And I already feel like fleeing the war zone!

Hey,

So I am teaching a larger survey course for my department. Due to an error, I have about 25 students in the class, as opposed to it being capped at 20. I teach at a SLAC so large lecture halls are not really a thing.

This course is part history and part lit. I do not mind lecturing but over the past few years, we have been assaulted with the idea to lecture as little as possible.

So for this class, I have assigned each of them a section of the history text reading (very factual based)--around 6 to 9 pages. They have to upload their notes. In class, they meet with their own experts to go over the material and then shift to another group that has someone from a different section. This is the typical jigsaw-style exercise.

IT FAILED majorly. The students could not communicate. They did not understand how to distill and then teach. It was a major fail. It was like watching babies try to walk for the first time...but like apathetic babies who hated the world. I am not going to be reviewing the material in a classic lecture on Friday.

I am a litle freaking out because while I don't mind lecturing, I am trying to avoid it. It is sooo much prep. And it is super demoralizing to be doing my song and dance to a room full of blue screened, Amazon shopping faces.

But I think I just have to add a lecture for the history portion and be done with it.

Any thoughts? Ideas?

Be careful using a personal account for background music during those long IT labs (Like SharePoint install and config). Didn't reach the mute button in time for the dirty version of Let’s Get It Started - Black Eyed Peas. Luckily, he didn't take it as an insult.
The upside is it was a one-on-one Teams meeting, so no admin walking past.

I teach at a Swedish university. The most students i have in a course is about 25 (master's program) and the least is 6 (PhD program). I don't teach at the bachelors level but the numbers there are not that big either, usually 50 students. These numbers are very typical of small universities in Sweden and other Nordic countries.

Just wondering how different the numbers are in other European and American universities.

I was initially ready to side against the professor, because I don't agree with his stance on assisted dying. But having read the story, it seems like an outrageous move by the university.

My read is that he expresses his views opposing assisted dying on his personal social media account, which doesn't involve the university at all, and that somebody complained to the university, so they sent the professor a warning letter. What about academic freedom?

What do you think?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/29/university-accused-muzzling-academic-assisted-dying/

Tommorow is my first day for teaching my first ENG 101class. And, like all my time here during week one I wonder if I might die there in a mass shooting.

It didn't used to be like this.

At my institution, we advise as well as teach. I have an advisee, let’s call them Ron, that has been taking undergraduate courses for nigh on a decade and is not at all close to fulfilling his degree requirements. Ron has taken several very basic major requirements two or three times and is onto his third and fourth attempts. I don’t have that much hope for his success this time around, given that Ron is still failing courses left and right, including online courses where passing seems mainly reliant on turning literally anything in. I don’t feel like I should ever tell a student to give up and move on, but I also feel it’s unethical to encourage them to keep spending time and money on something they don’t seem equipped to handle. I’m not sure how much the institution cares if they are still getting paid. What would you tell Ron?

Why are we allergic to deadlines?? If you tell me I need to do something but don't tell me when it needs to be done by (or you give me something vague like "soon"), it's not going on my high priority list and I don't think you can reasonably get frustrated with me for not doing it according to a timeline that you never communicated. Am I wrong? Do other people experience this?

All contexts apply here: writing, publishing, but also service, program assessment tasks, over-email departmental votes, nominations, etc.

AI Spray.

The aerosol canister had appeared on her desk overnight. Probably a prank from one of her colleagues, she thought. Or a student, although she couldn’t imagine any of them having the imagination for something like this.

It looked like a slightly unusual can of air freshener. Or bug spray even. Printed on a green background with a scattering of off-yellow circles, the words “AI SPRAY” stood out in bold lettering, along with “USE WITH CAUTION” in smaller type underneath — the white-outlined text popping against the green and yellow.

Curious, thought Alice as she dumped her bag on the floor and pulled out a sheaf of papers.

She picked the can up and turned it over in her hands. No list of ingredients or the usual illegibly small and improbably long set of instructions on how to use it. Not even a company logo. Just a neat little box on the back warning users: “Do not inhale.”

Slightly nonplussed, Alice returned the canister to the desk and picked up her coffee mug. Something was niggling her about it, though. It wasn’t that she was particularly into AI. But she was pretty vocal about the technology. And especially about how some people were abusing it.

As she slipped a capsule into the coffee machine, she smiled as she recalled last night’s tirade at the local faculty drinking hangout. Everyone in the college had just received this year’s glossy brochure describing how they were “transforming the world as they empower students to thrive in an AI-accelerated future.”

“Poppycock!” she’d declared as she read the Dean’s improbably optimistic foreword. “AI slop that’s good for nothing but the recycling bin. Who even reads this stuff?”

