well we > would interact with students, and that requires having the student and the > professor in the same place at the same time - ergo, we schedule classes. > Sure, we have to consider extenuating circumstances to justify > alternatives, but I am of the "classic" school of education that says we > learned as much about how to be a professional from my professors and > mentors by being at their elbow as we do about the content of our > profession. Granted, I have to know a lot about geology to teach geology, > but the most effective teacher knows how to interact with his/her students, > and that takes contact. Now you know why I would have made a very unpopular > Dean (not that I ever wanted to be a Dean). The academic calendar condenses > education within definite calendar confines, which is why the State says you > must meet students for X number of contact hours to justify X number of > academic credits. There will always be gray areas, but an attendance policy > is good business for preparing students for the "real world", and faculty > attendance is a given. When I took attendance the students were either > there or they suffered the consequences. Why? Unjustified absence on the > job will get you fired, that's why. Students who dictate the circumstances > of their participation based on a consumer perspective might as well discard > their groceries before getting them home. To quote a person with far more > wisdom then I ever enjoyed once told me, "just because you can doesn't mean > you should". A university should be for the students, but not run by the > students - that's our job. Its called leadership, and to lead requires > attendance by the leaders. So, I am for classes on five days a week and > prime time scheduling should be restricted to entertainment, not education. > ________________________________________ > From: Teaching Breakfast List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of > Greenberg, James ([log in to unmask]) > Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 8:07 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Holidays > > Janet (and others), > > Some of this may also be related to what model of education (consumer or > credential) we are seen as. Do students see us as something they consume > (why should I have to go to class if I don't want to, I'm paying for this) > or as some authority that credentials them (we certify you as knowing > something by bestowing this degree on you)? In the former it makes sense > to not hold class before a vacation if they don't want us to. In the latter > is doesn't. > > The observation you make about faculty not being on campus as much as in > the past certainly got my attention. Do you think this is more about the > growing number of adjuncts than about professional commitment? From my > perspective, many faculty are contacting me very early in the day (before 7 > am yesterday) and very late in the day (often after midnight via email) so > if what you say is true (and I believe you) I wonder what role email and > technology play into this? How many of us communicate with our students > after hours via technology? How many of us work at home developing content, > etc. more than we used to because technology enables this for us? > > Mr. James B. Greenberg > Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center > Milne Library > SUNY College at Oneonta > Oneonta, New York 13820 > > blog: The 32nd Square at http://32ndsquare.blogspot.com > wiki: The 32nd Square at http://32ndsquare.wikidot.com > email: [log in to unmask] > phone: 607-436-2701 > fax: 607-436-3677 > IM: oneontatltc > Twitter: greenbjb > > > "Ignorance is curable, stupidity lasts forever" > P Think before you print! Please consider the environment before printing > this email > > > ________________________________ > From: Janet Nepkie <[log in to unmask]> > Reply-To: Teaching Breakfast List <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:06:09 -0500 > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: Holidays > > I concur wholeheartedly with Jay's comments. > Faculty should meet their classes, with only rare exception. > > There is related to an interesting change of attitude developing among some > faculty that they should not be required to be on campus as much as has been > generally the case in the past. I don't want to start a conversation that > may turn into a terms and conditions discussion, but this IS a situation > that is growing larger at a rapid pace and that affects our students > directly. > I think it relates, in part, to our vision of what our college should be. > Are we primarily a "teaching" institute? Are we trying to re-balance our > institutional goals so that we make research more important and teaching > less of a central function for our institution? > I'd like some input, even some guidance about this issue. > Thanks, > Janet > > Dr. J. Nepkie > SUNY Distinguished Service Professor > Professor of Music and Music Industry > State University College > Oneonta, NY 13820 > tele: (607) 436 3425 > fax: 607 436 2718 > [log in to unmask] > > > > ________________________________ > From: <[log in to unmask]> > Reply-To: Teaching Breakfast List <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:35:02 -0500 > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: Holidays > > Sooner or later one must "draw the line" and stand behind sound and > justifiable policy. Rewarding anyone (students or not) for doing what would > otherwise be expected of them (part of their job) is simply bad policy. > Let's try to keep as much of the real world in academia as possible, and > canceling class out of convenience is hardly the message we want to convey > to the professionals and leaders of the future. Let's try to keep as much > of reality in academia as possible. Its part of training our students for > the "real world" that lies ahead. I am in favor of avoiding slippery slopes > that gradually lead to unacceptable behavior. Sooner or later you cross a > threshold after which everything is different, then you stand back and say, > "how did we allow things to get this bad". > Jay > ________________________________________ > From: Teaching Breakfast List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of > Jagels, Fredric ([log in to unmask]) > Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 9:47 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Holidays > > Harry et al, > > I found this line in that article not a little curious, "One issue Loewner > wanted to stress, however, was that the target of the resolution wasn't > students who skip classes, but professors who call them off." Some > employees are encouraged to use benefit time for the Friday after > Thanksgiving or the week between Christmas and New Years because most people > take that day off anyway. Is something similar happening with students on > the day before a holiday week and some profs have given in? What is the > opinion towards profs who give extra credit for attendance on such days, or > tests, or quizzes? It shouldn't be necessary, but it reinforces the idea > that "good studenting" includes attendance and the holiday, or vacation, > begins when it begins-not the week before. > > Rick > > > Rick Jagels > Education Specialist > College Assistance Migrant Program > 111 Wilsbach Hall > State University of NY College at Oneonta > (607)436-2297 > [log in to unmask] > > > > > From: Teaching Breakfast List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf > Of Pence, Harry ([log in to unmask]) > Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 7:51 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Holidays > > Dear TBers, > Here is an interesting article on a college faculty who have taken a > position against those who declare a holiday the day before the holiday > really starts. > > http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/28/vacation > > Enjoy, > Harry > > > Harry E. Pence > SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus > SUNY Oneonta >