Friday, April 6, 2012

Washington State Senate Committee Services: Higher Education and Workforce Development: Part Time Faculty at Colleges and Universities

From Washington State, here is information provided by the Washington State Senate Committee Services on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

"Senate Committee Services Higher Education and Workforce Development: Part Time Faculty at Colleges and Universities." Written by Ailey Kato, SCS Intern, Summer 2011

http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/HEWD/Documents/PartTimeFacultyRpt.pdf

Critique of David C. Levy's Editorial "Do College Professors Work Hard Enough?"

The Wordpress blog, Virtual Paper Balls, has published a March 25, 2012 post titled "The Shelf Life of Total B.S." The post reviews David C. Levy's editorial published in the Washington Post, titled "Do College Professors Work Hard Enough?"

Levy spews forth one misconception after another, without considering the entire educational hierarchy of administrators, tenured professors, and untenured faculty who labor on poverty-level wages.

The poster composes a classical argument essay, in which Levy's editorial is sliced and diced to reveal the less-than-freshman-level of Levy's argument. The replies to the post provide food for thought about the entire country's issues with injustice, economic woes, and still trying to keep the American dream alive for all.

http://virtualpaperballs.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/the-shelf-life-of-total-b-s/

Monday, February 27, 2012

P.D. Lesko on New Faculty Majority Faces Same Old Problems and Offers Same Old Solutions.

http://www.adjunctnation.com/?p=4112
New Faculty Majority Faces Same Old Problems & Offers Same Old Solutions

By P.D. Lesko

"...[Jack] Longmate wrote to the president of the NEA and received a form letter in reply. It was a display of bullying that would have gotten most fourth graders suspended, but instead the NEA allowed its Washington State affiliate to bully a member for exercising his right to free speech....

Monday, February 20, 2012

In Washington State, HB 1631 College Faculty Increment Funding discriminates against the majority of faculty.

In Washington State, a bill before the House would fund increment pay increases only for faculty who are called "full-time." In the Washington State community college system, the majority of faculty are termed "part-time." Thus, HB 1631, called the College Faculty Increment Funding, should really be called the College Faculty Increment Funding Discrimination bill. This bill treats faculty as being unequal, with a minority of faculty due to receive raises, and the majority of faculty due to receive nothing for their teaching efforts.

Whatever your feelings are about HB 1631, please use our democratic process to contact Washington State legislators in the House of Representatives in Olympia, WA, to share your ideas regarding this legislation.
Frank.Chopp@leg.wa.gov ; Richard.DeBolt@leg.wa.gov ; Jan.Angel@leg.wa.gov ; Mike.Armstrong@leg.wa.gov ; Cathy.Dahlquist@leg.wa.gov ; Deb.Eddy@leg.wa.gov ; Roger.Goodman@leg.wa.gov ; Tami.Green@leg.wa.gov ; Bob.Hasegawa@leg.wa.gov ; Norm.Johnson@leg.wa.gov ; Troy.Kelley@leg.wa.gov ; Joel.Kretz@leg.wa.gov ; Marcie.Maxwell@leg.wa.gov ; Jim.Moeller@leg.wa.gov ; Tina.Orwall@leg.wa.gov ; Eric.Pettigrew@leg.wa.gov ; Tim.Probst@leg.wa.gov ; Ann.Rivers@leg.wa.gov ; Cindy.Ryu@leg.wa.gov ; Joe.Schmick@leg.wa.gov ; Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov ; Larry.Springer@leg.wa.gov ; Pat.Sullivan@leg.wa.gov ; Kevin.VanDeWege@leg.wa.gov ; Judy.Warnick@leg.wa.gov ; Eileen.Cody@leg.wa.gov ; Joe.Fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Hours for Teaching and Preparation Rule of Thumb: 2-4 Hours of Prep for 1 Hour of Class

Many instructors may wonder how much prep time to spend on a class. Prep time can mean different things to different people. Many instructors assume prep time includes only the time spent getting ready for a particular class. Other instructors include meetings with students, advising, meetings with other faculty, professional development, and the numerous tasks and responsibilites of teaching.

The University of California at Berkeley included a discussion of actual preparation hours for class.
The newsletter contained the guidelines that distinguish between a class a teacher has taught before and a new class. For a class taught before, the teacher should plan to spend 2 hours out-of-class for each hour of class for preparation and grading. For a new class, the teacher should plan to spend 4 hours out-of-class for each hour of class.
The Office of Educational Development. Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning, Academic Planning and Facilities. "Instructor Preparation Time." 

Other experts concur. The DeCal site answers the question: "Developing a Course: How Much Planning Time Should I Allow for Getting a Good Class Together?"
"Most teachers spend at least two hours in prep time outside class for every hour spent inside class. Most teachers working with material for the first time spend three or more hours in prep per every one hour in class."»

Teaching and the Case Method Harvard Business School Press. "Spend a maximum of two hours prep time for each class hour."

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Mader v State of Washington

Mader v State of Washington
http://204.200.167.203/pastcases.html

This information, via the attorneys' website, of Bendich, Stobaugh, and Strong, explains the successful lawsuit brought against the State of Washington by faculty who are called "part-time," and whose work hours were "mischaracterized."

Mader v. State of Washington, et al., No. 98-2-30850-8 SEA (King County Superior Court
Class action on behalf of part-time community college instructors who worked half-time or more, but who were denied retirement benefits because their work hours were mischaracterized to give the appearance of working below half-time. Settled in 2002 for $12 million.
News articles re Mader v. State:

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Mader v. Health Care Authority

This links to the case Mader v. Health Care Authority, also referred to as "Mader II."
"Supreme Court of the State of Washington Opinion Information Sheet
Docket Number: 72273-1
Title of Case:
Eva Mader, Teresa Boyden (aka Knudsen) v. The Health Care Authority
File Date: 06/05/2003
Oral Argument Date: 11/13/002"

Mader v. Health Care Authority
h:tp://www.appeal-law.com/appeals/mader.html

Additional Sources:

State of Washington Appropriations for Mader II
http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/lbns/2004sa.pdf

Reference to Mader v. Health Care Authority in a Law Book
http://books.google.com/books?id=0pjru3veKjMC&pg=PA192&lpg=PA192&dq=mader+v.+health+care+authority&source=bl&ots=sSAlFEsp15&sig=Qqr0uKEWykLJUc2Sqmv7K2wDxho&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DWYPT--zOqOLiAKK5eXBDQ&ved=0CB0Q6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=mader%20v.%20health%20care%20authority&f=false