Do you have what it takes to be a successful adjunct online instructor? In higher education, adjunct instructors are part-time, non-salaried, non-tenure-track faculty.
Many adjunct instructors do not have a Ph.D., although this depends on the policy of the individual school. Institutions usually hire adjunct instructors on a contractual basis for one or more terms, and pay them for each course that they teach. This means that at the end of the year, adjunct instructors in the U.S. most often receive a 1099 instead of a W-2. As part-time employees, adjunct instructors normally do not receive any benefits.
Adjunct instructors have always played an important role in higher education, but with distance education growing as it is, the role of the online adjunct is more important than ever. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman (see the References at the end of this article) note that nearly 3.5 million students took at least one online course in the fall of 2006. They go on to explain that, more than two-thirds of all higher education institutions now have some form of online offerings, with the majority of these providing programs that are fully online. Combine this growth with the fact that many institutions are moving towards a greater number of adjuncts over full time faculty, as Dan Carnevale points out. We must consider the far-reaching implications for higher educational institutions interested in finding and retaining quality online adjuncts.
Institutions are hiring adjuncts instead of full time faculty in order to save money, or to simply fill course needs. Some online adjuncts may prefer that coveted full-time job, but such jobs are few and far between. Dan Carnevale finds that some institutions may have 125 adjuncts on staff, with as few as six full-time faculty members.
Why would you want to do this?
There are many reasons why both the adjunct and the institution would prefer the adjunct role. The benefits for the institutions are obvious; they can get motivated, high-quality help without having to hire and offer benefits to another full-time faculty member. For the online adjunct though, there are also benefits. Many who choose to teach as an online adjunct do so in addition to other full time jobs. They may work full-time as a faculty member for another institution, or even work outside of the field of education in a full time capacity. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that:
Adjunct faculty may have spouses who have full benefits, so that they choose to adjunct to bring in added income. But one strong reason why many choose the role of an online instructor (full or part time) is the freedom that working entirely online, from home, offers. Online adjuncts may work for more than one institution, and may find themselves in a position to take on as much work as they want for a particular term. This can be lucrative, and offers the adjunct the freedom to travel, work other jobs, take time off, or simply work very hard to make as much money as they can manage!
In order to make the equivalent of a full time salary, other adjuncts may sub-contract for more than one institution while waiting for a full time opportunity. Whether working full time, or as a part-time online adjunct, flexibility is the key motivation to teach online.
(Editors Note: Some institutions may also hire full-time instructors or lecturers. Like adjunct instructors, these individuals are also non-tenure track, do not necessarily have a Ph.D., and usually teach undergraduates in lower-level courses. They may also teach online. This article does not address these positions.)
Online distance learning delivery forms
Online distance learning can take many forms, from e-mail systems to live or synchronous chat tools, but many programs now rely on a course management system (CMS) to organize, deliver, and manage courses. Such course management systems include Blackboard, WebCT, Angel, and eCollege, to name a few. Within these, there is the capability to publish information (such as course announcements, lectures, files for sharing, and virtual community spaces both synchronous and asynchronous), to perform data management (such as grades, files, etc.), and to hold discussion communities weekly or in module format. Often, there is a place to share Web sources that may be of interest to the group, as well as a spot to share documents for all participants to see. There are main tools which help a course designer to organize content in a user-friendly and consistent manner, to help students navigate and get comfortable with the new learning environment.
While there are many ways to organize content in a class, the following outline is an example of how to organize for ease of use and consistency:
- Course Home
- Syllabus
- Instructor Information and Contact
- Calendar
- Support
- Tech Support
- Institution Links
- Advising
- Materials
- Grading Notes
- Question and Answers
- Weekly Information (broken down by Week 1, Week 2, etc. or by Module
(Module 1, Module 2, etc.)
