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[sad_goat]

I have taught a few on line classes, and was approached by an old colleague (now at a different school) to develop a course under her supervision (she is the new head of on line courses, they are building a new program).

I have been pegged to teach this and another (yet-to-be-constructed) course, but haven't signed any paperwork yet.

In the real world of adjunct teaching, should I expect to get some $ for the construction as well as the teaching portion? My gut says yes, but this is a new gig, don't want to push things. Is the course MINE if they don't pay me for the R/D work?

PS, I trust my friend, but not the suits with the spread-sheets. Reactions?

[arty_]

Well, if it were NOT online teaching, in the humanities, you don't get paid to develop courses usually.

The ownership of this is sticky. I do not even post materials for my standard course on line because it can be argued that it become the university's work product.

[sad_goat]

Well, if it were NOT online teaching, in the humanities, you don't get paid to develop courses usually.

The ownership of this is sticky. I do not even post materials for my standard course on line because it can be argued that it become the university's work product.

True. But in a classroom, no one can walk in and monitor/teach the material I have put into the system, which is school-owned. If I do all of the drudge input, someone else can come in and fly the plane without me having a say-so, if you get my drift. Not so in a classroom, still need someone prepared to present the material each week. On line, well, much of it is already...on line.

[see_wolf]

I developed an online course as an adjunct, but there was no question I was going to teach the course.  I did not get paid for development, but it was understood that I would teach it.

But I can trust my chair and dean without reservation... their word is (99% of the time) good as gold.

[oldadjunct]

I don't teach on-line and have no interest in it, but oddly enough was in a conversation today on this very topic.  One person was explaining to another person that indeed he was paid, something on the order of $4k at one non-proprietary uni to develop a course and somewhat less at a second non-proprietary.  In both cases he was also guaranteed the course whenever it was offered.

I can't vouch for this person's credibility on the subject, but the conversation was a very matter of fact, background conversation, with no braggadocio in evidence. One of the points was, "It will take you (the third person) most of the summer to develop a new course, but I got paid [see above] and guaranteed [see above]."

FWIW, the speaker is an unassuming adjunct in a business field doing on-line work for one very well known, and a lesser known, private institution.

[jackalope]

Payment for the development of online courses is not unusual, but I don't think we can quite say that it is standard. In my experience it varies between $2k and $4k. At my last institution it was a incentive to get anyone to teach online at all.

Tell your friend that if you are going to develop materials that will be used by someone else, you need some dough. How much you charge will depend on your field, how much work you will do (have you taught the course online before?), ownership of the materials, and their willingness to guarantee that you will teach the course. Throw out a figure of $5k and see what happens.

[doppelganger]

Payment for the development of online courses is not unusual, but I don't think we can quite say that it is standard. In my experience it varies between $2k and $4k. At my last institution it was a incentive to get anyone to teach online at all.

This sounds like one place I worked, too, because no one wanted to teach on-line.  We'd get $4,000 to develop the course, which then became the property of the school, and then the standard rate to teach it. 

[zuzu_]

My CC USED TO pay and extra $1000 to anyone developing/teaching an online course for the first time.

(We let this go on contract negotiations so we got extra $$ any time we teach an online course.)

[medprof]

At a large, mid-west CC we get paid the same amount to develop a new course (online or off) as we do to teach said course in adjunct dollars.

So, a new 4-credit course would be approximately $2,000 to create and the same each time you taught it.

MP

[onilne_adjunct]

I've developed a number of classes.  Some were for classes I taught (one was not - even though I had a contract to teach the class, the school yanked the contract, courtesy of a tenured faculty member, who was a real .....). 

If you can get the development funds, take them.  If you develop the course for the college for money they will own the material (they're paying you for your development work).  Make sure your contract stipulates that you can use the material for other classes/schools/etc., though.

If they won't pay you to develop the class, but want you to develop it to teach it, make sure the school understands that the material is yours!  You own it!  They may not use it for their purposes unless they reimburse you (otherwise it's copyright infringement).  You will use it to teach the class, but once you cease teaching, it must be removed or they must reimburse you for each time it is used (I would recommend a $3000 fee, minimum).  Get this in writing (very important!).

To recap - if they pay you to develop a course- they own it.  If they don't, you own it. 

As to how much to ask for development, I suggest the same as for teaching it.  It's a lot of work (I just got done developing a new class, and spent 10-20 hours/week for the past ten weeks on it).

[jackalope]

Any news, Sadgoat?