TWILAP, Two Weeks in the Life of an Accounting Professor. Most people think I only work a few hours per week, just the time spent in the classroom. They aren’t aware of all the behind the scenes activity. In this series, I’ll journalize on what it’s like to be a professor.
I’m rededicating myself to work today. Must finish grading projects. Must plan for tomorrow’s classes. Nothing else matters. Only 13.5 hours available, must make every minute count.
Comic published yesterday so perfectly describes how long I’m expected to work. Thanksgiving isn’t on the list. PhDComics.com is written for graduate students. Professors, though, are expected to work as hard and as long as students.
9:55-10:40 a.m. TWILAP. Established goals for week.
10:40-11:40 a.m. E-mail. Nothing important enough to cite.
12:25-12:50 p.m. In transit.
12:50-3:50 p.m. Class preparation for Intermediate Accounting. During this block of time I have a lot to do. I write my own homework (HW) problems, hoping that they are more realistic and general that the often picayune problems that accompany most accounting textbooks. I had to repair solutions for my receivables HW. I also had to get problems ready for the chapter on inventory methods. I don’t collect HW from my classes for grading. No professor should do this, because HW is intended for students to learn. They shouldn’t be graded on learning attempts, because it is normal to expect imperfections during learning, and not everyone learns as quickly as others. Instead, professors should wait until after students have learned the material and are ready to perform on tests. In Intermediate Accounting, I send out solutions so that students can check their work. Do students work on HW without getting credit? My experience is that they do. I wait until the end of the semester, and then require students to show me that they worked at least 80% of all assigned HW problems.
3:50-4:10 p.m. Class preparation for Managerial Accounting.
4:10-4:15 p.m. E-mail.
4:15-4:40 p.m. In transit back home.
5:40-11:59 p.m. Grading Intermediate Accounting projects. Students are doing well, but grading is still drudgery for professors.
Total: 12 hours, 20 minutes.
Debit and credit – - David Albrecht