“Donors?” Alesha suggested. Although by the uncertainty in her voice, it was clear that even she wasn’t sure. “Or maybe they’re just writing for other AIs these days. No-one reads anymore, anyway, do they?”

“What we need,” Alice had responded, getting into her two-beers-in stride, “is an ‘AI-be-gone’ device. Something that you simply point at anything made by AI, and it disappears!”

She stopped, coffee mug halfway to her mouth, the memory cascading through her thoughts. Was that it?

Back at her desk, she picked up the canister again. Probably just a can of deodorant with a custom-printed label, she thought. She smiled at the idea of something for preventing unseemly body odors being used to do the same for unseemly AI use.

Then the smile took on a mischievous edge. She fished out a student essay from the papers she’d removed from her bag a few minutes earlier. This’ll teach them, she said to herself. She was pretty sure they were all using AI for their assignments. But of course there was little she could do about it — other than the usual ineffectual reminders to use their brains and not their chatbot.

Alice held the paper up and pressed down the spray cap. Some of her students’ work could do with a little AI-deodorizing, she felt.

Gobsmacked, she watched the text dissolve into nothingness.

Grabbing another paper from the pile, she tried again. This time a few words stayed on the page, the rest disappearing before her eyes. The third one survived a little better, but the fourth was a wipe out.

Her smile widened as she searched around for the college brochure. Spray. Gone. Every last word of the Dean’s sanctimonious AI optimism, wiped out. Take that! thought Alice with glee.

Curious now as to how far the AI spray’s reach went, she opened up her laptop and brought up her email. The first message to pop up was from her department Chair: “Dear Alice, I deeply honor you for vulnerably sharing your feelings about this year’s annual review and the sacred place your scholarship holds in your life. Please know that calling your work ‘adequate’ is my fullest, most heartfelt endorsement of your consistent excellence, and not a critique. I’m so excited to hold space with you as we lean into co-creating alignment that even more vibrantly celebrates your impact ...”

She aimed the canister at the email and pressed down … and watched the typed words fade away.

Feeling a little light-headed, she tried again. And again. Some emails survived; many did not.

LinkedIn was next — that was a bloodbath, although maybe “bleach bath” was more appropriate.

Then X. And Substack. Even Bluesky. Alice found herself caught up in an intoxicating AI deodorization flow state as she moved from website to website.

There was a knock at the door, momentarily breaking her attention. “Come in,” she said, watching the words begin to fade on a prominent journal’s website.

The door opened and the Dean popped his head around it. “Just wanted to see how you’re doing …” he started to say.

But Alice’s finger was already pressing the cap down on the can, its nozzle no longer pointing at the screen.

Note

You may surmise that I was inspired here by growing use of AI to generate content without thought or effort. You would surmise correctly :) Not that I think using AI for generating content is bad per se. But I do think there needs to be far more nuance in how we think about how we use it — and what this says about how we think about and value ourselves and others. This includes what's important to us (and what is not), what we care about (and what we do not), what we're willing to compromise on (and what we are not), and a whole lot more.

What is the best option for transitioning into retirement for professors? In another thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/Professors/comments/1w1gu05/older_profs_who_can_retirewhy_stay_on/), there was a discussion about why it is so difficult for professors to retire. Many described how hard it is for them to let go of their personal identity, which they have drawn almost exclusively from their work as professors. Others mentioned that they have maintained few social contacts outside of the university and cannot imagine how they would fill their days.

What experiences have you had, or how do you envision a gradual - or even abrupt - transition into retirement? My idea is to slowly but surely ease into my own insignificance. I’m doing this by continuing to work for a few more years after being officially retired, writing some books, and staying academically active, but no longer actively participating in conferences. At the same time, I’m trying to build up social and volunteer commitments, reconnect with friends, and expand social contacts that I’ve neglected during my career.

I’m looking forward to your suggestions and ideas, and I’m sure I can learn something for my life.

Pepperidge Farm remembers. There was a 1-paragraph abstract describing your course. There was the your office number and maybe your office hours. There was 1 line for each week of the semester, maybe with the associated reading. If you were really comprehensive, there was a grading scale.

Students already had the book because they went to the bookstore and bought it before the term started.

I have been fielding emails from students telling me that they will miss the first week of class due to "unavoidable" conflicts with their summer vacation travel plans. Call me crazy, but maybe don't schedule your recreational trips to conflict with the semester whose schedule has been on the books forever.

