Argosy University has cut pay rates for adjunct faculty who teach online

Discussion in 'Online & DL Teaching' started by carlosb, Apr 16, 2012.

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  1. carlosb

    carlosb New Member

    Argosy University has cut pay rates for adjunct faculty who teach online -- by as much as 33 percent in some cases

    Read more: Argosy University cuts adjunct pay for online courses | Inside Higher Ed
    Inside Higher Ed

    "Effective February 7, 2012 AUO will transition to one adjunct rate for undergraduate
    courses of $1,600 and one rate for graduate courses of $1,800. Although this may be less than some of
    you are accustomed to receiving, please be aware that it is significantly more than received at most
    other online institutions"


    Wonder if this is going to be a trend? Significantly(!) more than other online institutions?!?!? I sure would not work for such peanuts!:shock:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 16, 2012
  2. carlosb

    carlosb New Member

    Please move to Online & DL Teaching. I posted in the wrong place.
     
  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Done......
     
  4. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    If my memory serves correctly, my former tribal community college, which is always cashed strapped, pays more for adjuncts than Argosy.

    Of course, if some adjuncts leave, there will be others that will take their place...
     
  5. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    This is the bottom line of the issue. Most people doing online doctorates, do it with the intention to become adjuncts. As the market is becoming saturated, schools profit from the oversupply and pay less.

    It is really upsetting for those teaching at Argosy. Tuition fees for doctoral programs at Argosy have duplicated since 2000 but salaries are going down.

    For profit schools are shooting themselves in the foot. As salaries for adjuncts are dropping, this will give less motivation for those that are considering getting a doctorate degree.

    As tenure track positions are becoming harder to get for those without an AACSB accredited doctorates, the value of the online doctorate will go to the floor as online adjunct positions are hard to get and pay peanuts.
     
  6. jam937

    jam937 New Member

    Wow $2200 down to $1600 is huge. How long are the courses at Argosy University? 6, 8, 12, 16 weeks?
     
  7. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    I know I busted my rear end at Capella for my doctorate, and for the life of me, I can't understand why someone would go through all of that work for a part-time teaching gig.

    Then again, there are many Capella graduates that wonder why they can't get a full-time teaching job. When I ask what conferences you have presented at, what teaching experience do you have, etc., these students honestly believed that their dissertation and the degree would land them on the tenure track.

    Sigh...
     
  8. Petedude

    Petedude New Member

    I guess the misguided dream notion still persists of living off a handful of adjunct gigs.

    In general, though, I would hope people have other motivations for completing a doctorate and that extra adjunct work on the side would be icing on the cake.
     
  9. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    Does anyone really expect to live off of adjunct jobs?

    I would never even think of adjunct work as a main source of income if I were not already making good money with benefits at my primary place of employment.

    I think the "how to make $100,000 teaching online" movement has really skewed the expectations of many people. If you notice, the author of that book used her online teaching experience as leverage into bigger and more lucrative things - why teach a course for $1800 when you can sell a book to those who want to or be consultant?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 16, 2012
  10. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    How to make 100K at Agrosy: teach 62.5 courses a year. If you want to cut down your load, you could teach 55.6 grad courses...
     
  11. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Do you know Danielle Babbs? She is also a Capella graduate and claims to be an adjunct at "at Indiana Wesleyan University, Baker College, Liberty University, Northcentral University, Chapman University, Boston University, Walden University, Ashford University, the University of California, Irvine and others"

    All this while holding a successful real estate practice

    Danielle Babb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    She has a book that shows you how to build a successful adjunct career:

    Make Money Teaching Online...


    A lot of Capellas, NCUs, Walden's, etc graduates make a living as adjuncts. I used to go to the Devry national convention of adjuncts and most adjuncts have doctorates from online institutions.

    The problem is that for those that were conviced by Dr. Babbs career advice, they will have to live with less money as their employers think that they are making too much money and have decided to cut their salaries.

    Time to look for another career choice.
     
  12. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    Heard the name. I know that her co-author Jim Mirabella was on the Capella faculty (don't know about now), because he gave a presentation on quantitative methods at a colloquia I attended a few years back.
     
