Windows on Westmount Web with René Simard, Rector

Introduction

Fortunately, from one decade to the next, the mission of universities remains unchanged. What is more likely to change is the social, cultural, scientific and financial environment in which this mission is carried out. Today, public funding of universities is looked at more critically. In times of financial restrictions and budget cuts, higher education has to compete for every dollar with health care, economic revival, protection of the environment, etc. Current expectations are based more on productivity, accountability and assessment. Universities are held accountable for students' progress, completed studies, quality of training, relevance of research, etc.

Since the personal commitment of professors to a teaching program determines how successfully knowledge is transferred and students are taught, the professor becomes the focal point when questions arise regarding workload. A not so recent government report, in which it is proposed that the workload of university professors be increased from 4 to 6 courses per year, is dusted off and looked at with renewed interest.

What exactly is meant by professors' productivity? What are their responsibilities, their role? In what environment do they have to practice their profession?

Numbers alone cannot define a professor's workload, nor do justice to the complexity of his tasks. True, the normal duty of a professor is 4 courses on the average. Since a course totals 45 hours in class, we therefore arrive at an annual workload of 180 hours in a classroom and, at first glance, it does not seem unreasonable to bring it up to 270 hours per year (the equivalent of 6 courses).


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Let us examine this more closely.

Class Attendance

It should be stated right from the start that it is pure nonsense to assess a professor's workload by the hours he spends in a classroom. That would be like basing a hockey player's performance on the few minutes he spends on the ice in a given game or evaluating the work of a member of parliament by the time he sits in the National Assembly. As everyone knows, teaching a course requires time spent in updating its content as well as making it pedagogically accessible to all students. This requires bibliographical research, reading, preparation of a syllabus, slides, transparencies, grading assignments and exams and being available for students who require extra attention. Presence in a classroom is therefore not a valid measure of what we call the workload of a professor, and though difficult to measure, 4 courses can easily be assumed to require the 270 hours of work referred to previously.

Course Load and Teaching Duties

To the course load must be added the teaching duties.

Professors are also responsible for organising and structuring programs, ensuring their consistency, and updating them regularly to meet the changing needs of society. They counsel students on matters such as career orientation, try to deter potential drop­outs and take part in academic and professional development sessions.

As if this were not enough, teaching duties also include supervising theses by graduate students, requiring frequent and individual meetings, reading and correcting, developing communication and scientific writing skills, participating on juries and being member of book clubs.

Obviously, class attendance is only the tip of the iceberg when measuring a faculty member's workload; the course load and the teaching duties represent the great unseen mass.

Updating

Scientific discoveries, development of new interventions and greater knowledge are occurring rapidly in many fields. Being at the top of the educational pyramid, universities must constantly adapt their courses to take this evolution into account. Courses and programs must therefore be modified from one year to the next. Updating and developing new courses mean that preparation time at the university level is much more considerable than at other levels of education.

As well, university training goes far beyond acquiring knowledge which is immediately applicable; it aims at developing cognitive and action­taking skills, leading to well­balanced thinking rather than a well­stuffed head. A professor is therefore not only a communicator and an expert in his field of teaching, but also, and fortunately, he is a pedagogue, a channel for scientific, intellectual, moral, social and cultural values. If he wants to become and remain a "master" for his students, a professor has to keep up with developments in his discipline, its related fields and their respective environments.

Class Size

In most universities , the number of students per class is limited because of pedagogical considerations, space restrictions and equipment limitations. Despite this, undergraduate students often end up in large classrooms of 100, and even up to 200 or 300 students. Many professors teach one of their four courses to classes of that size. Unlike high schools and CEGEPs, there is no imposed maximum number of students per class. Although teaching large groups may have little impact on preparation time, the work required for grading and individual assistance to students will fluctuate proportionately with the size of the class. This variable must be taken into consideration when evaluating the real workload required for a course.

Research

University research, as with all scientific research, is a methodical, systematic and rigorous process which leads to new discoveries. When incorporated into the graduate study programs, research fulfills a double purpose: researchers are discovered and trained. In this instance, research serves to generate new knowledge and facilitate its progress; it also allows students to develop rigorous thinking and scientific methodology, cultivate correct research methods and contribute independently to developments in their field of study. Research is an integral part of a university professor's task and requires a considerable amount of time. In fact, government has acknowledged this time­consuming factor by developing collaborative programs between universities and business in order to stimulate the economy and increase productivity in our society. Increasing the course load would mean a decrease in the quality and quantity of research, leading as well to a decrease in the quality of education, especially at the graduate level.

Other Tasks

Most universities have a management system that comprises of a large participative base. Among the activities that are not in the exclusive realm of administrators and in which many professors take an active part, are program development and assessment, planning and organisation of research and teaching activities, performance assessment of teaching personnel, mediation and arbitration of conflicts, relationships with the scientific and professional population. While remaining true to their primary role as educators, universities must participate concretely and actively in community life, promote cultural, social and economic development. Social groups, community groups, socio­economic associations, expecting quality, often call upon universities to develop a project, see it to its full completion and evaluate it. Any increase in the course load would hamper a professor in contributing to society, thus having an impact on the operation of the university, creating a rift with the public and hindering professional knowledge and development.

Conclusion

The image of the university professor locked away in his ivory tower is a myth. Just ask the young recruits of recent years who are learning the trade : they have already discovered that a 40 hour week is something of the past and that evenings and week­ends devoted to their jobs are more the norm than the exception. Even after completing many years of post­doctoral training abroad, they still have things to learn. It has been said that a true professor must be committed to his calling. But genuine talent, a strong sense of self­denial and a great capacity for hard work are also pre­requisites.

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© 1996 David T. Nicholson Please don't phone
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