Many of the online adjunct jobs will be going away?

(This is related to the current thread about for-profit enrollments dropping. I wanted to start a new thread on a related issue to get comments)

Since the for-profits, especially the monsters like UoP are losing students and will not be able to fill as many classes, it seems likely that there will be considerably fewer jobs for online adjuncts. It is possible that the growing schools like APU will make up some of the slack, but I think there will still be a drop-off in jobs. I began mentioning this about a year ago in the threads I started suggesting there is an academic bubble.

Do you think this is actually a bubble popping and things will implode? Or, do you think students will simply migrate to more reasonable online schools and their aggregate numbers will not ultimately drop?

 

You make good points. I have only received one offer to teach next September when I normally receive 3 to 4 offers. This seems to be a reflection of the dramatic reduction on enrollment.

My guess is that this will also reduce the demand of online doctorates. As less adjuncts are required, less people will be interested in enrolling in online doctorates.

The schools that rely heavily on online doctorate students like Capella and NCU will see a reduction in their enrollments and might face some financial issues if things continue this way.

 

As I have noted in other threads on this topic, I firmly believe that demand for adjuncts fluctuates widely in certain fields. Adjuncts teaching in fields like general business, criminal justice, etc. will feel more of the impact than those in specialty fields. I have actually seen an increase in offers over the last year but I am in a specialty field with a low supply of prepared faculty.

 

I have not seen a change in course load. Actually, I got an offer from another school (for-profit) to start teaching in the fall. While overall enrollment has gone down with the "big players", could it be assumed that those students are going elsewhere or has the addressable market been capped out?

 

We discussed this a little in the "DeVry" posting in online DL jobs forum. I had no class for the first time in two years last term there, but do have one for the upcoming term. I picked up a new school this summer, from an old application I submitted in 2008! My other schools have been pretty consistent.

Oh, I teach English, so that might factor in, since everyone has to take those classes.

 

There was a recent thread on the UOP Faculty Forum related to people being offered one section at a time rather than two. This has happened to me over the summer. However, I don't know that people are leaving UOP en masse for on-ground programs or no program at all. Rather, I've seen an increase in other programs. Two of the other schools I adjunct for (both private, non-profit, religious schools) have increased my courseload for the Fall and beyond. A friend who adjuncts for two other (also private, non-profit) schools has reported the same.

Fewer UOP offerings may reflect more on UOP than it does DL in general.

 

Here's your problem. Listen to some Beethoven and sip some wine, and you will be ok.

 

LOL :haha: Now that joke HAS class

 

Ha. OK, maybe my choice of words wasn't the best...

 

Now that it is looking likely that we are going into a second recession, the problem might be even worse.

 

At a recent adjunct meeting for my community college, the dean discussed how the college had the highest growth rate of any of the Virginia community colleges. As a result, they're opening up a campus in my town, which is great for me! But with the community college system offering more online classes and programs, it makes me wonder if people are simply abandoning the uber expensive UoPs and returning to the much less expensive community colleges.

-Matt

 

So you think that rather than a drop-off, there will be a migration from the big for-profits into the state schools and city colleges that will be offering more and more online classes. That seems likely, but will it make up for the tremendous loss of adjunct jobs when the for-profits start cutting classes?

 

Or the need for instructors could migrate with the students.

 

1. The buy now, pay later environment of graduate student loans is going away.
2. The for profits that are heavily slanted towards grad degrees are affected by this.
3. Additionally the for profits are also afflicted with high tuition and poor reputation and the threat of new entrants is high from state schools.
4. Sites like this figure prominently if anyone searches for a school online.

Prediction 1: For profits will suffer.
Prediction 2: Student numbers overall will drop.
Prediction 3: Better schools will not be able to keep up with the influx of students. Tuition will drop but selectivity will increase.
Prediction 4: Some jobs will be lost. Others will migrate but the number of qualified candidates that have teaching experience will suffice to fill the need for the most part

Value balanced diffusion will not support a quickly growing adjunct pool.

 

I think this would be happening even if there never was a for-profit implosion. It seems like a large percentage of new members that post here plan to get a degree online and then become an online adjunct. The draw of working at home is powerful. Unfortunately, there are not enough jobs for these people and it will become exponentially worse in the near future.

 

I would agree with your assessment about those obtaining a degree online and then later working from home. However, everyone's economic situation is different. Most who do plan to work from home teaching online probably have more stable careers and do this strictly on a part time basis. I think that those teaching in hard to fill areas like engineering or computer science probably wouldn't be affected much. I think that those trying to break into the field will find it even harder and for those already established might see less work coming in the near future.

 

Sorry to all that thought that a master’s degree equaled an online job.. My hope is lots of people get fired so that we end up with real teachers.

 

Define "real teacher". There's more to it than just having a master's degree. Most online adjuncts and instructors at traditional colleges have many years of work related experience.

 

That was my thinking. I do courses online with UoP and with my local community college. Guess which one pays more? I'll give you a hint. It's NOT UoP. And I'm only ranked as an "instructor" with the VCCS, which is the lowest you can be for credit courses. That's because I need another year and I can possibly move up. But in my mind, if the students move from expensive non-profits to far less expensive community colleges, they'll still bring in tuition income to the community college that can be used to hire additional adjuncts or even full time positions.

-Matt

 

I, for one, am always looking for good instructors (both full- and part-time). Our online enrollments are growing and, even though I receive a regular stream of resumes/CVs, it is not easy to find good candidates who are both academically and professionally qualified (we want those who can do AND teach).