- Lecture
- Resources or Reading
- Discussion
- Assignments
Course Management Systems differ slightly in tools and components, but many have tabs available for designers, such as tabs for:
- Administrative tasks (such as group management, course preferences, or rosters),
- Grade books (essential to class management),
- E-mail, in which the instructor can choose to email a single student or all students at once,
- A document-sharing area, where files for all to share can be accessed (wonderful for group work or for sharing of exemplary papers),
- A drop box, in which students can both drop papers for grading and retrieve graded papers (this often connects to the grade book for easy course management),
- A chat tool for office hours, or for synchronous meetings with groups or the entire class, and
- An area to share excellent online sources, which may benefit the entire group (online readings can be placed here as well as useful writing sources, institution Web pages, etc.).
Course designers use these and other tools to organize content in ways that will benefit learners. Consistency from week to week or module to module is key, because you want students to feel as comfortable in this learning environment as they would if they walked into your physical classroom.
Its interesting to note that course management systems allow for consistency, and also for creativity in course design and delivery. This can be important for all learners, but particularly so for adult learners. There are ways to use groups online, and to design content in a way that is not linear and allows students some individuality in reaching their learning goals.
For example, a designer may specify a module in which the student must complete all elements, but in any order. A student may decide to watch a video interview, choose from a selection of online readings, and keep a journal or learning log along the way. The end goal may be to compose a paper or a presentation to upload to the Doc Sharing area for all to see and review, or that will be delivered via the synchronous chat feature at a pre-determined time. At the same time, the order, and even the choices, of readings can allow for some creativity for the individual learner.
Studies show that allowing for individual choice in the classroom appeals to many learners. Stephen Brookfield noted that adults prefer to take control of their learning, including the process of setting learning goals, finding resources, and reflecting on their progress. One way to meet this need is to allow adult learners the opportunity for guided reflection and meaningful collaboration as an instructional tool. The online journal option, and the use of groups in the CMS, can accomplish this quite easily.
Stephen Lieb stated that adult learners can be anxious when facing a new learning situation, and, due to a complex family and work life, they need a strong motivation. This may heavily impact both how the online learner functions in the distance classroom, and how the course designer and the online instructor leads and guides teaching. A blending of synchronous and asynchronous tools in the CMS is a best practice worth considering.
No matter which tool an institution chooses, its important to note that the CMS is much more than a tool for delivery; the course management system impacts how the student experiences the content and how the facilitator manages. The system impacts the organization and creativity of both learner and facilitator. With so much riding on the system, the decision of which tool best suits both the institution and the learner is a key consideration when choosing a CMS.
Consider the question of fit
First, when looking for online adjunct work, you should consider the quality of the institutions to which you apply. Are they accredited? By whom, and for how long? Are they a fully online institution, or are they a brick-and-mortar institution that also offers online classes or programs? Is the institution respected?
Next, there is the question of your qualifications. It surprises many to know that qualifications for those who teach at a distance, whether full- or part-time, are the same as for those who teach face-to-face. Just as online education has had to fight for a reputation equal to that of its brick-and-mortar counterpart, so also have those educators who choose to teach at a distance. If you do not hold the qualifications needed to teach face-to-face, chances are slim that any reputable institution will hire you. For example, if a Masters degree in your field of interest is necessary to teach part-time and face-to-face, that same degree will be necessary to teach part-time at a distance. Depending on your area of interest, a terminal or doctoral degree may be required.
Of course, some technology background, starting with e-mail and PowerPoint skills, is needed for online adjunct work. Students will most likely send assignments as Word documents or Power Point presentations to virtual drop boxes for your assessment. You must be comfortable with downloading documents, using a feature such as Track Changes to make comments, and transmitting the graded assignments back to students. Class meetings or professional development opportunities may require that you use conferencing software, such as Elluminate.
The hiring process how and what
When you find an institution that you feel you would like to work with, the next steps would be to fill out an application, to compose a letter of interest specifying your qualifications and mission, and to make sure your resume or CV is in order. Some institutions have fully online applications.
It can sometimes be difficult to reach a human being with which to make a connection. If you are applying to a local brick-and-mortar institution, and can walk your letter of interest in, that's great. But one benefit of working online at a distance is the number of opportunities available to you; you may find yourself applying to locations geographically far from your home, so a face-to-face meeting will be impossible.
Make sure your letter of interest showcases your personality, commitment, and qualifications, since it may be your first step in the door and the only picture they get of you as an employee. It might really give you an advantage if you are lucky enough to have taken an online course as a student or employee!
