What's more useful: EdS from Valdosta or an EdD from Aspen?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by SurfDoctor, Jul 28, 2010.

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  1. racechick8293

    racechick8293 New Member

    IMHO, somewhat based on what I saw during my 2 years of training faculty to teach online, you're NOT a newbie by any standard! Any department chair with a grain of common sense would consider the fact that you have years of experience teaching in a traditional environment, plus the fact that you would have experience as an online student, and those factors make you a stronger candidate than those without any teaching or online experience.

    Add to that experience as a moderator of a respected forum on online education, and maybe publish an article before you apply for online adjunct jobs, along with possibly teaching a class or two at your local community college. Voila- you are now among the strongest group of candidates. It's important to keep in mind that many of those applying for online adjunct jobs (from what I've seen) are doing so based on the impression that they can work in PJ's from their sofas... and do not have any teaching experience... and the pool of qualified applicants shrinks significantly.
     
  2. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Wow, thanks for that. You are making me think, I like it.

    Here's another negative I forgot to mention. With an EdD, I'm only qualified to conduct teacher education classes. The state of the teaching industry is terrible these days and I don't expect it to improve that much for a very long time, if ever. It looks like our economic problems will persist and the teaching industry may never be robust again. (pessimistic, I know) Demand for teacher training may not be good for a long time. If true, that puts a damper on that particular goal.
     
  3. racechick8293

    racechick8293 New Member

    Thinking is a very good thing... :)

    I'm going to throw something else into the mix now. My EdD is in Instructional Technology. I have two master's in business related fields, and taught high school business courses prior to going into higher education. So far, I've taught 8 different courses at the university level. 7 of those have been in business; only 1 has been in education.
     
  4. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    The other issue is the fact that it's a jungle out there these days. You got in just in time to get established. I have applied for several online teaching jobs with my RA master's and all my teaching experience but I don't even get a response. I'm not convinced that, after spending a lot of money for a RA doctorate, that I would be able to make it back, let alone make a decent return on my money. It's a big gamble; I'm not sure I have the stomach for it. Aspen, while not as useful, is at least a safe bet.
     

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