Charlotte:
You have provided a very comprehensive response on this Subject. I cannot dispute any of the positions you have taken on the Subject, as I share the same. More striking, is your observation that the number of degrees does not equate to seniority and higher compensation.
Satrohan
Technology is moving in a different direction and education is apart of that movement. Adult learners now want a "more convenient" way to obtain a degree, and due to technology, we now have many options.
I think traditional learning can be restrictive and quite boring. I've sat through many four hours lecture and learned nothing because I wasn't focused and involved. It also depends on the facilitator. On line courses provide learning from the instructor and the students - its a shared responsibility.
The degree needs to come from an accredited institution. The number of degrees held is up to each individual person. From a hiring manager standpoint, positions are filled based on the skills, knowledge, abilities and educational requirements. Due to today's temporary/ transitory working environment, having a number of degrees does not equate to a higher position with more pay as it did some years ago.
Charleen:
Please share your thoughts with us on this Question.
We agree that Online Instructors should, like any other Instructor, be passionate about the Subject-Matter. They must also be experts in the content domain. Do you believe they require special skill sets to teach in an Online environment? If yes, what are some of those skills?
Satrohan
Charleen:
Do you hire Professors whose academic acheivements were obtained through online instruction? If yes, for which Faculty?
Satrohan
i think on-line teaching should be subject matter experts on the subjects they are teaching. I don't necessarily believe they need a teaching degree but I do believe they should be passionate about the subject they are teaching.
I also work in a Universitiy setting. We also only hire new professors for a semester at a time to see how they work out before hiring. This seems to work well.
Charleen
Lynette:
This is an excellent strategy to determine the suitability of a person for a position regardless of whether the person completed their education in an online setting or a traditional classroom setting. An addition to the strategy you mentioned, I stagger salary increases over the year----three months, six months, and end of year.
Satrohan
I work in a university setting, and my employer has taking a different avenue to determine a prospective permanent employee's worth based on education and experience. Many departments are hiring employees as casual or temps for 90 days to determine their competence. Background checks and references are not always a true validation of a person's worth because some have outstanding references only to find out that the ex-employer were glad to give their problem to some else.
Once a person is hired in the temp position, their performance within the 90 days period would have determined their educational skills along with experienced decision making capabilities.
Lynnette
Agreed on all counts, Rhonda.
Satrohan
Satrohan,
I live the idea of the criterion-referenced test which is related to the tasks they will be accomplishing. I have seen several people hired for positions that they were not qualified to do based on education and experiences they claim to have. When they enter the true environment the truth is comes to light. In those situations the damage has been done and the individuals do not perform to the expected standards of their employment and have to be trained to accomplished to accomplish the tasks that they claimed they had. Which incurs an additional cost to the company.
Through testing I believe less qualified applicants would be weeded out early.
Rhonda:
Your points are well taken. I take an additional precaution when job applicants have competed thier education in an online environment. We administer a test that is criterion-referenced to the job tasks; and take those results into consideration when we evaluate applicants. And definitely, we ensure that the institution from which the applicant received their education is accredited.
Satrohan
Debra:
Employers who are looking for qualified candidates take education along with experience as qualifying factors.
When education is listed on the resume most employers are not looking to do a background check; however, with jobs that have a high profile or you are working in the education field employers will check transcripts. Diplomas are not trustworthy as there are so many diploma mills where people can purchase a degree for $200 to $500 to add as a qualifying factor in a career move.
If you get your degree online from a respectable accredited school, it does not matter if you were in class or at home along as you fulfilled the requirements.
Debra:
These are my thoughts on your rsponse. As a person responsible for hiring staff for my department, I am primarily interested in their abiltiy to perform the duties related to the job function.
I have had instances in which candidates have reported false academic credentias on their resumes; so as of next week, we will be asking for Transcripts. If I were to hire someone who received his or her education in an online environment, as a minimum, I will take the necessary measures to ensure that the person I am hiring is indeed the person who took the course and that the exams were taken in a proctored environment.
Satrohan