If you have an educational philosophy, and knowledge of andragogy (educational strategy that applies to teaching adults), especially as these relate to online learners, make sure you communicate that in your letter of interest.
When called, prepare yourself for a teleconference interview with one or more people. This can be amazingly difficult if you are not used to using your voice to make a full impression. No longer will your navy suit or impeccable presence speak for you! Instead, you must be prepared to show who you are at a distance; this is especially important to show interviewers that you are able to make an impression both in writing and in your voice, because these are how you will be working with your students.
Once youre hired, what do you do?
After hiring, you can expect an initial training and orientation period, followed by assignment to teach a course. You will also need to set up meetings or office hours when you are available to your students, and to successfully manage classes. There may be other meetings and professional development opportunities in which you, as a faculty member, will expect to participate.
Initial training
I mentioned earlier that many online distance-learning programs use a course management system, or other technology, in some way to facilitate learning. These systems are usually learner-friendly, and most instructors can find their way through the design side successfully with some training and practice. Most institutions will offer some technology training, but the online adjunct must be comfortable with working with new technology, or learning it quickly, and doing trouble-shooting from home.
When offered training, the new hire may or may not be compensated for the time to train. Most of the time, initial training is fully online, and is only two or three weeks in length. If they ask you to attend a more extensive face-to-face training program, you most likely will be compensated for your time and travel. If there is no compensation offered, you must be prepared to put in the time to train without pay. If you are very motivated to break into the online adjunct role, look at the training as an opportunity to learn a new courseware management system, and be sure to add it to your resume.
During training, you will often play the role of an online learner, to help you experience the class from a students perspective. If you are in this position, take note of how you felt as a new online learner, so you can be more in tune with your students. Remember how you felt when you were about to click submit on your first post for the whole class to see; keep in mind how you struggled to navigate, find necessary documents, and how you may have felt isolated when you needed help, or thankful when you were given support in a timely fashion. These early lessons will help make you a better online facilitator; they are a one-time opportunity for you to tap into this knowledge.
Day-to-day work
Once trained, you may get your first online class. Your day-to-day responsibilities will most likely be much the same as any face-to-face teaching work, but your schedule, and the need for flexibility, will be vastly different.
You will still lead discussions, grade papers, and support students in the challenges they face as consumers of higher education. They will need help understanding assignments, meeting objectives, and finding their scholarly voice. But remember, all of this is done via the written word. There will be a lot of word processing and reading on the part of both student and facilitator.
Comfort with the written word is essential, and if you can word process quickly, you will have an advantage. Even if you teach something other than English or writing, your acumen with writing, and assessing writing will be vital to your work. Remember, all discussions are in writing, and most institutions put a heavy emphasis on the learning that takes place in those discussions; they will expect you to assess the written discussions regularly, as well. Students and the institution will count on you to do this effectively, and in a fair and timely way.
Schedule and hours
As part of supporting students, you can also expect a phone call here and there. You should think carefully about offering regular office hours, or a phone number that you wont mind students calling when they need support. And, since your students may be from different time zones, or even from outside the U.S., you will want to specify the hours when they may call and reach you. Expect the occasional misjudgment in the time differences your phone will ring in the middle of the night at least once. Again, when you yourself are in training, in the role of the online student, perhaps for the first time, remember to check your facilitators time zone as well!
Your schedule and need for flexibility will differ greatly from those of a traditional teaching gig in higher education. Instead of going on campus for a prescribed class time, you will have to check in on your classes as often as you are contractually required to do, and you may even choose to do so more often. Some institutions require, for example, that you are in your classes at least three days a week, or every other day, including once per weekend. Since many online students have full-time jobs, and will be working on your assignments on Saturday and Sunday, that weekend check-in is vital to their satisfaction.
While you have flexibility in the days you work, you must remember that your presence in class is key, and keep the student perspective in mind. Consider this scenario: suppose you check in on Tuesday morning, and someone posts a question Tuesday afternoon on their lunch break. Maybe they have a question on a discussion assignment that is due Wednesday, and need clarification in order to complete the work before the deadline. If you take Wednesday off, and don't check that class again until Thursday evening, that student has now waited quite a long time for your response. The student may have had to move forward, unsure whether they understood the directions completely. To the student who posed the question, and to any others who see the unanswered question, it may seem you don't care, and that can impact their experience.
