With growing national online enrollments in higher education, a need exists for innovative practices for adjunct faculty geographically distant from campus. This chapter demonstrates the outcomes of a Teaching Across Geography Group (TAGG) at a private not-for-profit university with 27,000 students enrolled, 7,000 of whom are online. The purpose of this group was to identify resources in place and establish equitable access for faculty working online. All faculty need to receive the same degree of support to meet the academic requirements for teaching online. This support, however, looks different as it comes in the form of alternative access that is equitable, even if not equal, and results in the seamless inclusion of this faculty population. Shared practices for all academic units within a university can streamline communication between all online faculty and all on-ground faculty regardless of academic rank or academic status (full or part-time), and it promotes a “one faculty” university rather than multiple entities in silos working together.
TopNational Trends And Issues
According to Allen & Seaman (2015), online enrollment rates have increased for the fourteenth year. In fact, since 2012, distance student online enrollment overall has continued to climb while residential enrollments (i.e., face-to-face learners) have declined during the period 2012–2016. Looking solely at growth from 2015–2016, the number of students taking at least one online class has grown by 5.6%, representing 31.6% of all students (6,359,121 total students), while the number of students taking no online classes dropped 6.4% (1,173,805 students).
In the Executive Summary of their evaluation of Online Learning as a Strategic Asset, McCarthy and Samors (2009) noted several salient points that emerged from their reviews and interviews with faculty members (teaching both online and residentially). These points included that campus leaders do not understand the characteristics of the online teaching populations on their campuses—specifically that communication strategies targeting all faculty members, both residential and online, are lacking—and that online learner success requires consistent academic, administrative, and technological resources for both faculty and students. Now, answers are available in a new report from The Learning House, Inc., and WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies). In Recruiting, Orienting, & Supporting Online Adjunct Faculty: A Survey of Practices, more than 200 deans, directors and provosts at two- and four-year higher education institutions were surveyed about the hiring, expectations, policies, and support of adjunct and part-time faculty members for online courses (Magda, Poulin, & Clinefelter, 2015; Straumshein, 2015). The key findings included:
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One-size-fits-all policies are common. Policies that were designed for on-campus adjuncts were frequently applied to those who teach online, which can present challenges in a different modality.
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There are two approaches to how institutions have adjunct faculty develop online courses. Colleges and universities tend to fall into two camps, either using a “master course” philosophy (the institution develops the course) or “full development/customization” (the faculty member develops the course).
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Adjuncts teaching online are often given responsibility and flexibility. Thirty-one percent of online adjunct faculty are often given responsibility for course design, and 21 percent of institutions allow online adjunct faculty the ability to totally customize the courses they teach.