Park University

How to become an Online Instructor

Step 1:  Do you meet our requirements?

  1. All Online instructors must have evidence of successful teaching experience at an accredited college or university before they will be considered as an Online instructor.  It is preferred that instructors have experience teaching Online for another university.

  2. Online Instructors for undergraduate level courses must hold either:

    ○        A master’s degree in the discipline in which you wish to teach

    ○        A master's degree in a related field with at least 3 years of experience teaching in the discipline that you wish to teach.  For example, if you would like to teach AC 201 (Principles of Accounting I), you must have a master's degree in Accounting (or a master's degree and 3 years experience teaching an introductory accounting course).  If you would like to teach a MA course (Mathematics), you must have a master's degree in Mathematics or a master's degree and 3 years experience teaching.

    ○    Some departments have their own requirements:

                ○    History requires a master's degree in History, a grade of B or higher in a course comparable to the requested course based on official transcripts, and three years teaching community college/college level teaching experience.

                ○    English requires a master's degree in English and graduate coursework comparable to the course requested

     

  3. Graduate level instructors must hold a terminal degree in the same field or discipline in which they are going to teach.  Exception to the terminal degree requirement may be made by the Graduate Program Director based on other exceptional or equivalent educational and professional experiences. If you would like to teach at the graduate level please contact the appropriate graduate school by clicking here.

How courses are assigned:

Before you can be selected to teach Online, you must meet the criteria above, and complete all the steps listed below.  If you feel you meet the requirements listed above, please complete the Online Instructor Interest Form. 

 

All instructors will go through an approval process, on a course by course basis, to be completed by the Program Coordinator of the academic department in which they wish to teach.  Program Coordinators from each academic department review transcripts, course justifications, and evidence of teaching success to determine course approvals.  After you have been approved to teach online, you will be placed on a waiting list for all the courses you are approved to teach.  Assignment to teach Online is based on our current demand for additional sections of courses. 

 

Instructor Pay Scale:

Undergraduate Online faculty are paid at the rate of $144 per student.  Classes are capped at 25 students. 

Graduate Online faculty are paid $219 per student for a three credit hour course (or $73/credit/student for 1 or 2 credit courses).  Classes are capped at 15 students.

 

New instructors are limited to teaching one course online their first and second term, and may teach two courses as a full load after a positive evaluation from their second term.

Step 2:  Complete the Online Instructor Application.

 You are allowed to request approval to teach up to 5 courses Online with your initial request.  BEFORE you select your 5 courses, you will   

 want to check this course demand chart to see courses for which we have a need for Online instructors.  Check this list to see 

 which courses you would like to teach that have the shortest waiting list.  Selecting your 5 courses based on our course demand

 chart and the waitlist will improve your chances of being scheduled to teach online more quickly.  For a schedule of courses

 currently offered online, go to our web site at http://www.park.edu/course and select "online courses". 

If you are already approved to teach courses at Park, fill out the Online Instructor Interest Form listing the 5 courses that you plan to fill out course justifications for and we will contact you.

If you have never taught for Park, fill out the Online Instructor Interest From, listing the 5 courses that you plan to fill out course justifications for and we will contact you with steps 3, 4 and 5 of the new instructor application process.

Thank you for your interest in Park University's Online Programs!