THE ONLINE WRITING INSTRUCTION COMMUNITY
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Information is Key!


​Below is a list of things you should consider before and during your teaching tenure as contingent online faculty at any institution:

  • What institutional resources are available to you at your campus? Figure out how you go about requesting these institutional resources because it varies by institution and based on your status at the institution.
    • Is there an instructional design service?
    • Are there courses for the LMS? Who do you call when problems arise during the term?
    • Are there pedagogical centered courses offered?
    • What is the role of disability services for assisting with making your courses accessible?
    • (tech help, pedagogical support, instructional support)? 
 
  • Is the institution just handing you basic information and/or a pre-designed course and assuming you’ll figure things out? Those days should be over in OWI so this could be a sign that this institution may not be the best fit. 
  
  • What rights to do you have over the ownership of your course?
    •  Do you own the content outright if you leave?
    • Do those rights change if you access support services on campus?
   
  • Do you know—and have posted in your course—the resources on campus for students? because that’s one of the biggest issues: students not being prepared or ready to take an online writing course
  
  • Who do you go to for support if you have a student issue? Do you have a direct supervisor?
  
  • How will your work be assessed?
    • Do you get an annual review?
    • Evaluations from students?
    • Does someone observe your course?
  
  • What kinds of professional development does your department, college or university offer? Because once you become more experienced you still need pedagogical support
  
  • Do you know how to contact other contingent faculty teaching online at your institution? Whether it’s online or face-to-face, the support of other faculty is so key to the online teaching experience and being able to share resources or ideas is vital. (If there is no support group on your campus, seek out help from The OWI Community Facebook group)

(Contributed by Lisa Meloncon, 2018)

Books

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Contingency, Exploitation, and Solidarity: Labor and Action in English Composition
Seth Kahn, William B. Lalicker, and Amy Lynch-Biniek (2017)
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Tenured Bosses and Disposable Teachers: Writing Instruction in the Managed University 
Marc Bousquet, Tony Scott,  Leo Parascondola (2003)
Labored: The State(ment) and Future of Work in Composition (Writing Program Administration)
Randall McClure, Dayna Goldstein and Michael Pemberton

Articles and Other Resources

CWPA Labor Resource Center
  • Contingent Faculty, Online Writing Instruction, and Professional Development in Technical and Professional Communication Lisa Meloncon (2017)
  • Contingent Labor and the Impact on Teaching: Thoughts about the Indianapolis Resolution Alice Horning (2016)​
  • A Portrait of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty in Technical and Professional Communication Lisa Meloncon, Peter England, Alex IIyasova2016)
  • Contingent Faculty and OWI Mahli Mechenbier (2015)
  • Taking Action for Contingent Faculty Lee Bessette (2011)
  • Contingent Faculty Special Issue College English Mike Palmquist and Sue Doe (2011)
  • A (Critical) Distance: Contingent Labor, MOOCs, and Teaching Online Laura Howard (2016) 

CCCC 2018 Presentation 

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The OWI Community
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  • PARS
  • Resources/Research
    • Getting Started
    • OWI & Distance Education Resources
    • Books
    • Web Tools
  • OWI Symposium
    • August 2021
    • September 2021
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
  • Professionalization
    • Conferences
    • Get Published
    • Contingent Faculty
  • About Us
    • Work with us!