| "Distance education" no longer means receiving a binder and books by mail, or videotaping a series of lessons from a local public television channel at 3 a.m. and hoping the VCR caught the entire program. With broadband, asynchronous learning, mobile phone applications for virtual college classrooms, downloadable textbooks, and so much more, online degree programs truly can be completed from anywhere students have time, Internet access, and an eager mind. Adjunct professor jobs follow these education opportunities; learn which colleges and universities are hiring right now for online teaching opportunities.
Adjunct Professors for Online Degree Programs
The big online degree programs advertised all over the web and on television are growing at an astronomical rate. Online, for-profit colleges report a nine percent annualized growth pattern over the past decade, while traditional colleges, online and on the ground, report just 1.5 percent growth per year according to a 2010 study by the Chronicle of Higher Education. So why are these online degree programs exploding – and therefore constantly hiring online adjunct professors?
Advertising, aggressive financial aid policies, extensive sales teams (with admissions counselors facing strict quotas for bringing in new students) and extremely careful retention teams designed to help students stay in school all help. But the number one reason these colleges succeed is flexibility, and that same flexibility that draws students in makes online instructor jobs appealing.
Online Teaching Opportunities for Adjunct Faculty
Most of the major colleges, both for-profit and non-for profit as well as online and on the ground, that are currently hiring for online faculty jobs include:
University of Phoenix
Axia College (a division of University of Phoenix)
South University
Capella University
Ashford University
Art Institutes International
Western Governors University
Argosy University
DeVry University
Kaplan University
For online professor positions in online degree programs, these are the colleges to start with for job searching. Each of these colleges and universities has a specific format for teaching online, and a "plug and play" system that qualified online professors can easily learn.
Find the "Careers" section for each college or university and apply using the specific process.
Online Instructor Jobs
Most people searching for online instructor jobs have the basic qualifications for online teaching at the college and university level:
master's degree or higher (or at least 18 graduate credit hours in the field)
transcripts available proving degrees completed
no criminal record
1-3 years of college teaching experience
So how is the teaching experience with for-profit, online degree programs different from teaching on the ground? Expect to have a highly-structured course already developed, especially in math, science, and English. Most schools have a higher-ranking professor or curriculum specialist create the course, then hire online adjunct faculty to teach. You'll be given a schedule, specific texts, course outlines, assignments and grading keys (if needed), and be expected to complete training to understand the course's interface. Good online professors can move up the ladder, so these part-time teaching jobs can be a stepping stone to a full-time, online faculty position.
Some online degree programs require that online professors keep specific office hours every day, five to six days per week, while others require a response to any student email within a specific period of time (say 24-48 hours).
Professionals searching for online teaching opportunities need to research carefully and look for every possible opportunity. Getting a start with the online for-profit colleges can open the door to more online faculty jobs with traditional schools, so don't dismiss any information or promotions about hiring fairs for online studies and faculty jobs – you never know which chance will be the one that helps you build the resume, earn more money, and launch a career in online education.
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