Comments on: Colloquium Talk http://burbled.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/colloquium-talk/ Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:43:09 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Micah http://burbled.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/colloquium-talk/#comment-27 Micah Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:02:22 +0000 http://burbled.wordpress.com/?p=120#comment-27 Agreed. But the first five years can be stressful and time consuming. All the tenure-track professors are here long hours and sometimes late into the evening (often past 8 pm), but almost none of the tenured faculty are on campus past dinner time. I also think you have to teach a course at least two and probably three times before the prep time is reduced drastically. There is a very long list things I want to do differently the next time I teach the courses I am teaching this semester. As far as mentoring students, I think it takes much more than two hours a week. Don't forget, you have to spend time thinking about their research, making sure the projects that you give them are doable, reading (and re-reading) their proofs and theses, and meeting the face-to-face. Maybe as mathematician gets older and wiser, he gets more efficient. But everything this year seems to take me 50% more time than I anticipated. Agreed. But the first five years can be stressful and time consuming. All the tenure-track professors are here long hours and sometimes late into the evening (often past 8 pm), but almost none of the tenured faculty are on campus past dinner time.

I also think you have to teach a course at least two and probably three times before the prep time is reduced drastically. There is a very long list things I want to do differently the next time I teach the courses I am teaching this semester. As far as mentoring students, I think it takes much more than two hours a week. Don’t forget, you have to spend time thinking about their research, making sure the projects that you give them are doable, reading (and re-reading) their proofs and theses, and meeting the face-to-face. Maybe as mathematician gets older and wiser, he gets more efficient. But everything this year seems to take me 50% more time than I anticipated.

]]> By: Vijay http://burbled.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/colloquium-talk/#comment-26 Vijay Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:41:43 +0000 http://burbled.wordpress.com/?p=120#comment-26 I agree that working at a research school like Ol' Miss or U of R requires more work (I was referring to liberal arts schools), but I still find it hard to believe that the average is more than 40 hours a week. Of course, a new professor has a lot more work and responsibility. Course prep (grad or undergrad) will take some time, but when you have to re-teach the course, it will take a lot less. Advising students can be time consuming, but I don't think it take more than 2 hours per week per student (unless the student really needs help, and this is usually not the case). Unless you have a lot of students most years in your career, then you'll probably have a lot more work, but I don't think this is usually the case. I think after 5 years, after tenure, math professors on average (including those from liberal arts and research institution) don't work 40 hours a week. I agree that working at a research school like Ol’ Miss or U of R requires more work (I was referring to liberal arts schools), but I still find it hard to believe that the average is more than 40 hours a week. Of course, a new professor has a lot more work and responsibility. Course prep (grad or undergrad) will take some time, but when you have to re-teach the course, it will take a lot less. Advising students can be time consuming, but I don’t think it take more than 2 hours per week per student (unless the student really needs help, and this is usually not the case). Unless you have a lot of students most years in your career, then you’ll probably have a lot more work, but I don’t think this is usually the case. I think after 5 years, after tenure, math professors on average (including those from liberal arts and research institution) don’t work 40 hours a week.

]]> By: Micah http://burbled.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/colloquium-talk/#comment-25 Micah Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:31:51 +0000 http://burbled.wordpress.com/?p=120#comment-25 I am only teaching two courses this semester and I am in my office or on campus at least 40 hours per week (and often times a lot more than that). If you are at a school without teaching assistants (like I am), teaching a course can be very time consuming. Also, it can sometimes take me more than four hours to prepare a lecture for the number theory course I am teaching. I imagine when teaching graduate courses, even more time is involved in preparing lectures. If, on top of all that, you are supervising students who are writing honors/matster's/ph.d. theses, you will have even more work to do. There are number of mathematicians here at Ole Miss who probably work close to 60 hours per week during the semester. But, on the plus side, we only teach for 30 weeks each year. I am only teaching two courses this semester and I am in my office or on campus at least 40 hours per week (and often times a lot more than that). If you are at a school without teaching assistants (like I am), teaching a course can be very time consuming. Also, it can sometimes take me more than four hours to prepare a lecture for the number theory course I am teaching. I imagine when teaching graduate courses, even more time is involved in preparing lectures. If, on top of all that, you are supervising students who are writing honors/matster’s/ph.d. theses, you will have even more work to do. There are number of mathematicians here at Ole Miss who probably work close to 60 hours per week during the semester. But, on the plus side, we only teach for 30 weeks each year.

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