Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Swampfox10mm]

This is message is meant for BA and MA-level university instructors.

When it comes to teaching your classes, what paperwork is expected of you regarding grades, etc? Does the school want copies of your homework, quizzes, tests, etc? How much paperwork do you need to turn in for your courses? Anything in addition to the list of who attended and who didn't?

It seems that this past year, my paperwork has quadrupled, and I feel as if I am sinking into a hole filled with useless Korean paperwork like I've seen Korean teachers at public schools do in the past -- paperwork which is expected, yet stuffed in a drawer and never looked at.


This past year, the following requirements have been added:

1. Submit a high, middle, and low copy from each quiz or test in each class that we give, plus homework samples. (this one alone created no less than an entire ream of paperwork for me to submit. You know those A4 copier packages of paper? Yes, my submission was AS THICK as one of those, and took me a week to put together).

2. Freshman classes are now required to have 4 quizzes in addition to the Midterm and Final. This means I have less time to teach, and have had to drop what I consider to be more meaningful exercises, such as presentations/speeches/group activities.

3. We now have online homework, courtesy of Pearson/Northstar. We spent several days learning the software, and came to realize that rather than making our lives easier, as initially sold to us, it has created more work. The students just click through it quickly. There are more in-depth exercises available, but they require extra hours of teacher input and grading. I have 8 classes and just don't have the time.

4. We must submit online reviews of every class, answering what every assignment, quiz, and test included, how long students had to study for it, percentage of overall score, etc. Then, we must give an overview of how we taught the class, followed by a paragraph on what we will change next semester.

5. We have been given 2 more camps this summer, and are expected to teach at least one of them, and/or teach extra conversation classes at some point during break. I love the money, but we're being told to submit a syllabus no later than this weekend for a class that begins in late August.

6. Each of us has been given the responsibility to plan/coordinate one of these camps, program the online homework (that took 3 meetings and 10 hours the first time we did it), or similar. We were never expected to design/plan/be in charge of coordinating the school's camps before.

So part of this post is a vent. Another part is to learn about what else is out there and see if this sort of thing has become commonplace at other universities in the Seoul area recently. I've been at this job for years, and although it's been great, morale here is dropping quickly. There comes a point when you begin to take a good, hard look at what I like to call the "Grief-to-Dollar Ratio" and consider other options.

What are you being asked to do at your university, in addition to regular teaching duties?

[Stout]

We're also required to do #1. Additionally, we're required to write a report of each class. Beyond that, nothing too major. I hope our school doesn't begin to adapt any of the bright ideas yours has recently.

[Swampfox10mm]

Thanks for the comment. It's good to get an idea of what other people have to do for their jobs.

When I started here, we needed only input our final grades and submit copies of class attendance.

A lot has changed. Change can be uncomfortable. Especially when it involves work that is buried in a file no one looks at, save for an initial glance to confirm that it has been done.

I don't think accountability is a bad thing, and would have been the first to say we needed more in our aare. Now, with our school having increased the number of foreign instructors by more than 12 in the past few years, I know some standardization is necessary.

The useless paperwork thing is a big hard to swallow, however. If someone actually took the time to look at it, it would be a different story.

[livinginkorea]

[Mr. Peabody]

Attendance and grades, verified with my signature. That is all.

Just curious Swampfox, you have 8 classes? Two hours each? 5 days a week?

[liveinkorea316]

I feel sorry for you man. I teach in a National University outside of Seoul and all we have to do is input final grades, give each student a short comment and keep an attendance sheet.

I worked in a Hagwon back in my home country before I came here and since some of our students were getting government refugee or immigrant funding we had to submit a mountain of useless paperwork for each class and student. Similar to yours - copies of each test (at least 6 tests for each class per semester), Entire syllabus before the semester began, lesson plans, student reports on each four skills, moderate eachothers' tests...it was one reason I was happy to leave that job. None of that work was paid extra but took alot of time. I usually tried to get out of it. No-one read it, it was only meant to satisfy government that the hagwon was actually teaching something.


I think your university has got it all wrong. The way to improve the teaching in a department or school is not to bury teachers in paperwork, but support them via good management and head teachers to help them achieve best practice. This should be done with paid training sessions, unevaluated peer assessments, sharing or methods and regular communication of good ideas.

[Bruce W Sims]

I guess this is rather much the other extreme from those institutions where everything is laid out----chapter and verse--- and one is expected to stay between the lines.

I tend to agree that a paper-chase like this has more to do with accountability to government oversight. Its a royal pain but the bright side is that it tends to come and go depending on the Economy and Political factors involved.

One experience I can share was the effort by a school I worked at which sought to establish a library of syllabi. The stated purpose was that subs ought be able to come into the class and teach a meaningful module after the fashion of the regular teacher. Not too sure how I feel about that. If they have my lesson plans, notes, quizzes and tests (with keys) why would they need to pay a full-timer, right?

In the area of Northern Illinois where I have worked, the shift in manning has become increasingly about having one or two FT people and a cadre of PT people who can be used or not used, from semester to semester, depending on enrollment and course demands. PT faculty are known to teach classes at two, three and even four different schools in order to make a decent income, and, of course, being PT means that they do not qualify for many of the perks that FT get such as Health programs, paid vacation and leave or accrued tenure. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Highwayman]

[TECO]

[Draz]

We have to do #1 starting from this year and write a report for each class. I don't mind the reports so much because I know they (the people asking for it) do read them and they don't take very long to write, but gathering the assignments and other crap together is a pain.

[OiGirl]

Probably someone got a grant from some Korean research foundation and this is what the paperwork is for. It will be submitted but never read and someone will get millions of won to spend on photocopying, meals, research stipends, and promotional items.

[Stan Rogers]

[Carbon]