Good schools to get online adjunct positions-

Discussion in 'Online & DL Teaching' started by Randell1234, Dec 29, 2007.

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  1. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

  2. nobycane

    nobycane New Member

    Has anyone had any experience teaching for AXIA College?
    If so, what were the pros & cons with teaching for them?
    I had applied for some online adjunct science positions recently, and then they requested additional information from me (cv)...so now I am playing the waiting game to see what they do.

    I realize their pay isn't the greatest in the world right now, however, they are the only insititution that is offering online adjunct positions in my science area....not to mention that my school district had just announced that they will not be offering summer school this summer. (Major bugetary cuts, etc.) Which is a bummer.:(

    Thanks for any feedback in advance.

    CHEERS!
     
  3. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I applied, they requested a resume, and then they sent me a list of questions for my online interview. I am waiting to hear back from them. The pay is not really bad - $1,235 per class and they are 9 week classes.
     
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    When the University of Phoenix expanded into Virginia, one of the state's objections was the potential for UoP competing with the community colleges. Uop pointed out that the CC population wasn't their market, that students were expected to be 21 and to transfer in at least 20 s.h. of credit. Since then, UoP has lowered the age limit to 18 and now accepts applicants with zero transfer credits. They also created an entry-level 5-course sequence for such students. And about 18 months ago they announced the next step in going after the community college market:

    Axia College.

    I would expect the faculty experience at Axia to be comparable--or even identical--to UoP. They pay is. (Worse, actually, since UoP pays about 900 for a 5-week class.)

    If high school dropouts had any money, you'd see a UoPHS just that fast.
     
  5. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator


    Rich,

    What do you see as fair? Here is a break down of schools I know of:
    FMU - $1,600 for a 12 week course which is $133.33 per week / per course

    South University - $1,500 for a 5.5 week course which is $272.72 per week / per course

    Axia - $1,235 for a 9 week course which is $137.22 per week / per course

    UoP - $1,235 for a 5 week course which is $247 per week / per course
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 13, 2008
  6. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    This doesn't make sense, do you mean $900 for a 5 week course?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 13, 2008
  7. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator


    I fixed it - thanks.
     
  8. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    Axia requires adjuncts to maintain daily office hours where they can be contacted by phone. Not worth the hassle IMO.
     
  9. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Since when does UoP pay that much for a 5-week course? To whom? A level-C faculty member with a doctorate won't earn that much, IIRC. A level-A faculty with a master's will earn less than $900.
     
  10. BMWGuinness

    BMWGuinness New Member

    Rich, if you'll notice he meant to say $900 for a 5 week course translating to $180 per week / per course.
     
  11. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member


    Thanks! :)
     
  12. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    As a "veteran" UoP facilitator I get $950 per 5-week course. It's not great, and I'm certainly not going to get rich, but considering the variables I think it's fair.

    I just plain enjoy teaching. I've been doing it long enough to have assisted some former students with getting jobs and also admission to graduate/law schools in the form of a reference, and that's just a great feeling.

    I could make MUCH better money by working OT/details, but with UoP I get to do my work from my living room, in my pajamas, whenever it suits me within reason. I have yet to be cold, hot, wet, or hungry while facilitating.

    I put my teaching paychecks into a unique bank account, which finances the family vacation to Storyland & Santa's Village every summer. Whatever is left over is rolled into an IRA.
     
  13. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    That is incorrect.

    Below is the 2008 UOP pay summary (which did not change from 2007 as far as I can see):

    Undergraduate Courses - Group Study (per Week)
    Week B BD Week C CD
    1 $190 $210 1 $225 $245
    2 $380 $420 2 $450 $490
    3 $570 $630 3 $675 $735
    4 $760 $840 4 $900 $980
    5 $950 $1,050 5 $1,125 $1,225
    6 $1,140 $1,260 6 $1,350 $1,470
    7 $1,330 $1,470 7 $1,575 $1,715
    8 $1,520 $1,680 8 $1,800 $1,960

    Graduate Courses - Group Study (per Week)
    Week B BD Week C CD
    1 $200 $233 1 $240 $273
    2 $400 $467 2 $480 $547
    3 $600 $700 3 $720 $820
    4 $800 $933 4 $960 $1,093
    5 $1,000 $1,167 5 $1,200 $1,367
    6 $1,200 $1,400 6 $1,440 $1,640
    7 $1,400 $1,633 7 $1,680 $1,913
    8 $1,600 $1,867 8 $1,920 $2,187
     
  14. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    The chart above is confusing as printed. What does an A-level (beginning), master's qualified, faculty member earn for a 5-week undergrad course? My statement was it was less than $900. That isn't correct? If not, it's not off by much.
     
  15. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    $950 for 5 week undergrad online. $1000 for 5 week undergrad Flex-net (which is really a four week course because there is no instruction until last night of first week).

    Sorry about the format - I could not get it to line up without retyping it. Online faculty start at the "B" level. I started there as well for the local campus. It indicates the same in the UOP faculty payroll schedule. "A" level is not mentioned anywhere in the document.

    The chart shows B level (B), B with Dotorate (BD), C level (C), and C with Doctorate (CD).

    It is not great, but it is not the $5-7/hr. that I frequently see cited as the UOP pay rate on this forum and others.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 15, 2008
  16. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    No A-level? You might not see it listed, but it exists. Unless they've eliminated it in the last year, it's there.

    I taught new faculty for about 2 years.

    As for hourly, it's really tiny. When you consider class time (20 hours), preparation (varies; let's say another 10 hours), and grading (varies, say another 15 hours--it really varies based upon how much effort you put into it and how many students you have, and the number of students doesn't raise your pay!), you might figure on an hourly rate of somewhere around $20, or even less. That's a joke. I did it for 3 years because I love teaching, but I had to give it up. (I replaced it with other teaching--corporate--that pays 7 times as much.)

    A 3-s.h. course ought to pay around $2K - $2.5K. One is tempted to say well, UoP only requires about half the number of classroom hours most traditional programs require. Fine, but you still have the team assignments to grade, plus any guidance you have to provide to the learning teams.

    Feedback I've gathered, plus my own limited experience, indicates that online instructors carry an even larger burden, thus reducing their pay per hour.

    UoP is a great place to get your bona fides as an adjunct, but the pay is atrocious.
     
  17. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    Thanks for the response Rich. I view UOP as my stepping stone into better positions. I have been hired at Franklin, APUS, and Western Washington as a result of my UOP experience. There is better out there for sure.

    I am lucky in a couple ways at UOP in that I teach the same two courses repeatedly and usually only have four to five students in each one. Makes the hourly quite a bit more significant than a 20 person class. Cheers.
     
  18. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Sounds like a good financial plan - mine is to pay off my condo faster with the extra money.
     
  19. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    As I've mentioned I love teaching so I'm not in it for the money, but my experience has been that time spent is reduced dramatically after a couple of years experience, especially in regards to preparation (I can do a syllabus in my sleep) and grading (I can also use the grading system in my sleep at this point).

    That doesn't mean my quality of teaching has suffered; quite the opposite. Now that I know the "system", I'm able to be more efficient while being a better teacher, IMO.

    Of course, I'm STILL never going to get rich being a UoP adjunct. For me, the benefits outweigh the negatives and as long as I never have to worry about surviving on adjunct pay, I'll probably feel that way.
     
  20. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    A departure from education here but is it really better to pay off your condo?
    My mortgage is 5-1/4% and after tax it is more like 4% - I earn more than 10% annually on my investments (including a Roth IRA). And not to mention the mortgage payment looks smaller with each passing each year due to inflation.
     

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