How to Get an Online Teaching Position

How to Get an Online Teaching Position Teaching online can be very different from teaching in a traditional classroom. An instructor who accepts employment teaching online must be prepared to help students learn without face-to-face interaction and live discussion. Teaching online isn’t for everyone, but many instructors enjoy the freedom of virtual instruction and the opportunity to interact with students from around the nation. To find out if teaching online might be for you, explore the pros and cons of e-instruction, as well as the requirements necessary for becoming a virtual instructor and the ways you can find a job that allows you to reach and teach students right at your computer. Qualifying for Positions In order to qualify for a position teaching online, applicants must generally meet the same requirements as traditional teachers. At the high school level, online teachers must have a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license. At the community college  level, a master’s degree is the minimum requirement for teaching online. At the university level, a doctorate or other terminal degree is generally required. In some cases, colleges accept adjunct online professors without requiring them to meet the same standards as traditional, tenure-track teachers. (Teacher tenure, sometimes referred to as career status, provides job security for  teachers  who have successfully completed a probationary period.) Working professionals may also be able to land an online teaching position in relation to their chosen field. At every level of teaching online, schools seek candidates who are familiar with the internet and content management systems such as Blackboard. Prior experience with teaching online and instructional design are highly desirable. Pros and Cons Teaching online has many advantages. Virtual instructors are often able to work from anywhere they choose. You could get a job teaching online for a prestigious school in another state and not have to worry about relocating. Since many e-courses are taught asynchronously, instructors are often able to set their own hours. Additionally, instructors who make a living at online instruction are able to interact with pupils from around the nation. Teaching Nomad notes that teaching online offers a great availability of jobs, flexibility, simplicity and a close, personal connection to students. That last advantage may seem counterintuitive, but large class sizes at brick-and-mortar schools often can prevent instructors from getting to know all of their students. Online, however, since your hours and time are flexible, you can reach out to each of your students individually, get to know them and provide one-on-one help as needed. Using a computer also negates the need to print out hundreds of tests, quizzes and even syllabi and course outlines since all material is presented online. Teaching online, however, also comes with some drawbacks. Online instructors must sometimes teach a prepared curriculum, denying them the ability to use materials that have proved successful in past courses. Teaching online can be isolating, and many instructors prefer interacting face-to-face with their pupils and peers. Some schools do not value online adjunct teachers, which can result in less pay and less respect in the academic community. Best Places to Look Some colleges fill online teaching positions by selecting from the current faculty pool. Others post job descriptions specifically for instructors interested in teaching online. Not surprisingly, youll find most online teaching jobs where youd expect: online. For example, GetEducated, a free online counseling center for adult students as well as educators, offers seven websites that list multiple online teaching positions. When looking for positions on websites without a distance learning focus, simply type â€Å"online instructor,† â€Å"online teacher,† â€Å"online adjunct† or â€Å"distance learning† into the search box.

Cloture Defintion - Senate Rule to Break a Filibuster

Cloture Defintion - Senate Rule to Break a Filibuster Cloture is a procedure used occasionally in the U.S. Senate to break a filibuster. Cloture, or Rule 22, is the only formal procedure in Senate parliamentary rules, in fact, that can force an end to the stalling tactic. It allows the Senate to limit consideration of a pending matter to 30 additional hours of debate. Cloture History The Senate first adopted the cloture rule in 1917 after President Woodrow Wilson called for the implementation of a procedure to end debate on any given matter. The first cloture rule allowed for such a move with the support of a two-thirds majority in the upper chamber of Congress. Cloture was first used two years later, in 1919, when the Senate was debating the Treaty of Versailles, the peace agreement between Germany and the Allied Powers that officially ended World War I. Lawmakers successfully invoked cloture to end a lengthy filibuster on the matter. Perhaps the most well known use of cloture came when the Senate invoked the rule after a 57-day filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Southern lawmakers stalled debate over the measure, which included a ban on lynching, until the Senate mustered enough votes for cloture. Reasons for Cloture Rule The cloture rule was adopted at a time when deliberations in the Senate had ground to a halt, frustrating President Wilson during a time of war. At the end of the session in 1917, lawmakers filibustered for 23 days against Wilsons proposal to arm merchant ships, according to the Senate Historians office. The delay tactic also hampered efforts to pass other important legislation. President Calls for Cloture Wilson railed against the Senate, calling it the only legislative body in the world which cannot act when its majority is ready for action. A little group of willful men, representing no opinion but their own, have rendered the great government of the United States helpless and contemptible. As a result, the Senate wrote and passed the original cloture rule on March 8, 1917. In addition to ending filibusters, the new rule allowed each senator an additional hour to speak after invoking cloture and before voting on a bills final passage. Despite Wilsons influence in instituting the rule, cloture was invoked only five times over the course of the following four and a half decades. Cloture Impact Invoking cloture guarantees that a Senate vote on the bill or amendment being debated will eventually happen. The House does not have a similar measure. When cloture is invoked, senators are also required to engage in debate that is germane to the legislation being discussed. The rule contains a clause the any speech following the invocation of cloture must be on the measure, motion, or other matter pending before the Senate. The cloture rule thereby prevents lawmakers from merely stalling for another hour by, say, reciting the Declaration of Independence or reading names from a phone book. Cloture Majority The majority needed to invoke cloture in the Senate remained two-thirds, or 67 votes, of the 100-member body from the rules adoption in 1917 until 1975, when the number of votes needed was reduced to just 60. To being the cloture process, at least 16 members of the Senate must sign a cloture motion or petition that states: We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, hereby move to bring to a close the debate upon (the matter in question). Cloture Frequency Cloture was rarely invoked in the early 1900s and mid-1900s. The rule was used only four times, in fact, between 1917 and 1960. Cloture became more common only in the late 1970s, according to records kept by the Senate. The procedure was used a record 187 times in the 113th Congress, which met in 2013 and 2014 during President Barack Obamas second term in the White House.