4 ms·
This environment will probably drive some faculty to retire. Distance teaching is a lot more work than in-person teaching, and it's a lot of new skills and fidd
by goatinaboat 6y ago
This environment will probably drive some faculty to retire. Distance teaching is a lot more work than in-person teaching, and it's a lot of new skills and fiddly technology. Someone who could retire anytime now, and was planning to retire in the next five years may decide to do it sooner than later.
Not if they're tenured. They can simply wait it out until retirement and the financial and other incentives are strong to do so, even if their rate of work falls off.
- jimhefferon 6y agoTenured prof here. The changes have turned teaching from productive, creative, and enjoyable to frustrating and unsatisfying. I have a number of colleagues who have retired as a result. (Personally a bit too young.)
- ghaff 6y agoThere are definitely two schools of thought (that go beyond academia). One is that the research/teaching situation is frustrating for many so if you're near the time you were going to retire anyway, you might as well spare yourself the frustrations and retire early. But the other is that everything is frustrating. Travel, for example, is hard. So you might as well get a couple more years of salary while the getting is good.
- jimhefferon 6y agoVery true. But in response to the question, "Are there a significant number of folks who are leaving because of the current situation?" my personal experience is yes. (Not a study, just an anecdote, of course.)
- toast0 6y agoI'm not too knowledgable about tenure, but is it the case that when you hit the retirement criteria they kick you out? If not, some people may already be eligible and were still working because they enjoy it and may leave due to changing conditions (yes, some like the new conditions). I agree that people will probably tough it out if they're close to retirement targets.