A better approach might be to simply pop in quickly on your off day, to make sure there are no questions waiting. Even if you are teaching several online classes, a quick check for questions does not take long. It may be well worth the effort in terms of student learning and satisfaction. Keeping the student experience in mind, you must also make quality posts throughout the week, modeling the level of critical thinking, and even scholarly use of sources, that you want students to attain. This too can take time, especially the first time you teach a particular course.
Class management
Finally, as any quality educator knows, each class has its own dynamic, and managing every class is a bit different from the next. There are groups that require more support, have more questions, need more writing help, etc. Being there for them, ensuring their success, and guiding them in the right direction cannot be done on the fly. If you want to keep your online adjunct work, you will take the managing of your classes seriously, and put in the time necessary to help students learn and succeed.
Anyone who teaches online must also be very comfortable with written communication. Picture the last class or workshop you attended face-to-face. Now, imagine everything that you heard spoken aloud was written, and you had to read it all! There are many conversations, called threads in an online class, and, as the facilitator, it takes quite a bit of reading to manage those separate threads.
In addition, for students to show they are present in an online class, they must post to the discussion thread. Many institutions have a minimum number of required student posts each week. Your job as facilitator is to read those, to nudge the learner on to deeper understanding, and to respond in a way that extends the learning for all. In short, you have to know your content, to think fast, to be able to extend learning, and then to respond in writing in a clear way, thus helping students to find meaning in the new content. This is truly facilitation at its best!
Finally, another way that online institutions ensure learning is to have the students author papers. Its common for students to have to write five or more major papers in a short, eight-week class as proof of learning. As the facilitator, you must read all of those papers, make timely and substantive feedback, understand and teach citation methods, and fairly and consistently grade the written work. This can be hugely time consuming, and with the pace of most online classes (remember, only eight weeks), you must be prepared to spend a good portion of the early part of each week turning papers around.
To accommodate the online students (working adults), most online classes run their weeks from Sunday to Sunday, so timely feedback must be from Monday morning to Wednesday or so, in order for the students to be able to learn from the comments and apply the new learning to the next paper. This schedule can make for a hectic 48 hours or so each and every week!
Professional development and faculty meetings
There may or may not be professional development opportunities for you as an online adjunct. If offered to you, you may or may not be compensated for them. If offered, these are wonderful opportunities for you to gain more experience and knowledge in the field. Also, since early training will often be on the technology and courseware system, any professional development which follows may increase your skills in the art of teaching online, and you should take them seriously if you plan to continue in the field.
You must be willing to attend required faculty meetings, again, most likely without compensation.
Compensation for online adjuncts
By now you might be wondering how online adjuncts are paid. In some brick and mortar institutions pay for online adjuncts is much the same as for their face-to-face counterparts, and often calculated on the credit hours of the class or on the number of meetings per semester. But, in some cases, often in fully online institutions that rely solely on distance educators, compensation for online adjunct work can exceed that of teaching in brick-and-mortar institutions.
In a study conducted for determining ideal course load for online instructors, Lawrence Tomei concluded that online teachers spend 14% more time than in traditional instruction. This may be the reason why compensation for online adjuncts can be at a higher rate. Another reason might include the pace of the online class. While many face-to-face classes encompass 15 or so weeks, many online classes cover the same material at a faster pace, and thus require a different commitment by both the student and the facilitator.
That said, as an online adjunct, you can also take on as much or as little work as you like, and have a unique control over your earnings. You may choose, for example, to work a heavier load in certain semesters so that you can take less work at another time. Please note, though, that institutions may come to rely on you, and if you do take time off, they may not immediately rotate you back onto the schedule when you are ready to work again.
