College professors are some of the most well payed professionals within the education field and as part of our careers focus, today we are going to look at what these men and women do for their money. We spoke to the incredible education professional Kevin Rolle Alabama University Executive Vice President and a man with over 20 years experience in this industry, to find out a little more about college professors.
If this is a career which you have been considering, here is what you can expect to be doing.
Teaching
Naturally a big part of your day will be taken up in lectures with your students. Professors will usually have 3 or 4 classes per day, with a range of different year groups. The teaching side of being a professor is not the most time consuming task that these professionals will do, but it of course plays a key role in what they do each day.
Syllabus Planning
Unlike in high school where the curriculum and syllabus is planned and given out by the government or the State, in university there are simply guidelines around what to teach. What this means for professors is that they must be creative and inventive when it comes to mapping out how they will teach their subject. Usually during the summer months when all of the students are gallivanting during their vacation, university professors are hard at work planning out the coming years’ syllabus. This can be made especially difficult given that each year there are changes to the way in which professors teach, and the subject matter which they need to cover.
Marking
Much of a professor’s life is taken up marking papers from their classes and this can be a very time consuming and monotonous job. Different year groups will have different exams and tests at different times throughout the year which means a continuous amount of marking for professors.
Individual Time
Professors must make time to work with individual students and up to 15 hours per week could be taken up to do so. It is not only students who are perhaps struggling that university professors need to spend time with, but also those students who are studying for a higher level qualification such as a doctorate.
Working Within the University
Professors are actively encouraged to become members of the board in various aspects of university life and they can expect at least a few meetings each week, with responsibilities to take on. The role of a professor within the university is not just about teaching and they can often be involved in things like budgets, hiring and firing and planning for community activities within the university itself. Professors usually play a key role in the college family and beyond teaching the students, they have important roles within the decision-making side of things at the university.
And there you have it, the life of a college professor.
