By Pat Mantabe

Load factors at SMC are not created equally.  For example--

Course                                             Load Factor

Art 40, Sculpture                             .750
Auto 8, Electricity                            .750
Music                                             .882
OIS 3, Advanced Doc Production       .875
Music 90, Applied Music                   .875
English 80, Reading Lab                 1.00
History 1, Western Civ                    1.00

The argument for different load factors is that the amount of non-student contact hours (grading papers, preparing for lectures) is different.  The fallacy in that argument is that preparation time varies from teacher to teacher and no one knows how much preparation an instructor does.  Some 1.0 instructors may give only a midterm and a final examination.  Some 1.0 instructors may give a midterm and a final examination and require a research paper.  Some 1.0 instructors may give only objective tests, which are graded in a few seconds by a Scantron machine.

Looking more closely, the load factor yardsticks seem to be teaching methodology and academic vs. vocational.

Most traditional lecture courses (English, history, and mathematics, etc.) are assigned a load factor of 1.0.  The apparent point of view is that traditional lecture courses are more highly valued.  Is the method of presentation a rational criterion for deciding load factors?  Are not other methods (individualized instruction and hands-on-activities) equally valid?  Case in point, the Office Information Systems program offers a variety of self-paced courses (beginning to   advanced   levels  of   keyboarding,  machine transcription,  and  MS  Word;  grammar/punctuation, vocabulary/spelling, legal terminology, and calculating machines (business math content) -- a  total of eighteen different courses.  Because these are courses taught in one classroom at the same time and may be added throughout the semester, the method of presentation is individualized instruction.  Additionally, the instructor must be prepared to answer questions in all eighteen courses, which requires substantial preparation.  This is an equalizing factor.  Yet OIS classes carry a load factor of .875.
Many vocational oriented courses now include computer technology.   Automotive, architectural, entertainment technology, and OIS are prime examples.  Because computer technology changes with lighting speed, instructors must continually learn new technology.  This is an equalizing factor.

Then, there is the question of  consistency.  Load factors for similar classes at SMC are inconsistent.  Load factors at SMC and other colleges are inconsistent.
Clearly, the load factor issue needs to be reexamined.