"The Last Professors" an interview

InsideHigherEd.com has a interview with Frank Donoghue about his book "The Last Professor." While the interview sounds a rather pessimistic (realistic?) view of the future of tenor, the meat of the discussion--alluded to but not explored--is in the "the casualization of the teaching workforce"--which I would have liked way more discussion about.

What is interesting about the article is that the bulk of the comments focused on the role and nature of tenor, much, I think, to the dismissal of the larger forces at work.

I think I have more to say, but just not yet.

Online Adjunct--how much can it pay

A very intrepid reader browsed through a long-lost post and posed the following question:

I have taught as an adjunct in both an online in class instructor. Obviously, I'm not rolling in the cash from it. So imagine my surprise when I talked to a guy who is the head of a major corporation in the city where I live. He talked about a 6-figure supplement he was making from teaching online. I was really suspicious, calculating that he would have to teach about 60 classes a year (in addition to a full-time job and family) to make that kind of money. I mentioned my confusion and he said that over time he has found the highest paying online universities that have "not overwhelming" time commitments and he's done it that way. Do you think it's possible?

The short answer is: he is full of Bush. That is, no way he is earning six figures adjuncting online. I went into the salary breakdown in some detail less than a year ago, and I think the numbers there still stand.

I stated that for one institution (3 classes per six week term), one could earn $30K/year. For six figures, one would need to teach at 4 schools (3.5 or something), averaging 12 classes at one time (average of 12-15 students per class) for a total of 144-168 students every six weeks.

Is this possible? Yes. But with some major caveats: composition could NOT be the subject. In fact, I would argue that no subject requiring qualitative/subjective feedback would allow for this. Perhaps a hard science, math or the like COULD allow for this (standardized, automated test; defined course pack; limited to no teacher-student feedback/interaction), but then the prof is really not teaching is she.

So, by definition, good teaching really cannot stand up to that sort of load.

If you are able, somehow, to pull this off, let us know. Scrub the names, but give us the numbers. Is online adjuncting into six figures possible?

Give us some hope.

Nude PhDs: TA T-and-A

As a daily reader of Salon.com, I seldom have a chance to link my blog to my reading. Today that changed.

The local advice column, "Since you Asked," often has the regular, ho-hum advice seekers. But there is something about a grad student stripper asking for advice that caught my attention.

Her problem, as a liberal arts major, is paying for the last bit of work without school help. She admits to being a TA in the past, which only brings more possible links between her two worlds.

Read the letters, which are supportive and full of good advice (go farther away for a couple of weeks, bank the cash, and then crank out the diss.).

I think there are some interesting issues to tease out here: future positions ruined through a Google search, random posting of phone pics into Facebook, freedom of expression/speech.

I am afraid that in reference to hiring, there is not much liberal in the liberal arts.

Higher Ed pay

The Dem debate sparked a TTD (tempest in a teacup dabate) over at InsideHigherEd.com when Chaz Gibson claimed an average of $200k annual for professors.

What is interesting about the debate (the IHE, not the Dem's) is that the comments range from pissed off adjuncts to FT profs all parsing out if they are "cush" or not.

My take, and I have been slow to realize this, is that higher ed is a choice (mission field if you would) that few should choose. Those who do, accept the negative consequences. Those who would wish to but can't afford it...realize that higher ed has always been a sport of the rich. There is no Right to Educate.

F@*& Off 2007!!!

I have very little good to say about the last year. It started with sheer and utter joy (we were pregnant) to then suddenly go horribly awry.

A few things I have learned over the last year:

• Few (at least if your friend group is made up of liberal-leaning folk) consider 7-8 weeks long enough to warrant full-frontal grief over the loss of a child. Hell, most don't even consider it a child, so why all of the fuss. This can make one's honest expression of pain even more isolating
• Hospitals are geared toward control. The doctors have all the control (or, by extension, the administration). Why no cell phones? It is not that cell phones would interfere (they don't in planes either), but that a central switch-board allows for centralized control. Don't believe, try to find out, from a distant town, how your loved one is doing. Or, better still, find out how or who messed up the treatment.
• Doctors are not sued enough. I don't care what you say about tort reform, the act of suing over malpractice keeps us all safer. I don't let the mechanic off the hook if my brakes suddenly don't work. And, one would think in a world where Wal-Mart can alter their first-in-the-door display in reaction to real-time buying patters (true), why can't medical professionals all be on the same page with medications?
• Sometimes when one travels for a living, that the travel has to stop for the living. There is a finite and doing so.
• Air travel does not have to be an painful as it is. Centralized control is needed. Reagan was wrong.
• Sick, old ladies often outlive everyone's fear of them dying. Then, one day, they pass on. I had two this year.
• One's grandparents should not die before they have met their great-grandkids. Being a grand-parent establishes a completely different dynamic than a parent, and this needs to be shared with ones own children.
  
