Last night my 8 week US politics course finished up–its the same credits as a 16 week course, but we meet once a week for 4 hours for 8 weeks, so everything is condensed. These types of courses are primarily aimed at the non-traditional student who works during the day, although many traditional aged students take them as well.
Three or four hour courses are not uncommon in colleges today, and when we tell job candidates about them, the reaction typically varies from mild horror to ‘thanks, i’d rather not have a job right now’. My reaction was similar at first, but I’ve come to love these courses. Here are my top five reasons to perk up at the chance to teach a long night class.
5. It counts as part of your load.
We have a 3-3 teaching load, with no more than 25 students per class. The 8 week class counts as part of the load–which means that the other 8 weeks, I only have two courses. Teach two night classes a semester, and you either have a 2-2 the entire year, or if you teach them at the same time, the odd 3-1. And if you want to pick up some extra cash via an overload, a night class in your ‘off’ term is the way to do it.
4. You Can Take Advantage of the Down Time
You have to break up the time anyway–the best lecturer in the world is not going to keep students on their toes for 4 hours week after week. Sure you can give them ‘breaks’ but why not take it further? In the middle of each class I give the students a 15 minute break followed by ‘current issues discussion’. The break is long enough for them to scour the local food options for dinner; then we sit down and eat while talking politics for 20-30 minutes. Each week 3-4 students are responsible for choosing the issue and leading the discussion, which has the added bonus of giving me a break and time to eat my own dinner. Its a great way to take a ‘break’ from the class while still giving the students time to talk and learn.
3. Active Learning Bonanza
Four hour classes offer an amazing opportunity to try out active learning principles. There is so much room for simulations and games in these classes–finally you have the time to brief, play the game, and debrief. You can get the students out of their seats and moving around, and still have plenty of time to hit the highlights of the week’s topic. In a four hour class, active learning becomes a necessary part of the course.
2. Students Can Really Learn The Material
I don’t find any difference in student learning in the 16 and 8 week version of my US politics course. As previously posted, I use the US citizenship test as a pre- and post- test in this class, and the 8 week students do just as well as the 16 week students (last nights crop was no different: on the pre-test only 1 student passed; on the post-test everyone passed). Students sometimes feel that they are missing out by only having 8 weeks instead of 16, and indeed they have to learn the material twice as quickly. But I can be confident that these students aren’t being cheated in any way.
1. They Push You as a Teacher
I may feel exhausted both before and after I step into the classroom, but while I’m there, I’m completely energized. Four hours isn’t a hardship: its an opportunity–an opportunity to figure out the essential ideas of each content area and how to deliver it to the students. I can experiment with new types of assessment, with new games and simulations, with readings, and with different technologies. The challenges of this kind of course have led me to engage in more reflection on my teaching than any other course.
Are there downsides? Sure. Its exhausting. The students are sometimes late to class due to traffic or work or kid issues; and sometimes they power down despite your best efforts. But these hassles are no different than those faced in day time classes. So my advice? If you get a chance to teach a non-traditionally timed class, jump at it. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy it!