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. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Even more difficult if they are cutting salaries. Argosy managers probably read Dr. Babb's book and figure that they were overpaying.

    As for "outsourcing" online teaching. I'm sure is happening already. At one institution where I used to work, one teacher was dismissed as he was caught outsourcing his work to some folks in India.

    The business model could be getting as many courses as possible and then get some people in India to do them by half the price.

    The reality is that most of these courses do not require a doctorate. Anyone with a BS and some brain can handle the courses. The doctorate many times is just to justify the high fees students pay for the course and for accreditation purpose.
     
  2. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    It happens, I was hired at few schools that never contacted me for a course. Most online schools hire two times the number of faculty they need so they can have enough people in case enrollments go up.

    As most of these online schools do no pay for training, we become inventory with zero carrying and set up cost. Meaning that they can afford to train as many as they want as we cost them zero if the don;t get any course.

    For profit schools optimize cost and minimize risk.The risk is mainly taken by the faculty member as we are the ones that put our time in a school that might never hire us.

    I know it sucks but it is part of the job of being an online adjunct.
     
  3. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    I believe is possible if you are willing to go anywhere for a low salary. When I was job hunting, there were few places that they were looking for professors in small cities for salaries as low as 40 to 50K.
    I realize that life is cheaper in small cities but for 40K you might as well become a full time online adjunct and live in a place you like.

    I met few NCU PhDs working as full time faculty at Devry University. Granted, they were not tenure track but they were full time with benefits.

    Don't forget that people with AACSB accredited degrees look for at least 100K to start. Not all the schools are able to afford those salaries.
     
  4. graymatter

    graymatter Member

    For what its worth, I adjunct (or have in the past) with 3 of those. I just checked and she is indeed active for them. For the two that show faculty schedules, she has the max (2 courses per term in both spring terms).
     
  5. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Could it be possible that she uses "TAs"? I don't see how a professor could teach at so many places and so many courses. It is tempting to take 20 courses and just give them to a cheap TA to mark and post in the discussion areas.
     
  6. StefanM

    StefanM New Member

    Not if the pay keeps going down...

    Yes, these positions are available, but competition is still there. The average NCU graduate probably won't be landing jobs like this without some other factors. For instance, a seasoned community college professor with a PhD from NCU might be able to get a leg up in the interview process at a teaching-focused institution. An NCU graduate with a strong publication history might also have some opportunities.

    If you are looking at non-tenure track positions, then the opportunities do increase somewhat.

    Perhaps in the in-demand fields a salary that high could be commanded, but a PhD in management, particularly from a lower-ranked school, might have to shoot a little lower. That being said, the top-tier AACSB-accredited PhD graduates probably aren't really the main competition for NCU graduates anyway. Lower-tier B&M institutions and other mostly-online schools also produce PhDs in these fields.

    Of course, as with anything, an exceptional candidate could break the stereotypes.
     
  7. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. If NCU graduates have little chance of getting a tenure track and salaries for online adjuncts are going down while tuition fees at for profits are going up.
    Would institutions like NCU would be able to survive? In particular as other schools with better reputation are starting to offer distance programs.
     
  8. Princeofska

    Princeofska New Member

    Agrosy never gives me a call back anyway... Hope this does not become a trend, I can barely make a living now teaching at 8 universities, if they start cutting it looks like I will have to work at Borders. Oh wait...
     
  9. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Princeofska,



    I know the feeling. I thought I could make a living teaching online but I was wrong. Things were good back in 2002 but things started to get bad after 2007 when people started poping from everywhere with online degrees from UoP, NCU, etc. Many of the schools that I used to work for never raised salaries in almost 10 years, now it appears that some schools are not just not freezing but reducing salaries because the huge supply of people with online graduate degrees.



    I started noticing this trend in 2007 and tried to get a job in a B&M school, it took me few years to get a good job but I'm glad that I got out of it. My suggestion is to look for a job in a B&M school and only keep online teaching on the side for extra cash. Ignore the advice of people like Dr. Babs that are just selling a model that is not sustainable, the bubble will burst soon as people will stop taking these online graduate degrees (in particular for profit ones) once they realize that nobody will pay them more money because their MBAs, PhD, etc earned from a online school. When this happens, you will have online schools even paying less money as they will have a huge pool of new people with online PhDs and will start losing enrollment.



    It is time to switch careers.
     

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