  13. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    This could be a great title for another book. "How to teach 60+ courses in a year at Argosy for a 6 figure salary".

    There are many people that make a living as online adjuncts. A lot more than you think. Many also complement this with administration work at for profits (e.g. faculty lead) and dissertation advising.

    When I used to go to the Devry's convention, about half of people there were making a living as full time adjuncts. Many were doing doctorates at Capella, NCU, and other online schools.

    I remember that many shared stories on how they had to go on vacations with laptops and work during weekends to get all the grading done. Some actually moved to South American in order to profit from cheap housing in places like Nicaragua. There were some discussions about health insurance. Some schools offer now group insurance at a reduced price for faculty members.

    Obviously online schools know that many are willing to take pay cuts as they cannot easily find another job.

    Once you become a professional online adjunct, it is hard to find another job that can benefit from your copy and paste and fast grading skills. You become a professinal manager of platforms like Blackboard, E-college, etc but these skills do not have much demand in the corporate world.
     
  14. carlosb

    carlosb New Member

    Saw the same thing at the NCU learner fourm. People downplaying the DBA degree because they wanted the PhD for tenure track positions. Yes, academic snobbery at an online for profit non-AACSB school! Some had no clue what the AACSB is!
     
  15. carlosb

    carlosb New Member

    I have no doubt you and the others here like Randall worked very hard and produced a top-notch dissertation. Therein lies the problem for me… to work so hard only to have my degree not acceptable at most major universities is too much.
     
  16. Petedude

    Petedude New Member

    The issue is not with a lack of quality or rigor in most of these programs-- it is an issue of perception in the eyes of "most major universities". I imagine this may fade over time, as for the most part this perception reflects irrational prejudices.
     
  17. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    OK, while I'm not at a "top ranked university," my university is ranked in the US News Top 100 regionals, so I'm happy where I have landed.
     
  18. graymatter

    graymatter Member

    In respect to doing it "full time:"

    I took leave from my counseling practice in November 2011 to concentrate on my dissertation. Since then I have accepted almost every offer from the four schools I'm rostered for. For each of three schools, I am doing the max that they allow.

    Its going "alright." I've made around $21k in those six months. So its feasible to think that I could potentially make $42k in 12 months (though I expect summer will be slower for the non-UOP schools).

    But to make $100k? While doing other full-time work? No way. I'd say that I average 4-6 hours a day for 6 days a week. So its feasible to say that one "could" double the load to 8-12 hours (though that would mean doubling the universities since I teach the max) but even 12 hours would mean... $84,000? And THEN full-time work?

    They have to be abusing the system. I have a friend who has worked for 2 online schools and has bragged about having his wife (who has an Associates Degree - just like my wife) do most of his daily online work (not grading, but answering questions and discussion forum work). Aside from that (or hiring my son to be my "TA") I can't fathom making that level of money.

    Er, ethically that is.

    But to pay the bills for 2 semesters of my dissertation? Yes, its been doable. Its been a pain having to take it "on the road" with me but I'm getting used to it. Its been all that I wanted during this brief period of wanting to concentrate on my dissertation - but I don't see how it works full-time long-term... or for $100,000+ a year.
     
  19. StefanM

    StefanM New Member

    That's hilarious, but I actually think they might have a point. PhDs typically are viewed as research degrees, regardless of their source. DBAs might be viewed more like EdDs...sometimes considered equal to a PhD, sometimes not, depending on the program and the person doing the considering.

    That being said, it is a bit ambitious to expect a tenure-track position with any NCU degree. It is possible, but they do need to consider that PhD graduates at non-elite B&M institutions have trouble finding positions (and even some from elite schools, but it is easier with an elite school's PhD). The PhD/DBA distinction probably won't make nearly as much difference as the online-only element will make.
     
  20. graymatter

    graymatter Member

    By the way, I was "hired" at Argosy but never assigned a course. I contacted them back in November to inquire and received a brief "yes, you're in our rotation" email. I'm curious as to whether or not I'll be contacted now. :)
     

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