This document summarizes a study on the motivations of contingent faculty to teach online courses. The study found that both tenured and contingent faculty were most motivated by flexible schedules and self-satisfaction. Contingent faculty were more motivated by opportunities for career advancement and employment, while tenured faculty prioritized intellectual stimulation. The results indicate administrators should focus on building community and managing expectations to better recruit and retain contingent online instructors.
1. Capturing the Heart of the
Online Instructor:
Motivations to Teach
Diane Chapman, NC State University
Sophia Stone, Duke University
1
2. Overview
Background: Growth of DE and Contingent faculty hired to
match program growth
Increase of part-time adjunct & non-tenure track instructors
to teach online courses
DE Administration Challenge: Staffing
Understand adjunct faculty motivation to teach
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivators
Can better address recruitment, retention, and ensure
success of DE program
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3. Contingent Faculty - Definition
People in both full-time and part-time faculty in non-
tenure track positions.
Also referred to as contract faculty, full-time non-
tenure track faculty, term faculty, adjunct
professors, visiting professors, and lecturers
(Holub, 2003)
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4. Contingent Faculty
“the increasing number of faculty who are employed
in contingent positions, whether full or part time,
represents probably the single most significant
development in higher education in the last two
decades” (Curtis, 2005, p.1).
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5. Contingent Faculty: Issues
Expectations: institutional/faculty
Acceptance/Connection to institution
Recruitment, retention, professional development
Staffing model presents benefits and challenges for
institution and for contingent faculty member
--“the adjunct”
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6. Benefits and Challenges
Benefits
For institution:
Flexible staffing model
Practitioner expertise
Costs 36% less to educate a student
Cost-effective staffing model
Addresses insecure funding for DE programs
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7. Benefits and Challenges
Challenges
For institution:
High turnover rate
Compensation inequity
Institutional demand
Retention
Morale
“Market Model”
Student services may suffer: advising, mentoring
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8. About the Study
•What motivates the contingent faculty to
teach distance education courses?
•Is there a difference between what
motivates tenure-track instructors versus
contingent instructors?
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9. Study Design
Quantitative
Online Survey
Survey designed using intensive literature
review about issues pertaining to contingent
faculty
Expert panel for face validity
Beta tested with sample group
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10. Study Results
Online survey to all DE instructors listed for
an academic year (294)
48% response rate (142)
97 tenure/tenure-track instructors (68%)
45 contingent instructors (32%)
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11. Limitations
One university
Snapshot
Self-report
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12. Typical Respondent
Tenured/Tenure Track: Contingent:
Is at the full professor rank (51%)
Is a lecturer or assistant professor (86%)
Has taught F2F for 8 years
Has taught F2F for over 21 years
Has taught online for 2 years
Has taught online for 6 years
Has a master’s or doctorate
Has a doctorate Is 45 years old
Is 55 years old Is female (63%)
Is male (79%) Teaches primarily online undergraduate
Primarily teaches online undergraduate courses
courses Is employed full time at the university (79%)
Has taught at 1 school in past 3 years 25% have taught at 2 schools in the past 3
years
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13. Results: Top Motivators
Tenured & Tenured Track Contingent
Flexible schedule (52.9%) Flexible schedule (59.2%)
Self-satisfaction (48.0%) Opportunities to use new
technologies (57.1%)
Opportunities to use new
technologies (48%) Self-satisfaction (51.0%)
Financial rewards (45.1%) Financial rewards (46.9%)
Intellectual stimulation To enhance my online
(45.1%) teaching skills (44.9%)
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14. Results: Lowest Motivators
Tenured & Tenured Track Contingent
A lack of permanent A lack of permanent
employment elsewhere (0%) employment elsewhere (2%)
For the social connections with For the social connections with
faculty (0%) faculty (2%)
For the social connections with For the social connections with
students (0%) students (2%)
Pressure from my peers (1%) Pressure from my
As a potential entry point for department head (6.1%)
teaching career (1%) Pressure from my peers (6.1%)