Another difference to prepare for is the way that the institution may handle pay periods. Pay periods may differ for online work, compared to face-to-face work. One institution may pay you monthly, while others may withhold all pay until the class is over, all papers are graded, and final grades submitted. This might mean going eight or ten weeks without a paycheck. This unique situation requires some planning and budgeting on your part. Finally, some institutions will pay you as a subcontractor, and wont withold income taxes, Social Security, or Medicare (in the United States). You will be responsible for submitting estimated tax payments through the year, including the full amount of Social Security payments due. If you don't budget for this, your end of the year tax liability comes as an unpleasant surprise. If you work for an institution that pays you as a sub-contractor, do your homework, and get the advice of a professional to avoid this surprise and any associated fines and penalties for underpayment.
Keeping the job
If you find you enjoy the experience, freedom, and surprising rewards of teaching online, you need to consider how you will keep your work. Adjunct work is tough to find and keep, whether face-to-face or online. As an online adjunct, there is an added complication: you are at a distance from your supervisors, managers, and human resource departments. The good news is that if you prove yourself valuable to an institution, you may find yourself automatically back on the schedule each term, ensuring at least some work. To help with future work offers, you should also make it a point to give timely and substantive feedback to students during the course, and get all papers returned on time. Of course you will want to turn in final grades in a timely fashion as well.
When communicating with students, aim to personalize your posts, use students names, check for questions and answers frequently, and basically give the same quality service you would offer if teaching face-to-face. Student satisfaction is important to most institutions, and high ratings will certainly help you find and keep work.
Additionally, in managing your work, know the schedules of the institutions for which you work (they might all vary), and consider making a job board or large calendar on which you can keep track of weeks and due dates. When preparing for a new term, make sure you get courses ready on time. Keep a file of course readiness documents, such as late policies, contact information, writing requirements, and other documents which you will use from class to class and semester to semester. Keep both an electronic and a hard copy file of contacts, policies, and meetings as well. Especially important is to make sure you have a hard copy of any contacts you may need in case of technology issues, severe weather, illness, or emergency. You might even have a person at home who will make a call or send an e-mail on your behalf in case of an emergency.
Keeping in touch with students after a course
An aspect of teaching online that you may have to think about in the long run, is the fact that, unlike working in a brick-and-mortar institution, you may not know what happens to your students once they leave your class. You may or may not ever have them as students again, depending on how many classes you teach in a program or specialization. If you enjoy the rewards of watching a former student reach educational goals, this fact may be a negative to consider.
To counter this, you may choose to attend a graduation when you can afford to do so. While some institutions may compensate you in some form for attending graduation, many will expect you to pay most, if not all, of the cost of attending. However, this can be one of the most rewarding experiences for both student and teacher. Not having seen their teachers or peers, online students who meet you for the first time are often especially grateful for your presence at this special occasion. Seeing students face-to-face for the first time, during such an important milestone in their lives, can be very moving, and could combat some of the isolation you may feel as you work from home and at a distance.
Closing
In recent years, research in distance education focused on which was better, distance learning or traditional learning. We are wiser today, because we recognize the similarities and the differences. We are working now towards the common objective of quality education, and helping students reach their goals. If you understand the similarities and differences, want the freedom and flexibility that online teaching can offer, feel you are a strong enough facilitator, and can combine your educational philosophy with the technology needed to deliver quality learning at a distance, then becoming an online adjunct may be a new and rewarding professional path!
References
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (October 2007). Online nation: Five years of growth in online learning. The Sloan Consortium. Retrieved October 15, 2008 from http://technologysource.org/article/carving_a_new_path_for_distance_education_research/
Brookfield, S. (1995). Adult learning: An overview. Retrieved, March 25, 2008 from http://www.fsu.edu/~elps/ae/download/ade5385/Brookfield.pdf
Carnevale, D. (2004, April 30). For online adjuncts, a sellers market. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i34/34a03101.htm
Lieb, S. (1999). Principles of Adult Learning. Retrieved March 25, 2008, from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm.
Tomei, L. (2006, August). The Impact of Online Teaching on Faculty Load: Computing the Ideal Class Size for Online Courses. Journal of Technology & Teacher Education, 14(3), 531-541. Retrieved September 17, 2008, from Education Research Complete database.
U.S. Department of Labor: Department of Labor Statistics, Teachers-Postsecondary. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos066.htm.
