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[alshealy]

For the past few years, we've had (what I consider to be) a pretty sweet deal teaching distance courses off load ($4000 per course + $200 per student). So I typically make an additional $8000 per semester teaching 20-person sections. I do about three of these per year. Just found out that the party is probably over. In the fall, pay will probably be capped at $4000 total. How would you react?

a. Quit teaching the distance courses (it's supposedly optional)
b. Keep teaching them, but work half as hard
c. Take on an additional section to make up for the cut
d. Keep doing what you've been doing and be grateful for the opportunity

[larryc]

Can you cap the students at half of what you used to teach?

There are a number of schools that have increased their distance offerings by throwing money at faculty. My school is sort of like that, though we limit the number of students you can teach which keeps the payoff down to at most $4k a semester.

[icurhere2]

I would say that's the best deal I have ever heard for teaching off load, which your school probably recognized.  So, the fundamental questions are:

A. What would you do if you didn't teach these courses? (think opportunity cost)
B. What would it do to your department (and overall collegiality) if you didn't teach these courses?
C. Was the previous amount paid the only reason you taught these courses?

Like larryc mention, the $4,000 would still be more than I would make teaching an online course unless I taught it over the summer (different overload policy based upon academic year or summer . . .). 

[alshealy]

Bumping this thread to see if any new eyes have any new opinions. The stuff will hit the fan in the next week or so.

[icurhere2]

Did the institution cap the off-load courses at $4,000?  Again, that's much more than any faculty member in my state's system would be allowed to receive for an off-load course during the academic year (that includes medical and legal fields).

[alshealy]

Yes, capped at $4000. It's interesting how I can lean so far in either direction just by framing it in different ways. In one respect, they're cutting my pay in half. How can I stand for that! On the other hand, to be perfectly honest, I probably wouldn't earn $4000 doing anything else if I didn't teach it; and it's become pretty standardized over the last couple of years.

Thanks for the thoughts,
Al

[clean]

I just finished teaching my internet class.  Back in November, when they asked, I had offered to teach it if it was capped at 30.  Since it is a summer class, the pay is 8.33% of my base pay.  At my last job I would have been paid 15% of my wage for teaching 40 people.  They kept upping my cap to 45 (since there is no classroom, there was no limiting it to the 'seats') , So this term I switched to 10 lessons, all Multiple choice, eliminating all essay questions on the homework.  I just could not grade up to 600 essay questions a week and get ANYTHING else done.  So this session everything but the exam essay questions were graded by a computer.  I dont think that the class is nearly as educational without the essay questions, but hell, I just could not keep up.

So, what is my point? 
Could you automate?  Essentially, it is a LOT of work to set up, but once it is set up, it is a hell of a lot less work.  So if you can, it will still hurt the pocket book, but at least you can get some of your life back.  I learned this term that, contrary to my puritan beliefs, you dont have to suffer before you can cash the check.

For what it is worth,

clean

[patchouli]

You could make sure you don't add any extra students you might have added before, or you could cut the amount of teacher-intensive evaluations.  Do you know what the admin was trying to do with this new policy?

Also, do you have a union?  Did they approve this?

[alshealy]

Clean,
Most of the delivery has been automated, but the grading has not been. It's a graduate-level course, and I think students expect more evaluation/feedback than multiple choice provides. I did switch from a long term paper to a one page summary paper this semester. That helped.

You could make sure you don't add any extra students you might have added before, or you could cut the amount of teacher-intensive evaluations.  Do you know what the admin was trying to do with this new policy?

Also, do you have a union?  Did they approve this?

This particular program has gone from an entrepreneurial experiment to a cash cow over the last few years. Now the adminstration wants to divert some of the money to less prosperous programs. And, no, we don't have a union. We're in the South so we prefer guns to unions when it comes to settling disagreements.

Thanks again for the thoughts,
Al

[clean]

It's a graduate-level course, and I think students expect more evaluation/feedback than multiple choice provides

I think you may be right.  There does not seem to be a way around that, if there is no choice but to grade the papers yourself.  I dont know of a way to get WebCT to grade essays ( or I would have implemented it!)

Good Luck and dont start 'a-fuedin' with any of em.

[eddie_haskell]

If my pay were to be cut, I would cut my effort.  The students could then expect in one hand, sh!t in the other, and see which hand filled up first, since they are free to transfer to a better perceived value at any time.  I get paid per student.  The program grows, my workload grows, my paycheck grows, and I put in the same amount of effort per student; that is more effort overall.  Some years ago, I made some suggestion how increased effort on my part might lead to greater student satisfaction and enhance recruiting efforts.  They listened, implemented those changes, and increased my per-student pay.  Enrollment increased substantially.  Academia has high fixed costs so if revenue goes up 10%, and they pay me 10% more, profit increases more than 10% (operating leverage).

Then we got the pointy-headed boss (assistant dean) and he/she/it instituted a base salary plus a bonus based on "outcomes assessment" which was to be determined by the pointy-headed dean.  That was two years ago.  I don't think my outcomes are any different than they were for the previous decade, but my per student pay is down 30%, so the last two years I have been "mailing it in" and either I will outlast the pointy-headed one or they will replace me with someone more malleable.  At this stage of my career I don't care.  This is a graduate program at a public R-1.

[engineer_adrift]

For the past few years, we've had (what I consider to be) a pretty sweet deal teaching distance courses off load ($4000 per course + $200 per student). So I typically make an additional $8000 per semester teaching 20-person sections. I do about three of these per year. Just found out that the party is probably over. In the fall, pay will probably be capped at $4000 total. How would you react?

a. Quit teaching the distance courses (it's supposedly optional)
b. Keep teaching them, but work half as hard
c. Take on an additional section to make up for the cut
d. Keep doing what you've been doing and be grateful for the opportunity

It would be helpful to know the discipline you are teaching.

Best wishes
E_A

[larryc]

If you decide to cut back your efforts, assign just as much writing just put less effort into grading. It is important that they write.

[alshealy]

It's a business discipline. I just checked my enrollment (so far) for the fall term. I have 30 in my distance class. So I'll get $4000 instead of $10,000.

Al

[obprof]

Do you have a TA? Can you ask for one?