Administrative Issues
Independent and Distance Learning faculty are recommended
and approved by the appropriate department head, the institution, and IDL.
Faculty must also meet Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) requirements:
Each full-time and part-time faculty member teaching
credit courses leading toward the baccalaureate degree, other than physical
education activities courses, must have completed at least 18 graduate
semester hours [27 quarter hours] in the teaching discipline and hold at
least a master's degree, or hold the minimum of a master's degree with
a major in the teaching discipline. In exceptional cases, outstanding professional
experience and demonstrated contributions to the teaching discipline may
be presented in lieu of formal academic preparation. Such cases must
be justified by the institution on an individual basis (SACS Commission
on Colleges, 1998 Criteria for Accreditation, p. 45).
Faculty Appointment
Faculty Compensation
Faculty Absence or Replacement
Faculty Evaluation
Faculty Appointment
Faculty appointments to develop and teach courses are
processed through IDL and University procedures. Faculty appointments are
subject to IDL and institutional guidelines, including policies on the
total course enrollment and the number of courses taught. The appointment
process may take several weeks. You will receive separate agreements for
course development, technology development, and instruction. It is essential
that you notify the Distance Education Faculty Coordinator as soon as possible of any changes affecting your records
(e.g., address, promotion, retirement, etc.).
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Faculty Compensation
IDL faculty who develop or revise courses are compensated
according to the terms of the Course Preparation Agreement and the Instructional
Service Agreement; 50 percent of the agreed amount is paid upon submission
and preliminary approval of the manuscript, and 50 percent is paid upon
final approval. Compensation for the development of a new course is a predetermined
amount according to the course's credit hours; revisions are prorated according
to the percentage of revision. Some course elements, such as technological
enhancements or laboratories, may be compensated separately. Instructional
compensation is for each lesson graded. The rate is based on the course's
credit hours and on a standard maximum amount per student.
Faculty are compensated at rates approved by the Georgia Center
for Continuing Education and the University System of Georgia. The faculty payroll
is requested by IDL through the University of Georgia according to the University
payroll request deadlines. Compensation for faculty services is tallied to that
deadline and may or may not cover the period encompassed by the first and last
days of a given month. Compensation checks for services rendered in one month
are usually not processed until the following month. Payment is tendered monthly
according to regular or academic payroll schedules; payment schedules, as well
as payroll deductions, vary during the summer months. Contact the payroll
specialist with any questions about specific amounts.
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Faculty Absence or Replacement
Teaching through IDL requires commitment to grading lessons
promptly for all students enrolled in the course. Therefore, if you will
be taking a sabbatical or other extended absence that prevents timely grading,
contact IDL at least two months in advance to make alternative arrangements.
Lessons can be held at the IDL office for up to two weeks.
On occasion, substitution of a temporary peer instructor
may be best. Please recommend one or more candidates to instruct in your
absence. Like all faculty, temporary instructors must be approved, with
all necessary paperwork completed and on file, prior to beginning instruction.
When an interim instructor is appointed for a lengthy period, IDL usually
continues with the instructional services of the interim instructor until
students enrolled with that instructor have completed the course.
Should you no longer wish to teach your course, notify the Distance
Education Faculty Coordinator well in advance of your planned termination date. You should plan
to continue grading lessons until currently enrolled students either complete
the course or their enrollment expires. It is helpful if you can recommend a
replacement instructor. When approved and processed, the new instructor will
begin instructing with newly enrolled students. If you need to stop teaching
immediately, you still should plan to grade lessons until the new instructor's
paperwork has been processed and final approval made (approximately four to
six weeks). The new instructor will then acquire lesson records for previously
enrolled students, as well as enrollment notices of new students, and students
will be notified of the change.
A change of instructor should be made as smoothly as possible
for the good of both enrolled students and the instructors. It is generally
more pedagogically sound for students who have had lessons graded by one
instructor to continue with that instructor for the duration of the course.
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Faculty Evaluation
As with most professionals, evaluations can be an effective tool
in improving performance. IDL faculty are among the most progressive and skilled
faculty on their respective campuses, but we can learn more about teaching and
learning at a distance with each student who enrolls. Feedback from students
is not the sole basis for evaluating faculty teaching, but it helps to reflect
whether students and instructors are communicating effectively. The evaluations,
when considered over a period of time, can often pinpoint both strengths and
weaknesses.
Students have an opportunity to fill out an evaluation
form for the course and instructor after they finish the final exam. The
evaluation has a scannable data form of objective questions and a section
for comments. When the semester's evaluations are processed, the resulting
summary sheet and comments for each instructor are forwarded to the instructor
and to the appropriate department head. A copy is also retained in the individual
faculty's IDL file.
The evaluations are reviewed by the faculty liaisons and
discussed with the faculty member as needed. These evaluations may be particularly
helpful in any revisions of the course. It is important for faculty to
discuss administration problems with IDL, such as those encountered with
instructional load, in order to seek solutions that will restore grading
promptness and continuity for students or, if appropriate, to enable a
transition to a new instructor.
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