What do college/university professors do when they're not in the classroom teaching?

Answer 1

Assuming a 3/3 courseload (average), we only spend about 9 hours a week in the classroom. However, we are not merely teachers. We are scholars/researchers, and we are administrators.

As part of our job, we must:
- publish constantly, by researching, writing, preparing and submitting book reviews, scholarly articles, and books to journals and publishers
- read constantly in order to keep up with new developments in our field (both books and scholarly journals)
- present at conferences once or twice a year, which involves researching, writing, and submitting about 4 proposals annually
- prepare new courses, and update old courses, as departments are constantly undergoing curriculum review
- participate in pedagogical workshops
- serve on national, university, and department committees
- submit reams of paperwork to university administration for every single thing we do, including grades, course changes, curriculum change, departmental review and benchmarking, etc.

Those of us who are also directors of undergraduate or graduate studies or department chairs also have increased administrative duties, which I will not detail here.

As I tell my students who are interested in becoming university professors, the greatest thing about being a professor is the time flexibility -- you can work any 70 hours a week you want.

My time usually divides up like this:
9 hours/week in the classroom
8-10 hours/week class prep/course revision
15-20 hours/week research/reading
10-15 hours/week writing
8 hours/week committees/workshops/lectures
7 hours/week meeting with students/grading
5 hours/week administering the graduate program I direct

Oh, and summers? I teach two courses, work with graduate students on their theses, do graduate student recruitment and graduate program administration, and do research and write, write, write.

Answer 2

Yes, go an talk to him. You may be giving him the impression that you don't care quite unconsciously- maybe because you haven't been feeling well in general. It may be your expression, the intonation of your voice, whether you appear to be paying attention in class, or a number of other things. It sounds to me like he thinks you're a promising student, but that you're not taking the class seriously. If he thought you weren't capable of good work, he probably wouldn't bother talking to you at all. The fact that he walked out like that makes me think that he might have been very upset by what he thought was your lack of interest that day in class, and just couldn't talk about it anymore because he was upset. Tell him that you are concerned that he thinks you're not interested, that you've had some other problems, but you're sorry if you've given that impression. Believe me, teachers are very happy when students show an interest and worry about the teacher's opinion!

Answer 3

At the top schools, most college professors look at teaching as a necessary evil. They are not hired to teach -- they are hired to do research.

Most of their time is spent writing papers and trying to get them published.

Answer 4

In theory at least professors should be doing research and writing, reading to keep up to date in their subject area, being available for consultation with students during certain office hours, serving on departmental and university committees, and perhaps being active in professional associations. Oh yes, they prepare lectures for future classes and mark papers.

Answer 5

Mark papers, prepare lectures, undertake research, write books, deliver paper at symposia, attend conferences, meet with students, meet with our peers, etc.
Some even have a life outside of the college/university and do real things, just like real people.

Answer 6

I know a college professor PhD and everything and currently employed at a university. He works with me as a security guard

Answer 7

both my parents are college professors and dad golfs, reads, collects fountain pens. Mom reads, writes, researches, counsels ladies in their church, teaches seminars on teaching and visits her grandbabies (dad too). They're pretty normal folks...I guess...hahaha

Answer 8

Mark assignments, prepare lectures, whatever that they have to prepare regarding their work... attend seminars, do research...

other options: chatting, talking on the phone, having a drink, eating.... whatever normal and sane individuals do...

answer to yahoo questions as well :) :)

Answer 9

We do research, review each other's work, prepare lectures, write, and do more research.