A Local University Is Considering Changes to Its Class Structure

question 101

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 (Mon.-Fri.) for an hour. New classes contain 50 students.
(a) Calculate the labor productivity for the initial situation (students/hour).
(b) Calculate the labor 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:

Sequence Of Events

The order in which related events or processes occur, often leading from a cause to an effect.

Plutchik

Refers to Robert Plutchik, who is best known for proposing a psychoevolutionary theory of emotion that includes the famous wheel of emotions.

Facial Expression Of Disgust

A universal facial reaction indicating aversion, often characterized by a wrinkled nose, raised upper lip, and narrowed eyes.

Innate Reaction

A natural, automatic response to a stimulus that is inherent and not learned, often seen in instinctual behaviors.