Hiring Online Faculty
What are some advantages and disadvantages of an institution creating 'preferred credentials' and seeking to hire online faculty with credentials above the required standards?
Some of the advantages of hiring faculty with credentials above the requirement standards are that it makes the school unique compared to other schools. It can help attract students to our programs because we show them one strong reason why our program and curriculum is better than the other schools around. These faculty members will also have more knowledge and potentially more experience to bring to the online classroom therefore giving students a better education. Some of the disadvantages may be that the school will lose several great candidates because they are narrowing the number of people who are considered for an interview. Chances are it will also cost the school more in salaries if they higher only higher level degree faculty members.
By having a set of 'preferred credentials' set above the standards required by the various accrediting and regulatory bodies, an institution is able to obtain a few advantages over their competitors. It gives a competitive advantage to be able to say you are going 'above and beyond' while your competitor is merely meeting the minimum requirements. Also, this allows your institution to have a greater wealth of expertise to draw from when it comes to curricular updates or other projects that someone who only meets the minimum standards may not be able to effectively provide.
Renee,
Yes, well stated. The positives and negatives you identified are insightful considerations. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Joshua,
The curricular benefits are often a substantial. Excellent point.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
From a marketing and student service perspective, there are clearly some advantages to having preferred credentials. These preferred credentials can be used throughout the admissions process as selling points for the institution. Likewise with the student service perspective in mind, if serving an under-resourced demographic it helps to have faculty that are fluent in the language of that demographic.
A potential disadvantage would be, depending on the focused nature of the preferred credentials, that you limit the amount of creative insight that may be brought in with outside perspectives. Perhaps you serve a younger demographic, by limiting your selection to a more educated crowd, you could be limiting a younger potential faculty member that might bring good insight into the mix.
Just some thoughts...
Ash,
Excellent discussion of several diverse perspectives. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
An advantage of having an institution create preferred credentials in seeking online faculty is hopefully that the institution has raised the standard of the quality of education being presented to the student. For example, by requiring its instructors to be current in the field the student will be presented with knowledge that is up to date. A disadvantage might be that these additional requirements can make it that much more difficult to fill the position. Additionally, people who are actively employed in the field and are involved in what they are doing, may have limited time to devote to their students.
Anne,
The balance between the advantages and disadvantages has many aspects. Thank you for identifying these important considerations. You rightly indicated the effects concerning instructor impact on students (quality of education and time to devote) as the effects to be considered. Good post. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Posting "preferred credentials" indicates that an institution is aware of the basic benchmarks required for qualified faculty members, but it is seeking those individuals who are more comprehensively trained and skilled in specific areas of expertise. This sends a very strong signal to those who would apply, indicating that minimum credentials will not necessarily be considered. Hopefully, this raises the bar for the institution and ropes in a stronger pool of applicants.
Clearly, it is difficult to establish a great match between an instructor and a course, but by seeking a broader set of credentials, it is hoped that the chosen instructor will bring a broader scope to the course and instill deeper concepts with practical applications into the learning experience for the student.
The disadvantage to seeking a person with "preferred credentials" is that some applicants are not always accurately represented by their c.v. and dossier. A highly qualified person may possibly be overlooked. Instincts and talent are sometimes difficult to assess.
William,
The disadvantage you point out is very valid. It is one of the many challenges in our current academic system.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
One obvious advantage of creating preferred credentials and then hiring online faculty possessing those enhanced credentials is a strategic marketing position. Having a "strong" faculty creates a value add for the consumer. While many people tend to focus on faculty with advanced degrees as having preferred credentials, let's not forget those who may have teaching experience, industry experience or some other sort of valuable real world experience aside from academia. Of course nothing is free, and the glaring disadvantage would have to be compensation in the form of salaries.
Joseph,
You are correct to identify teaching experience and industry experience as valuable to instructional qualities in addition to advanced degrees. Good point.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