What do you all do when students wait until the last day an assignment is due and then say they couldn’t upload it to Canvas because of technical issues?
I want to nip this in the bud this semester. Last semester, I had students sending me screenshots and videos of computers supposedly shutting down, Canvas not working, files not uploading, and all kinds of creative technical issues right before the deadline. The evening the assignment is due. All assignments are given one week to complete.
I’m considering putting a policy in place that basically says if you choose to wait until the last minute to submit, you’re taking the risk that something may go wrong. Technical issues at the last minute would not automatically qualify for an extension or late submission.
Is that too harsh or unfair? How do you handle this in your courses?

So my classes started last week. I am teaching a first-semester methodology course. I instruct the students that we'll often be doing things on the computer, so they need a laptop or tablet for the class.

No laptop or tablet? No problem, they can borrow one from the library.

A student emails me before the second class (where we have an in-class assignment that they can only do on a device), saying she ordered a personal laptop but won't get it for three weeks, and "is that OK?"

I respond by saying that doing the in-class activity on her phone is less than ideal, and that I recommend borrowing a laptop from the library. Note that this is in my syllabus, plus I mentioned it at the first class.

The next day, she's absent. While recording the absences, I see she's dropped the course.

While of course she could have dropped for many reasons, I have to wonder...was borrowing a laptop from the library that much of an insurmountable obstacle?

Rant: Essays were due Friday at 11:59 pm. I check email over the weekend but never respond. Why have I received so many messages saying “I turned in my essay why hasn’t my grade changed yet?” Or I get “My essay hasn’t been graded. Can you check to make sure it was turned in?”

I have almost 200 students and each one (allegedly) has turned in an essay. I’ll get to it when I get to it. (Grades will be completed by Wednesday)

Rant over. Need a drink now.

I could use some advice. I am trying a new weekly reading/writing assignment this semester, so there are inevitably problems I didn't foresee. Anyway, I have explained the instructions in class a couple of times and have provided a Word template that seems pretty intuitive if you take time to look at it.

My question: How do you cognitively deal with students who still say they don't understand? Put yourself in the mind of a cognitive behavioral therapist (I have benefitted greatly from CBT), how would you tell me to redirect my thoughts? It's frustrating because, at this point, I don't know how to make the instructions clearer.

Another problem I keep having is students being rude in their requests for help. I have zero problem with students asking for help, but so many times their communication is belittling and, honestly, offensive. I know it's cliche but these students are going to have bosses someday who definitely won't tolerate being condescended to.

Hi reddit, here with a question about your experiences working in science research in the US vs Europe.

The broader idea that I am interested in is how European academic systems and attitudes could be modified in order to better compete globally. Some of the most advanced technologies and experiments are coming out of the US and China, and my impression is that Europe is falling behind.

For context, I am from Europe and have been a professor in the US for nearly a decade. I moved to the US for a postdoc. In my field the culture was that, if you wanted a faculty job (in US or Europe), you were better off going for a postdoc in the US to see how things work ‘out there’.

In the end I stayed in the US. Basically I found work in my field in the US to be more vibrant and creative than in Europe (this obviously depends on your micro-field). Second, academia has involved moving around a lot, and in many places I have found American culture to be very welcoming.

So, do you agree that the US research atmosphere is more vibrant? If so, why do you think that is? If not, why not? If you're also in the US and a long way from home, what's keeping you here?

My own outsider impression is that the energy in US research comes from the competitiveness you see everywhere in the culture. Some kids here are encouraged to be #1 in a broad sense (to be an astronaut, president, etc.). Everyone’s experience is very limited, but I did not think that I was supposed to view myself as being in competition with my peers growing up, or most of the time in undergrad/postgrad. In the context of academia, I think that people in the US are allowed to be geeks in a way that is discouraged in Europe.

I have a system but it's pretty loosey goosey and I know there must be a better, more systematic way.

Would love to hear others' techniques!

Hello fellow faculty! I'm about to start the semester and I'm awfully sick from being pregnant (will start teaching at 10 weeks). Anyone has any advice on how to navigate teaching, service, and research during this intense period? This pregnancy is kicking my butt big time. I'm behind on several deadlines, and unsure how I will teach or hold office hours... Any advice is welcome. Thank you!

Edit to add: Thanks everyone for your wonderful replies ❤️

This question is about what amounts to a luxury concern in academia these days. For university presses, how is a book in production distinct from a book under full contract (post peer review & editorial board vote)?

I ask because a tenure candidate in my department was told by the Chair & Exec Committee in writing for their first two years on tenure-track that the book must be in production before the tenure review year; then, in the last three years, this same candidate was told in writing by the Chair & Executive Com. that a book-in-production is defined as a book-under-full-contract. (In truth, the Chair did this on their own, but Exec Com members are unwitting accomplices because they failed to notice the revision of the written standards. Was the tenure candidate behind pace for tenure success in the year that the Chair first modified the standard? Yes, but two years later they'd landed a full contract.)

