Spring 2007 Newsletter >
Lead Story
From Contingent Faculty to
On-line Teaching: The View at the Maryland Conference of the AAUP
by Ed Hirschman, History (Emeritus)
The Maryland General Assembly is giving increased
attention to the rights and compensation of “contingent faculty” –
adjuncts and non-tenure-track lecturers, whose numbers are growing in
state universities and colleges.
At it spring meeting on April 14, 2007 held at Coppin
State University, the Maryland Conference of the AAUP received a report
from Jordan Choper, veteran lobbyist/legislative chair for the
conference that will not bode well for “contingent faculty.” He stated
that a proposal to apply state minimum wages to their work had been
introduced in the recent session of the legislature and would be studied
for consideration at next year’s session. Julie Schmid, of the AAUP
national office, said the national organization is trying to propose
guidelines delineating the rights of “contingents,” including widening
gaps between different disciplines, in gender equity, and between
administrators and faculty.
These concerns come on top of the recent approval by
the Board of Regents of health and pension benefits for “contingents”
with sufficient service to their credit.
Most of the State AAUP conference, however, addressed
“The Faculty in a Technological Age.” Three members of a Montgomery
College task force –Tammy S. Peery, William I. Talbot, and Anita Crowley
– explained some of the advantages, but also some of the problems, with
on-line teaching. The three noted that on-line teaching is best suited
for large, multi-section “common courses,” but that even in such cases,
most students need some face-to-face contact with the instructor.
Before being entrusted with an on-line section, instructors will need
some special training in on-line techniques.
The work, the Montgomery professors added, is harder
than regular classroom teaching. Faculty are much more readily
accessible, but they should not be expected to receive messages and
respond “24/7.” Professor Crowley noted that faculty teaching on-line
courses must always have a “Plan B,” as well, because technical glitches
do occur.
Lucia Worthington, professor of management at UM
University College, advised on-line instructors to post all assignments,
outlines, and questions, so that they might be available “24/7.” As a
back-up, instructors should also keep a notebook with “hard copy” of all
on-line information.
Nevertheless, there remain problems. Worthington
warned that synchronization of responses does not work well. Often, too
many students try to get on-line at once clogging the server and the
site. This, the instructor should be aware, may generate put-downs or
grumpy moods, leading to especially harsh on-line criticism of
instructors.
