Friday, February 11, 2000

LOGGING IN WITH . . . Gary A. Berg Chapman U. Administrator Studies Distance Learning's Effect on Faculty Pay By SARAH CARR Colleges need to examine more closely how the rise in the number of distance-education courses is affecting pay levels throughout academe, says Gary A. Berg, the director of extended education at Chapman University. Mr. Berg has written articles on distance learning for publications such as WebNet Journal and Education at a Distance. Mr. Berg is now studying how instructors are compensated for developing and teaching distance-learning courses, along with Jack Schuster, a professor of education and public policy at Claremont Graduate University, and Martin Finkelstein, a professor of education at Seton Hall University. Q. Is it true that most institutions aren't treating distance-education and classroom professors any differently in terms of compensation? A. That's correct. That's the general trend. Of course, one does have to say that distance learning is still a small percentage of all higher-education activity. There is great variety of policies related to compensation, and the information is limited. Q. Should universities be offering distance-education instructors agreements that compensate in new ways -- with stipends or royalties, for example -- rather than according to traditional measures, like teaching load? A. I think a lot of people would be surprised that there isn't more mention of royalties in these agreements. Conversely, I was also surprised to find that there were not instances where faculty members would be paid less for teaching existing distance-learning courses. Neither of those two extremes were very common. Q. Will the proliferation of distance-education courses alter compensation levels throughout academe? A. Some statistics I looked at showed a decrease in faculty pay in terms of a percentage of overall budget, from 37.2 percent in 1997 to 31.72 percent in 1998. Additionally, the other part that I thought was quite interesting was that the number of adjunct faculty teaching distance-learning courses increased from 27 to 34 percent. And those facts undoubtedly are connected to some degree. I think these trends are something to watch closely. I think that if this current trend continues, it would affect overall compensation levels. While individual faculty members may make more and be compensated higher for creating distance-education courses, the overall percentage of faculty payment in terms of overall budget would, by design, be decreased. Q. What steps should colleges and universities take to deal with compensation issues as they add more distance-learning courses? A. I think a lot of the universities have indicated that they are setting up task forces and committees. ... There isn't a whole lot of information out there, and no matter what side of the debate you are on, it is important to have the facts. Q. What debate are you referring to? A. I think there is a bargaining issue in terms of faculty and universities -- it is a contractual bargaining issue in terms of how should faculty members be compensated, particularly in terms of long-term royalty arrangements. How is that going to be played out, and what is fair on both sides? Part of the problem for an administrator looking at the issue of compensation for teaching distance-learning courses is that the future is unknown in terms of what the value of those courses is going to be. Because there has been a lot of exaggeration in terms of what this value might be, it makes it difficult to make rational decisions. Q. Are specific policies right around the corner, or are many universities still in the initial phases of creating them? A. I think when distance learning becomes a larger percentage of the daily practice of higher education, we will start seeing a standardization in terms of policies and procedures. As long as it is sort of a marginal activity, and as long as it is often located in university extension or continuing-education units, we are not going to see the standardization of policy. Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

University endowments earned 11% in 1999, down from 18% the prior year, survey finds Aid experts urge U.S. lawmakers to make Pell Grants a federal entitlement Female medical professors face poorer prospects for promotion, study finds Appeals court lets ruling stand in bias suit against N.C.A.A. over use of SAT U. of Virginia sees its largest drop in black applicants Students trading MP3's with Napster are clogging networks, officials say Chapman U. administrator studies distance learning's effect on faculty pay