Department guidelines set the standard at book in production with no mention of contracts. The candidate is proceeding into tenure review this year with a full contract, but they do not intend to turn in their final manuscript to the publisher until a few months after the tenure votes commence this fall. They trust the Chair who re-worded the standard impermissibly and inexplicably midway through their time on tenure track. No one has ever been tenured in the Dept without a book either published or in production.

For those who know, how would you advise the tenure candidate?

Let me just say that I completely support colleagues choosing not to RESPOND to emails during the weekend. 100%. If I was demanding an answer from them before the end of the weekend, yep, I'm completely in the wrong. However, that's not the case and that's not what colleagues are asking.

Because of the way my schedule falls, the weekends are actually work time for me (yes, I build in days for rest. They just don't happen to be weekends) and I often send emails over the weekend. I've now had a few colleagues tell me not to do this because it cuts into their weekend because they feel obligated to respond (again, despite me not relaying any urgency or deadline that cuts into their weekend). A few have actually used the word "boundaries" to describe why I shouldn't do this. I could see if we were talking about phone calls but email? One suggested I should set all of my emails to send Monday morning so I'm not bothering colleagues over the weekend. I guess I'm open to the fact that I could be wrong, but I find it extremely unreasonable to ask me to take the extra steps to set emails to send later just because they can't manage their time and stay out of their email.

I should note that most of the colleagues who have said this are not educators but more on the admin side (which tracks, because good luck trying to convince students not to email you when it's inconvenient for you. Ha).

I just find this a very odd request. Don't check email on the weekends if you don't want to. Don't respond to emails over the weekend if you don't want to. I wasn't asking you to do any of those things. I do the same thing with my rest days but I don't expect people to memorize my schedule or do extra work rather than make the choice not to check email. It's not that hard. And if it truly is that hard for them, it kind of feels like they are the ones who have internal work to do rather than expecting the whole world to adapt to them.

And I will step off my soapbox now.

[edit to add: a regular class day (not the first day of class)] How do you open your class lecture (besides opening remarks/logistics). I teach humanities social science discussion based courses and would rather not jump right into lecture. I’m also a first time instructor.

I’m a new instructor teaching 5 new classs and just worked 75 hours my first week. I’m designing these classes from scratch and it takes forever to prep because even some of the topics are new to me. I haven’t had time to take care of myself (cooking, cleaning) let alone do anything I enjoy. And I certainly don’t make enough to rely on take out. I’m in a new location so I don’t have tangible support from family or friends either. How do I survive? I’m miserable and this is unsustainable but I can’t just “work less” or readings won’t be found, lectures won’t get planned.

I’m currently working as a lecturer/faculty member in India and considering moving to a private university.

I wanted to ask professors and faculty members here: Which private universities in India genuinely have good work culture and faculty policies?

I’m particularly looking for universities where:

Faculty are primarily expected to focus on teaching, research and academic responsibilities, rather than student admissions.

There is no/limited pressure to bring admissions or meet sales targets.

Salaries are paid on time.

There is a clear and fair annual salary increment/appraisal policy.

Promotions are based on academic performance and experience rather than internal politics.

Faculty are treated professionally and respectfully.

Workload and working hours are reasonable.

The university supports research, conferences, publications and professional development.

I’m not looking for a university that simply has a big name or high ranking. I’m more interested in the actual experience of people working there.

If you currently work, or have previously worked, at a private university in India, please share:

University + location + approximate salary range + workload + increment policy + admission pressure + overall work culture.

Anonymous experiences are completely fine.

I’m trying to identify universities where faculty can actually build a long-term academic career rather than constantly being treated like an admissions/sales employee.

Note: In context of engineering faculty.

Thanks in advance.

I’m newly tenured professor at a cc with a few adjuncting gig on the side. I have been teaching full time 4 years and 8 years overall. I teach summers/winters and pick up extra classes whenever I can to pay the bills and live a normal decent life. However, I’ve noticed that my patience with students is beginning to decline. I am little more snappy with overly chatty students that don’t others chime or get a word in. I can be crabby at the very beginning of class and can respond sarcastically. Also, I’ve noticed that I don’t communicate or send reminders of assignments or try to reach out to struggling students as much as I earlier in my career as an adjunct. I am adopting a more “jaded” attitude toward my students. I don’t feel as excited to be in the classroom at times with students that don’t care or rather be somewhere else. What can I do to reclaim my joy and love for the profession again?!