| Name: | KULWINDER KAUR-WALKER |
| Institution: | ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY |
| Title: | ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY |
| Department: | PSYCHOLOGY |
My typical day starts at 6 a.m., when I get up and start planning my teaching work day. I teach four courses every semester. These may include Statistics and Research Design, Experimental Psychology, Sensation and Perception, Learning and Cognition, Physiological Psychology, and a Senior Seminar in Psychology. In the past, I have taught General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Anthropology, Social Theory, Basic Social Statistics, Research Methods in Social Sciences, and a Senior Seminar in Sociology. Every semester, I have at least four different course preparations. We are a teaching university.
In a typical week, I spend about 30 to 35 hours with students in one-on-one conferences, email, and by telephone. I spend 10 to 12 hours in class preparation; four to five hours in preparing assignments and exams; and three to five hours in grading assignments. The rest of my time is devoted to other activities as needed, e.g., advising and pre-registering students (28 to 35 hours per semester), writing letters of recommendations for students (five to six hours per month), planning (eight to 10 hours), taking students to professional conferences for participation (18 hours per semester), and guiding student theses or serving on thesis committees.
Then, there are meetings. Each week I attend one to three on-campus meetings. Some meetings require preparing reports. Community service includes participating as a volunteer at an elementary school and giving speeches at church meetings two to three times a month.
Professional development involves my attending two to three major conferences, workshops or seminars each year. My laptop goes wherever I go, so that I can continue to give feedback to students via email or Blackboard, including grading when I am away from campus.
My research interests are in cognitive psychology (experimental gerontology) and health disparities. I received a developmental grant from the ECHO program at Chapel Hill for "Awareness and Prevention in Breast Cancer among Minority Females." I am working on submitting a similar grant proposal to National Institutes of Health (NIH). I have been working on a textbook on basic statistics for behavioral sciences, although I have no idea when this project will be finished because of time constraints.
I work in my home office until midnight or later to prepare lectures, grade assignments, prepare committee reports, and write or research grant proposals. I also participate in professional development activities. On average, I devote at least 75 hours per week to my profession. My hours are flexible in that, except for class, meetings, and office hours, I can do much of my professional work at any time or place.