• Creditors have begun using multiple numbers to circumvent caller-id. It is best to judiciously use voice-mail when behind one bills
• Institutions of higher learning are not "lean" enough to meaningfully respond to current societal needs. Perhaps they will form a committee to investigate this further. It will meet monthly, for an hour, over lunch.
• LinkedIn is a social network group that offers little to no honest appraisals of its constituents--much like high school.
• Small-town educational opportunities for ones kids continually disappoints.
• It is still not in my interest (although I still have interest) in finishing my dissertation. I don't know how to reconcile that.
• A white Christmas is more enjoyable than a non-white one. The snow adds to the overall charm.
• Children are worth every spare moment.
• I am still looking for the end to this Third Great Awakening. I am hoping that the religious climate goes back to sleep. We could use the break.
  
• I am still not excited about the role of America on the world stage. The next ring-leader (read any way you wish) doesn't look to offer any great hope on this.
• One needs, when one lives in a small town, to travel to a big city at least twice a year. Otherwise, the choice to live where one does becomes more of a sentence than a decision.
• We haven't figured out how to start a school without a boatload of capital.
• A year does not lighten the pain of losing a tubal child.
  
• My state encourages malpractice by capping damages. It forces only the small number of "glory" cases to be sought (infertility, losing a limb, etc) to the fore. Others, serious but less "showy" are, for a lot of lawyers, not worth the effort--low return on effort, hard to convince a jury, conservative peers, etc...
• A prophet (or a very educated person) finds no honor in her hometown.

So, to 2007, I burn you in effigy. I wish that you come to an end and that a new beginning may actually take place. Begone from me. I have no use for you. You have brought little joy.

A reader recently wondered if I was still in the classroom (virtual or not). As I was pondering whether I should respond or not, I read Dean Dad's polemic on why CC's should hire PhD's.

His basic argument is that PhD's are better equipped at providing the example education for their students, it helps calm the 'rents, and "on a pragmatic level, someone who already has a doctorate won't spend the next several years working on it."

Not one of DD's better posts. While it may be true, his reasoning certainly doesn't make it right, nor does it make for the best arguments for his position. After all, saying that we should continue the "surge" because it is working to reduce sectarian attacks doesn't mean that the initial invasion was right.

Of course, invasion of the ABD's is not the same as Iraq, but the logic is the same.

What about a different criteria. I mean, one finds what one is looking for.

Instead of brand appeal (encouraging the 'rents), what about ranking success in other metrics? What about the ability to inspire critical thought? What about the ability to lead by an example other than following an established path (research into a degree is a well-staked path)?

Of course, I have talked about these sort of metrics before....just search for "metrics" and "teaching."

"Contingent Faculty" by any other name...

I was replying to Amy Wink's paean to being poor and righteous, when a comment below reminded me of the term "contingent faculty." I think this term ranks right below Adjunct in its usefulness and utter lack of description.

I am all for missionaries. Teaching is mostly a mission field. I knew this going in. I just didn't know the extent of the costs, nor did I realize the entrenched class system of tenured and not: might as well be Brahmans and untouchables.

"Oh, you are a contingent faculty. You can get me nowhere. I don't need to talk to you. Good luck with this."

Follow the link above. Post a comment. Spread the love.

Distressing note leads to diatribe

A loyal reader wrote a note that was for me most distressing. I present a culled, anonymized version:

… I also work as an "instructional designer." It is kind of bogus work, though, mostly doing grunt work for existing professor to build online classes, further depleting the need for actual living, breathing, teachers. Most of these teachers are building classes outside of their core competency, which is easy, they just read the textbook manufacturer's provided power points into a camera and no student interrupts to actually find out if they really know what they are talking about. I transcribe said powerpoints into HTML and it pays as much as I probably deserve as an entry-level assistant professor. But 40-hours a week without vacation.

I recently took this job when I relocated to [southern state]. The colleges and Universities down here pay $550 per credit hour, so as the fall semester winds around I may be forced to turn this down, or to "moonlight" as an adjunct instructor just one or two classes. How much teaching do you do vs. "consulting?" My ID job is full time, so I don't know if they would let me go down to part time or "consulting," but that might make giving my time away for free in the profession I really wish to pursue, manageable.

