18 hours question

Discussion in 'Online & DL Teaching' started by mattbrent, Feb 19, 2009.

Loading...
  1. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    Hi gang!

    As a caveat, this is not exactly distance teaching, but I hope you all can provide some insights.

    I'm currently doing WNMU's MAIS program to get 18 hours in both history and political science. Doing so will allow me to teach the dual enrollment community college courses at my high school. Bottom line is that by having me on staff teaching the courses, the school will save about $10K per section (about $40K per year!). I've taken 2 Poly Sci classes through APU, one on the presidency and one on political parties and interest groups. I'm currently taking 2 through WNMU this semester, American Constitutional Development and US/Mexico Borderlands Issues.

    The Constitutional Development class is listed as a POLS class, but I'm wondering if it would actually count (for teaching, not for the degree) as a history class as well? It has a huge chunk of historical content in it. Does anyone have experience with this? Also, the Borderlands class is cross listed as POLS/CJUS/HIST. Although I've signed up as POLS for the purpose of the degree, would the fact that it is also considered a history class allow it to count toward the 18 hours of history as well?

    I'm asking because the school is pushing me to hurry up with the history portion as well. (Not that they're actually helping me to get the courses, mind you...) However, if I can "double count" some of these courses, that would save me some time, though I'd still continue with the degree. I'm just trying to help them save money in the hopes they'll put the savings to use and hire an additional faculty member in my department.

    I talked to the guy who currently teaches the DE US History classes. He is an adjunct with the community college. His MA is in religion, but he said he has religious history classes and archaeology classes that they counted towards his 18 hours. I'm just wondering how picky the college might be. I know I could just call and ask, but I don't have a contact, and I figured someone here might already have had experience with the two classes I'm talking about.

    Just another thought... when I was nosing around, I saw that APU pretty much has the same class, Constitutional Development, but it is listed as a HIST course with them. I'm not sure that would make a difference though. When I got the syllabus from the professor, the students had to do the same type of things I'm doing in the class over at WNMU. Worse case scenario, I could probably transfer the course to APU and hope they put it in as the HIST course... right?

    As always, thanks in advance!
    -Matt
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 19, 2009
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    I'm thinking that you'll have to choose whether to treat it as HIST or POLS. It might be possible to change it from POLS to HIST later, if you need it for the credit distribution. But it looks like the POLS offerings at WNMU are slim enough that you would eventually need to count some of your cross-listed HIST/POLS courses as POLS credit while it is possible to get your 18 hours of HIST credits from classes marked HIST only.
     
  3. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Just another thought... when I was nosing around, I saw that APU pretty much has the same class, Constitutional Development, but it is listed as a HIST course with them. I'm not sure that would make a difference though. >>

    Matt, what if you applied back at APUS and tried to transfer that class in- it might land back on your transcript with the HIS prefix? That would put you at 12 HIS on your APUS, plus 3 HIS on your WNMU. You could do 1 more history class at APUS, and that might put you at 18. It might at least be worth a call to APUS for a quick credit evaluation.
     
  4. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    I think I'm ultimately just going to have to contact the community college. My thought is that if the current adjunct they have coming to our school for the dual enrollment history course has a masters in religion, they're surely counting some of his courses as history courses. I'm just wondering if they'll do the same for me. I'll be sure to share what I find.

    -Matt
     
  5. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    How are they pushing you to hurry up with the history portion? Do they feel you taking only 2 courses at a time is too slow for them?
     
  6. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    No, it's just that I'll be saving them tens of thousands each year because they won't need to pay full tuition for students, and given the amounts of budget cuts education is experiencing right now, saving anything would be a bonus.

    I'm trying to move things in my favor by convincing them to give me a supervisory period. Basically we have to teach 5 periods each day. However, we have one teacher in our department who sits in on the lectures with the adjunct from the community college three days a week. On the other two days, this teacher is supposed to teach the standards that the kids are supposed to learn for the state test at the end of the year. The thing is, those same standards are covered by the adjunct, so the teacher basically gets 2 of his 5 periods as freebies. I want those two periods so that A) I can observe the adjunct, and B) so I can have time to work on assignments. I just have to convince them to give it to me. You'd think that since I'm trying to do them a favor, it'd be easy... but it's not.

    -Matt
     
  7. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Hasn't this asserbanneram guy been banned yet?
     
  8. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Please don't quote the spam!!!
     

Share This Page