Prior to becoming a full-time faculty member for a major online university in January of 2013, I taught as an adjunct instructor for almost 4 years in both online and traditional school settings. I have several years of experience as an adjunct instructor and in my current position I am required to provide feedback as well as coach and mentor adjunct instructors frequently. Within this position, I have been required to tackle the task of assessing fellow faculty members through peer reviews and evaluations. This has opened my eyes to many aspects of the online classroom.
At most colleges and universities a majority of the online faculty are employed on a part-time basis for individual courses or for a semester of courses. These online adjuncts typically receive an hourly wage or a flat rate per course based on experience and education. For example, an adjunct instructor with a Ph.D. will typically earn more per course than an instructor with a Master’s degree.
As I have started to review online instructors it has been interesting to see how individuals view themselves within the online classroom. Most online instructors receive reviews from students completing course evaluations, from peers if other teachers evaluate the course, and from academic deans who review their online courses. All of these individual types of feedback are typically combined in some fashion and then provided to the adjunct instructor. While one would expect that instructors who are used to giving feedback and providing constructive criticism to students would be open to receiving this feedback, this is not always the case.
Instructors tend to choose teaching, at least in part, because they like to be in control of their environment and teaching within a classroom setting provides the teacher with authority and control. However, many instructors are quite sensitive to evaluations and feedback regarding their teaching methods and this can be a very delicate balance between the peer reviewer or the evaluator and the instructor.
Peer reviews are utilized within the online classroom to allow another knowledgeable instructor to provide feedback and elaborate on new ways an instructor could present the material. Within online courses, instructors are frequently peer reviewed for content and to ensure they are meeting the requirements set forth by the university.
The final source of feedback for an adjunct instructor would come from a dean or supervisor of their subject matter. The dean would be able to elaborate on various areas of teaching and within the classroom and initiate an action plan to help adjunct instructors reach their full potential.
The advantages of these types of evaluations or feedback for online instructors includes that it would help instructors to provide the best education possible for students. For instructors who are willing to accept the feedback and implement the ideas presented within their classroom, there can be tremendous growth. The instructor growth can lead to a domino effect of positives within the classroom including higher student retention, more significant student learning, etc.
About the Author
Jamie Weitl is a WAHM teaching for several online universities and raising three precocious little ones. In her spare time she enjoys writing, baking, and running. For more info, see my Google Plus Profile.