I find many parts of this note distressing, in order:

• The writer is not employed as an Instructional Designer (I mean no disrespect, we work where we can), but rather an instructional destructor. No good can come from reading PPTs, whether in person or {shudder} on video
• If a professor is moving his materials online, he should only do so when he himself knows enough to perform the necessary tasks. If he outsources these skills, his students will know. They will pity and loath said professor. More educational destruction will ensue
• The writer does not deserve (as s/he seems to indicate) to put up with a job like this. Even entry-level asst. profs should be able to design and craft the material – true instructional design – rather than convert the bloviating of others.
• My advice is to look for night classes to adjunct. I have found that these students are more motivated (your job easier) and willing to put forth effort (your job easier). Community Colleges are a great place to adjunct. Really. If you are doing for the love of teaching, ignore the cattle-call university courses and go CC. Just keep your day job. One has to, like in any mission field, eat.
• I wish the writer luck.

Online Adjuncting: the numbers

For those considering, or already involved in, online adjuncting. consider these numbers:

• $1250--amount paid (I worked up to this number) for a six week session
• 47 -- estimated number of days worked in a six week session (6 weeks x 7 days + 5 days pre and post class sessions for setup and grading--estimated low for grading)
• $26.60 -- per hour rate if you worked one hour per day
• $13.30 -- per hour rate if you worked two hours per day (more likely average)

Factors that affect these numbers:

• Add 8 hours if teaching a new class
• Add 8 hours if creating new quizzes for a class
• Add 8 total hours if teaching a writing intensive class (like composition)
• Subtract a half-hour per day if you type really, really fast and have a high-speed connecting. If not, add another hour per day.

Things that suck up your time:

• Different schools have differing rules on instructor participation. For the six week school used above, they required at least 6 days logging in. What they also demand, but do not say, is that you not only log in, but that you directly interact with virtually forum posting. This sorts out to about 30--45 minutes on a good day per class.
  
• Grading (see quizzes to cut the time) will take a large amount of time, especially if you are in a writing intensive course. I cut my essay grading time down using the GradeEaze program. I was able to save my most commonly used comments and just click them in. I still, though, had to check TurnItIn.com for plagiarism (I recommend using this site), and down and upload the submission.
• Offline prep. I tended to edit my materials every half year. I didn't, though, have control over the book(s) used, and when they changed (it was my responsibility to check the book list each six weeks to ensure I was using the right edition), I had update time to factor in.
• e-mails: students will e-mail you about anything. Then, they expect an immediate response, especially right before a deadline. I do not recommend giving them a phone number...perhaps an IM name, but no phone numbers.
• Number of students in class--the "max" at the school used in this scenario was 12--15.
• Number of sections/courses taught. If you are teaching three sections of the same course, then the time spent in each can be streamlined. Trouble begins when you are teaching 2-3 different courses. More trouble if those courses are spread across multiple schools (my record was 10 courses at three schools at the same time).

Other numbers:

• 6+ average years in acquiring a liberal arts PhD.
• 3 -- number of years to acquire a law degree
• $35-$42K -- starting salary for liberal arts instructors
• $0--$45K -- starting salary for law grads
• $50K -- average salary for liberals arts grad five to ten years into
• $80-$120K -- average salary for law grade five to ten years into

Still more numbers:

• $10K -- annual salary at one course per 6 week semester
• $30K -- annual salary achievable at this school (max of three courses per semester)
• $4326 -- annual cost of health insurance for a family of three
  
• $20K -- net pay
• $15674 -- net after health insurance

Final numbers:

• 24 -- number of courses to make $30K
• 288 -- number of students taught to make $30K
• 1440 -- number of essays (five per 6 weeks) per year for $30K
  

Online Adjuncting: quizzes

There are numerous reasons to create a quiz:

• One small attempt to ensure reading
• A chance to get a grade in the system
• Automated grading
• Easy upload

The first reason is pretty obvious: even more than on-ground, you can’t tell if the student has read…or even if the one logging in is the real student (it happens). But, with a handy-dandy reading quiz, you can at least ensure the student reads the material in the quiz… And that is something.

I taught mainly writing courses, so it was nice to get a grade into the system that was relatively high (reading quizzes are not meant to trip the student up, but to ensure reading) and graded by someone other than myself. Online quizzes do both. And they are easy, once made, to upload.

With that, how does one make an online quiz? Glad you asked. I used both BlackBoard and WebCT before they merged, and both handled quizzes much the same. You “code” the quiz, upload and link and set a date to run.

