Research/Publish/Teaching and Grading

[HigherEd7]

I am finding it very difficult to conduct research and writing, preparing for classes, and then spending hours grading assignments. How do you have time to conduct research needed to spend the time needed to write? HELP

[Ruralguy]

Of course this is going to depend on load and how much flexibility you generally have.

But I think you just have to pick your moments wisely.

During the first two months of the school year I wasn't working on research much, but after I had to write a number of internal proposals it made me think more about what I've been doing, and for the last month I've been finding at least a little time almost every day, and now I'm, much closer to finishing a particular article. It does mean juggling some teaching and service at times, and probably after thanksgiving it will be wall to wall teaching/grading until the end.

In general though, if you feel yourself not being able to make the time, you probably should just force yourself to do it for an hour or two, and then repeat.

[spork]

[. . .]

spending hours grading assignments.

[. . .]

I don't spend hours grading. It's a pointless time suck. Simple rubrics and exemplars are your friend.

[ProfMeow]

You say you have to spend hours grading assignments.  Maybe there's room for optimization here:  does every assignment need detailed notes?  Could you have the students peer-grade occasionally?  You'll get faster at grading as you get more practice, too:  I'm always suprised at how much more slowly grad-student TAs grade than I do.  Here are two small tricks that work for me.  1.  When I give a quiz (10 minutes at the end of class), I spend that time starting to grade the homeworks, and can usually make a perceptible dent.  2.  I grade question 1 on all the papers, then question 2, and so on;  that way, I have my rubric fresh in mind ("this error = 2 pts off, that one = 3") so I  don't have to look back and see what I did with a fundamentally similar answer.  Both more consistent and faster.

[Puget]

Class prep and grading will expand to fill all the time you give them, so it's critical to schedule your writing/research time and stick with it. To do this, you need to:

1. Make a strategic plan for the semester: List all your projects (papers, chapters, grants-- whatever applies to you) and set deadlines for those that don't have external deadlines. Then, map out what you will work on each week (be specific -- e.g., not "work on paper A" but "draft section X of paper A and send to co-authors" or whatever).

2. Make a weekly writing plan at the start of each week-- transfer the specific tasks from your strategic plan to your weekly plan, assigning them to days and putting the time you will work on each day on your calendar. Treat this like a meeting with yourself. This way, you are writing every (work) day, even if it is a small chunk.

If you don't have a plan, you will always be doing the urgent thing of the moment and not the important things without deadlines.

[ciao_yall]

[. . .]

spending hours grading assignments.

[. . .]

I don't spend hours grading. It's a pointless time suck. Simple rubrics and exemplars are your friend.

^ This.

[Parasaurolophus]

Yup. You have to cut back in some areas, and prioritize others.

The first time you teach a course, it's just gonna take time, since you have to generate all the materials. Once it's done, though, resist the urge to change it in significant ways. Tinker at the margins, so that it gradually improves, but choose your tinkering wisely. You want to minimize the new prep work you have to do in any given semester. For that reason, it's really nice to just teach the same classes over and over again, even if it's dull.

Choose your assignments carefully, and prioritize easy-to-grade stuff. I also automate as much of my grading as I can through the LMS. That saves me oodles of time, even though it's not the greatest pedagogical strategy. I also have most of my students do presentations, however, and that has the advantage of being pretty decent, pedagogically, but also cutting me some teaching slack--plus, it's very easy to grade.

Beyond that, you just have to take your research time when it comes (e.g. during empty office hours, for an hour or two at a time), and know which projects to prioritize when.

[Wahoo Redux]

Group work.  Students prefer it; it is pedagogically sound; and if they are working well you can use this time to grade and/or work on your own projects.

Do minimal markings and tell students that if they want more feedback they can see you.  I give my more motivated students longer feedback, knowing they will read it, and my less motivated students the Cliffs Notes version, figuring they will not.

Whenever you can, teach what you know well; this can cut way down on prep time.

Go steady every day.  Produce 100 or 200 words a night and edit on the weekend.  You can produce a 1,000 words a week that way.  Power write over Christmas and the summer.  A remarkable amount of work can be accomplished this way, and I have had heavy loads, sometimes with commutes.

[HigherEd7]

Thanks for the great feeback and tips! I have been bogged down with assignments for years.............time to make some changes!

[AvidReader]

Exactly this:

Class prep and grading will expand to fill all the time you give them, so it's critical to schedule your writing/research time and stick with it. To do this, you need to:

1. Make a strategic plan for the semester: List all your projects (papers, chapters, grants-- whatever applies to you) and set deadlines for those that don't have external deadlines. Then, map out what you will work on each week (be specific -- e.g., not "work on paper A" but "draft section X of paper A and send to co-authors" or whatever).

2. Make a weekly writing plan at the start of each week-- transfer the specific tasks from your strategic plan to your weekly plan, assigning them to days and putting the time you will work on each day on your calendar. Treat this like a meeting with yourself. This way, you are writing every (work) day, even if it is a small chunk.

If you don't have a plan, you will always be doing the urgent thing of the moment and not the important things without deadlines.

I schedule my research time for a location (ideally the library) as if it were a class. I walk there on time. I turn off my phone and do not check my email. If I can help it, I leave my computer's wifi off and note references or dates or quotations I need to verify later so that I won't be distracted by "urgent" things (I also don't have children, so being inaccessible doesn't really matter).

I also schedule my grading time; at the beginning of the semester, I map all my assignment deadlines on a giant calendar. I leave myself one day a week with no grading, and write on the calendar the number of papers I would need to grade each day in order to stay on top of my grading-- e.g. If Class A has a paper due on Monday and I have 25 students, I plan to grade ~6 each day for 3 days, skip a day, and grade any late work on Friday. Ideally, I'd schedule the deadline for Class B for Wednesday or Thursday, and do 6 a day for them Thurs, Sat, & Mon, with the last papers and any late work on Wednesday. I don't stick to 6 per day, of course: some days I schedule myself to grade 2 or 3 items because I know I will have other responsibilities and less time. I also like to build in one or two catch-up days for unforeseen complications.

AR.