As an avenue for full-time For professional
employment at this connections with faculty
institution (2%) (6.1%)
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15. Significant Differences
As a potential entry point for teaching career
Contingent faculty were more motivated
A lack of permanent employment elsewhere
Contingent faculty were more motivated
As an avenue for full-time employment at this
institution
Contingent faculty were more motivated
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16. Significant Differences
Pressure from my peers
Contingent faculty were more motivated
For the professional connections with faculty
Contingent faculty were more motivated
For the social connections with faculty
Contingent faculty were more motivated
For the social connections with students
Contingent faculty were more motivated
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17. Concluding Thoughts
Community and Connection
Managing Expectations
Orientation & Faculty Development
Recruitment & Retention
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Hinweis der Redaktion
DIANE **Give background on each presenter Proposal: Session Title: Capturing the Heart of the Online Instructor: Motivations to Teach Growth in distance education (DE) enrollment and needs for DE administrators to meet staffing challenges under tight budget constraints is accompanied by a growing reliance on part-time adjunct and non-tenure track instructors to teach online courses (Ambrosino & White, 2006; Bettinger & Long, 2006). This staffing model creates challenges for DE administrators, such as increased turnover of contingent faculty coupled with costs of recruitment and retention (Betts & Sikorski, 2008). It is imperative for DE administrators to understand factors motivating instructors (both tenure-track and contingent) to teach DE courses. In a quantitative study, distance education instructors were asked to identify intrinsic and extrinsic factors for motivation to teach online. A questionnaire was distributed to all DE instructors listed for an academic year at a large, research-intensive university in the southern US. This presentation displays the results of this study and provides strategies for capturing the heart of the online instructor.
DIANE Overview --Distance education continues to grow in colleges and universities. Cuts in state funding and limited physical classroom space have exasperated this increase. At the same time, there is a rising number of adjunct and non-tenure-track instructors, commonly referred to as contingent faculty (marklein), engaged in teaching DE courses. -- As the number of DE offerings at colleges and universities continues to grow, so will the number of contingent faculty members. --As a result, there is a growing need to better understand what motivates contingent faculty to teach at a distance and to discover if there are differences as compared to instructors in tenure-track positions. **** Reasons for growth in adjunct faculty: ( Micceri ) 1. increasing graduate enrollment puts pressure on faculty to serve those students, 2. increasing graduate enrollment makes more GTAs available to teach undergraduate courses, and 3. both adjuncts and GTAs cost considerably less than ranked faculty. 4. Associates and full professors should be used to teach upper level and graduate courses and only make cameo appearances in lower-level courses.
SOPHIA
SOPHIA
SOPHIA Expectations: What are the expectations in terms of adjuncts (pay, office space, collegial relationships with other faculty, professional development)?
SOPHIA Flexible Staffing model flexibility required to implement distance education seen as a driver for increase in contingent faculty (Holub)
SOPHIA High turnoverrate Many programs suffer from high rates of contingent faculty turnove Compensation inequity According to the American Association of University Professors, "part-time non-tenure-track faculty are paid approximately 64 percent less per hour" than their full-time counterparts (as cited in Holler). r Institutional demand The greater the dependence on such employees, the greater is the institutional responsibility to provide orientation, oversight, evaluation, professional development, and opportunities for integration into the life of the institution ” (Monhollon). Retention Retention of experienced an experienced distance education faculty is essential to success for DE at both the program and university levels. Morale There is a trend to replace tenure track lines with part time and non-tenure track lines creating a permanent underclass of contingent faculty (MOnhollon) Market Model
DIANE This presentation will present the results of a study of the motivations for teaching DE courses. From the research, we know general motivators include: Flexible work environment Professional development Intellectual stimulation Avenue for full-time employment Prospect for potential employment Social-professional connections with other faculty and students