GAH! (Day job stress)

[jpskewedthrone]

So, as part of my day job, and part of the tenure-track position I'm in, I have to submit a portfolio every couple of years to get rehired for another couple of years. One of the things they asked when I got my first packet back was that I include ALL of the written student evaluations (I'd assumed they couldn't possibly want ALL of them, so selected a few at random). At the time I shrugged and said, oh well. I'll just copy them all and stick them in.

But no. Apparently this is not all that they want. What they want is the original copies in the Master portfolio and then in the subsequent 6 smaller folders that you must also submit, they want TYPEWRITTEN TRANSCRIBED copies of all of the evaluations. And not just all from the past year. They want them all SINCE YOU STARTED WORKING THERE.

Now, in the normal course of events, a professor's classes at this college would consist of maybe 15 students each. But I don't teach normal classes. I teach math classes, and have taught the Gen Ed courses for the most part, which means my average class size is around 25. And generally these students don't just put down "great class" or "class sucked" as an evaluation. I somehow end up getting paragraphs for my evaluations. I generally view this as a good thing though, because it shows the students cared enough to say something about my class. And I like getting feedback. But . . .

So now I have to go back and transcribe all of my previous evaluations for the past 4 semesters. That's about 14 classes. 25 evaluations per class. Paragraphs of words. You do the math (I'm on break).

But I want to be hired for another 2 years, so today I broke out the evals and the word processor and began. I got through one semester (4 classes). It took me nearly 2 hours. My back hurts and I really wish that students would learn how to correctly spell "recammend" and "quizes" and "perfessor." (We have to transcribe them verbatim, errors and all.) So I'm putting the evals away for another day now and getting myself some chocolate, damn it!

Comments

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

chocolate may not be enough. I suggest whisky. good lord -- recammend?!?!

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

That's just one of the one's I remembered. And we can all throw grammar out the door as well, apparently.

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

I would almost recommend hiring this job out to a broke grad student.

[stormsdotter.livejournal.com]

I totally second this. Throw in free pizza and coffee and they'll fight for the job!

As a side note, I used to tutor calculus and spent a year editing HS Math textbooks. It's nice to know I'm not the only person coming to writing from a math background.

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

This was suggested by others in the department, but I'm not sure I want someone else (a student in particular) privy to the evaluations.

On a side note, I was told that the secretaries in some departments at the college are forced to do these for all of their professors. *shudders, but is envious of other departments*

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

Out-source it to India.

[zianuray.livejournal.com]

My back hurts and I really wish that students would learn how to correctly spell "recammend" and "quizes" and "perfessor." (We have to transcribe them verbatim, errors and all.)

Good thing you don't teach English!

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

But being a writer while transcribing this is utter hell.

[zianuray.livejournal.com]

I've done a little proofreading, and typos on billboards simultaneously amuse and irritate me so I can empathize to an extent.

The point I intended to make, however, is that if their evals read like that, their English teachers should get a failing grade!

[shanrina.livejournal.com]

Ouch. Just...ouch. My sympathies.

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[rosinavs.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's painful. Eat chocolate, drink alcohol, post more funny misspellings again tomorrow.

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Hmm . . . I'll have to keep track of them. *grin*

[mtlawson.livejournal.com]

Is that standard at most universities or a peculiarity of yours?

[vespican.livejournal.com]

I would imagine that these comments were written as "first drafts," and that the students didn't have much of a chance (if any) to go back and proof them. I'd hope that if they had had the chance, they would have caught at least a few of these errors.

As someone with nothing beyond a high school diploma,the quality of writing exhibited by many of those with supposedly more education never fails to amaze me.

Dave

[mardott.livejournal.com]

Ah, bureaucracy in action. This is a good example of Administrative Positions That Shouldn't Exist. Just think how much money the college could save if they eliminated those positions and hired more teachers.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

University admin is run from one of the layers of hell, I am sure. We had a very similar practice at my last place -- and my first year lectures could be up to 120 students. We used to fantasise about making the administrators produce similar portfolia. Much sympathy.