tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post4723738886873884806..comments2023-08-17T10:18:24.628-04:00Comments on Multilitteratus Incognitus: Adjunct Technology...or pay your adjuncts better :)Apostolos K. ("AK")http://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post-44154459278008934952011-11-17T10:41:55.626-05:002011-11-17T10:41:55.626-05:00Thanks for the comment Tony Bates :-) I do agree ...Thanks for the comment Tony Bates :-) I do agree that accreditation agencies are really to fault. If they required more detail information about the institution things might be different...you've given me a good idea for a blog post!Apostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post-29728419579842189062011-11-17T10:40:37.094-05:002011-11-17T10:40:37.094-05:00Sarah I do agree with you to a certain point, I k...Sarah I do agree with you to a certain point, I know a lot of adjuncts who put in a lot of work and care. Some have other means of support, so teaching is viewed as a hobby, and when we like something we tend to do it even free of charge. I think the adjunct system started as this (I believe), someone from the industry, with a little time to spare, came in to bring his/her professional expertise to the classroom and the money was viewed as a stipend, not really a salary. Things have changed however because you've gone from an adjunct (let's say a desert or side-dish if we're going with a meal metaphor) to adjuncts being the main course, and the full timers being the side-dish. Maybe the full timers are burnt out because there aren't enough of them :)Apostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post-87932977901568146812011-11-17T10:37:43.569-05:002011-11-17T10:37:43.569-05:00Barry Dahl it was great seeing you on the Sloan t...Barry Dahl it was great seeing you on the Sloan twitter feed as well :-) We need to get some more sloan people to tweet during their conferences :-)<br /><br />I know what you mean about the loss of dignity. Sometimes it's not really about the money itself, but rather what the money signifies - a certain amount of professional and personal respect and professional courtesy.Apostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post-12579597730913561772011-11-16T17:36:11.378-05:002011-11-16T17:36:11.378-05:00Hi, AK - great post. This is higher education'...Hi, AK - great post. This is higher education's dirty little secret. <br />My question is: where are the accreditation agencies here? This is a quality assurance issue - why are they accrediting institutions where faculty are not trained? see more at: http://www.tonybates.ca/2011/11/16/adjuncts-lmss-and-lack-of-training-an-accident-waiting-to-happen/<br />In the meantime, I've really been enjoying your posts through the Change11 MOOC,<br />regardsApostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post-29667347305044775432011-11-16T12:20:34.219-05:002011-11-16T12:20:34.219-05:00You make some excellent points. Adjunct faculty, f...You make some excellent points. Adjunct faculty, for the most part, are viewed as second class citizens in academia. However, it doesn't always lead to sub-par teaching by these instructors. In fact, sometimes quite the opposite is the case. What I've noticed during many years as both a student and employee in higher education, is that part-time faculty are often some of the most dedicated and engaging faculty on staff. I think much of their enthusiasm can be linked to their hope that their part-time work will someday lead to a full-time job. Or, they are doing it for the love of teaching and their subject and don't care about the pay because they're retired or otherwise financially secure. Whereas some of the full-time faculty are either burnt-out, are unmotivated once they're tenured (small percentage to be sure), or too overburdened with administrative tasks (countless meetings, reports, slos, etc.) required by their institution to have enough energy to devote to their students.Apostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post-20066569747200451802011-11-16T10:03:38.505-05:002011-11-16T10:03:38.505-05:00Agreed. After 27 years working inside higher ed, I...Agreed. After 27 years working inside higher ed, I'm now on the outside looking in. I'm thinking about teaching a bit as an adjunct (online) and there are lots of opportunities out there. However, I refuse to work for the wages that many schools offer. Anything less than $1500 per credit for a 3-credit class is not worth the time nor the loss of dignity.<br /><br />Even at that rate, it is hard to justify it if you have to develop all your own course materials and/or otherwise do a great deal of prep time prior and during the class. Anyone (without a degree) can make that kind of money being a server in a halfway decent restaurant working part-time. <br /><br />It was nice "meeting" you on the Sloan Twitter feed. Also, cockamamy is an all-time great word - not used nearly enough any more.Apostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.com