A Local University Is Considering Changes to Its Class Structure

question 100

Essay

A local university is considering changes to its class structure in an effort to increase professor productivity. The old schedule had each professor teaching 5 classes per week, with each class meeting an hour per day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each class contained 20 students. The new schedule has each professor teaching only 3 classes, but each class meets daily for an hour. New classes contain 50 students.
a. Calculate the labour productivity for the initial situation (students/hour).
b. Calculate the labour productivity for the schedule change (students/hour).
c. Are there any ethical considerations that should be accounted for?
d. Suppose that each teacher also is required to have 2 hours of Office Hours each day he/she taught class. Is the schedule change a productivity increase?

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Definitions:

Downward-Sloping

A term often used in economics to describe a line or curve on a graph that depicts a decrease in one variable as another variable increases, commonly seen in demand curves.

Demand Curve

A graph showing the relationship between a product's price and the quantity of the product that consumers are willing and able to buy, typically downward sloping.

Price Setter

An entity, often a company or monopolistic seller, that has the power to determine the price of goods or services within a market.

Price Effects

Refers to the impact of price changes on the consumer's choice and the quantity demanded of goods and services.