How to code a quiz:

1. Start with a list of questions (why write your own)…most books have a companion website or CD where they provide lists of questions. Copy/paste into a wordpad document. You will then choose the questions you want to include (I picked a decent number—around 25, unless they really didn’t read and then I picked 50)
2. Chose your questions, deleting the rest
3. You have pasted into a WordPad document because you want to eliminate all styles and formatting, and Word will try to retain these. Kill them all.
4. Format your questions. Automatic upload programs work by finding key words and tabs (similar to uploading into a database or Excel—which it really is). To define the type of question, enter the question type: MC, TF, etc…
5. Use tabs to separate question type from question from answers from answer types:

Question type Question? answer 1 answer type (is this the correct answer or not)

6. A formatted question looks:

TF A teleconference is appropriate for a group of people at the same location. False

MC The paperless office prediction was based on the belief that: real paper would be substituted with a more economic “fake” paper. Incorrect offices would eventually store information on electronic media only. Correct the world would have a tree shortage. Incorrect all of these. Incorrect onionskin paper would replace traditional paper. Incorrect

7. Save your file
8. Upload to BlackCT (the combined company will soon have a single platform—mark my words).
9. Link to gradebook
10. Define the parameters (when and how can they take it)
    

Subsequent questions are: do you let your students take a quiz more than once? Is it timed? Do you show them the correct answers? Do you show them which questions they missed?

Behind the scenes at an adjunct hiring

In a remarkable candid and honest assessment of the adjunct situation (in the sciences), Twice (my guess is that both she and her husband are tenured in the sciences) sketches the other side of the desk.

While my initial sympathies lie elsewhere, I am sure that there are a large number of sympathetic voices who try to address the adjunct mess when they can, but come up against institutional barriers.

Access and Exposure

College degrees (or should I just say college classes?) are a handy indicator that the person has been exposed and should be granted access. That is, a college education provides exposure and access. Skills are secondary; thinking is optional.

I am taking my inspiration for this post from the Marilee Jones firing from MIT. Apparently the dean of Admissions lied about her education way back, and it was ferreted out. She was fired—as she should be.

The discussion about her, though, quickly moves to the value and role of education. Ms. Jones was an excellent dean by all accounts, so why fire her now? Does the degree mean that much?

First, it wasn’t the lack of degree that was cited as the reason for her getting fired, but that she lied. So, take the lack of degree off of the table. Could she do the job without a degree? Well, she had been doing so for quite a while, so yes.

Then what is a degree for? Access and exposure. Let me explain. First, a few caveats: not all degrees are created equal. A liberal arts degree is all about exposure (although access is to be debated), while a science, engineering, business, etc. degree is, arguably, more about access. It is a sliding scale, with factors of specific degree plans, job positions, etc. But, for discussion purposes, it falls like this:

Access Exposure

Sciences/business Liberal arts

Of course, as with any spectrum, there are some middling ground (archeology would be an exposed/access; fine arts an access/exposure).

Pretty much any job is a club of some sort. Entry is only permitted if a person has X, Y and sometimes Z. For a range of jobs, X is a degree in the field (AA, BA, MA, etc.). One needs a law degree and bar exam to practice, doctors need med school and internships, etc. So, access is limited for these fields. I suppose is should be.

Exposure, though, is what people trot out when they speak of higher ed. “The best that is thought or spoken” sort of thing. A college grad will be exposed to various paradigms, cultures, practices, etc. that will expand her mind. At least, that is the argument. In fact, the exposure side exists almost exclusively when higher ed discussions arise. People will get apoplectic about the importance of exposing, or not, young minds to the world of ideas.

That is a load of crap.

Sure, I think that the exposure side should be included. It should be expanded. To assume that a college grad will be exposed (who is the judge for this anyway—is there a standard or measure here) to “enough” by a survey of British literature puts a lot on Donne and the like. And really, I could care less if my surgeon felt the pathos of ball turret gunner. I do care that she was paying attention to her gross anatomy labs. For the skilled professions, exposure helps more at dinner parties than in obtaining a job (see super-important caveat to this below).

What about business? Entry-level is entry-level. The college brand will do more to give a guy access than will the specific courses. Got an MBA from Harvard, then come this way to higher-exec-ville. All others, get at the end of that long line and await your cube assignment.

So, here are the terms of the discussion: access and exposure. My personal interaction with this tomorrow (or so).

----------------
Super-important caveat: I don’t think there is enough exposure of the skilled professions to other paradigms. I wish the doctors would open up to non-medical interventionist approaches—that holistic or homeopathic approaches were more explored. But, why I wish to be and what is are world’s apart. So, in a sense the pathos of the ball-turret gunner might show the way to realizing an open-minded approach to medicine. Yet, even typing this I feel as if it is too much to expect, given the noise of job obtainment and advancement (“witch” doctors don’t work at Mayo).

Adjunct Academic freedom

I must confess, this is probably not the way that I would introduce the topic, but I have to wonder if he would have been fired if he had tenure.

An adjunct (AP story via Salon), two days after Virginia Tech, introduced a discussion on gun control by "shooting" members of his class with a magic marker. He also included a response by a student shooting him back.

Apparently there is a you-tube defense the adjunct has posted.

Is this a story of no academic freedom as an adjunct?

Personally, I have not felt that I had any academic freedom. My paycheck came semester-by-semester. There is absolutely no freedom in that model.