Educators face a 60-hour workweek and increased stress; can technology provide relief?

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Course Hero, an online learning platform that empowers millions of students and educators to succeed, today revealed findings from the inaugural State of the Educator Survey. The data, acquired from an independent survey of 412 college and university professors and 117 high school Advanced Placement (AP) teachers in January 2017, reveals educator perceptions of key and timely topics, including: economic satisfaction, job-related stress, the new administration, and technology's impact on education.

"Whether it's conducting research, assessing student work, or helping students outside of class, there simply aren't enough hours in the day for educators to achieve everything they'd like to," said Andrew Grauer, CEO and founder of Course Hero. "As a result, we have the opportunity as an education technology company to support educators and help improve student outcomes."

Educator Mental Well-Being:  Nearly half of educators surveyed report increased job-related stress.

• Five times as many educators report increased rather than decreased stress: 42% say their job has become more stressful over the past year, compared to 8% that report a decrease. 50% of educators say it remains the same.
• Multiple sources of stress: 56% of educators state that student behavior negatively impacted their work in the past year while 48% of educators point to stagnant wages. In comparison, 42% respond that increases in administrative regulation have adversely affected their work.
• Educators work 10-20 hours over the 40-hour workweek: College and university professors report they work an average of 52 hours per week, and AP teacher respondents state they work an average of 62 hours per week.
• Workload is more concerning than compensation: The top three reported causes of increased stress are: increasing workload/courseload (63%), insufficient pay (46%), and lack of support staff (teaching assistant, research assistant, grader, etc.) (42%).

Educator Economic Well-Being: Almost half of educators surveyed report stagnant salaries.

• Minimal improvements: 44% of educators indicate that their economic well-being has been relatively stagnant over the past few years, 25% say that it's gotten worse, and 31% say it's gotten better.
• Less than a third consider themselves "well-off": Only 28% of educators surveyed responded that they are "well-off" or "very well-off." Of the educators surveyed, 53% are "neutral," and 19% indicate they are "poor."

Educators are not only stressed about increasing workloads and classroom behaviors, but also how changes in politics may affect education.

Educator Sentiment Towards Political Changes: Almost half of educators surveyed view Secretary of Education DeVos' policies as unfavorable or very unfavorable. They were surveyed after her appointment but prior to her confirmation.

• Education overall may be negatively impacted: 51% of college and university professors and 50% of high school AP teachers indicate they anticipate that the new administration may have a negative impact on education in general.
• DeVos's policies and views are not viewed favorably: 45% of educators surveyed report DeVos' policies to be unfavorable or very unfavorable to education, 10% say they are favorable or very favorable, and 12% remain neutral. 33% report no opinion.
• Salary is anticipated to dip: 49% of educators surveyed indicate they believe the new administration may have a negative impact on their salary, compared to 8% expecting a positive impact. 20% don't expect a negative impact on salaries, and 23% don't have enough information.
• Federal funding could be in jeopardy: 60% of educators surveyed worry federal funding may be negatively impacted by the new administration, compared to 7% that say the change may be positive. 11% anticipate no impact, and 22% don't have enough information.
• Public perception of educators may take a hit: 44% of educators surveyed worry that public perception may be negatively impacted, as opposed to 6% who indicate that it may be positively impacted. In comparison, 29% do not think that public perception may be impacted at all, and 21% don't have enough information to decide.

Despite educators' many challenges, they remain passionate, committed, and largely satisfied in their roles.  

Education as a Career: Job satisfaction is high, and 69% of educators would become one again.

• Job satisfaction remains high: When asked to rate their job satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5, 57% of educators report being satisfied or very satisfied, 31% are neutral, and only 12% indicate being dissatisfied or very dissatisfied overall.
• Educators enter the profession to make a positive impact: When asked to rate the extent to which they were motivated to pursue teaching as a career, 94% of educators rate "to educate and help students," and 84% rate "to make a positive impact on society" as a 4 or 5 out of 5.
• Educators would do it again: Despite the various stressors and frustrations of their profession, 69% of educators report that they would become an educator all over again.

Technology's Impact: Online learning could be a positive partner for change.

• Technology is less frustrating than other factors: In comparison to changes in student behavior, salary, federal aid, and issues related to administrative regulation, only 15% of educators surveyed indicate that rapid changes in technology have adversely impacted their work in the past year.
• Technology fosters improved communication: When asked how technology helps educators succeed at their jobs, respondents most commonly report: improving communication (66%), helping students succeed outside the classroom (55%), and increasing efficiency (53%).
• There's still room for improvement: Only 34% of educators say that new hardware such as iPads, Smartboards, Chromebooks, or 3D printers help them in the classroom. Similarly, 32% of educators indicate that online resources have been helpful to them when teaching students. Notably, there are more use cases for hardware and software technologies than in-classroom teaching.

For more information, download the free eBook on Course Hero's 2017 State of the Educator Survey.

Methodology overview: the online survey, conducted by Ipsos from December 29, 2016 to January 5, 2017, polled 412 college and university professors and 117 high school Advanced Placement (AP) teachers who teach full-time and part-time in a variety of disciplines nationwide.

*Percentages are rounded to the closest whole number.

About Course Hero | Master Your Classes™
Course Hero is an online learning platform that empowers millions of students and educators to succeed. Fueled by a passionate community of over 12.5 million students and educators who share their course-specific knowledge and educational resources, Course Hero offers the biggest and best library of study documents, expert tutors, customizable flashcards, and course advice. Download the Course Hero app for iPhone or Android. Connect with Course Hero on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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SOURCE Course Hero