Being Proactive in a Bad Economy
The economic downturn in the economy led me to write an article a few weeks ago about holding on to my existing teaching contracts. The doom and gloom on Wall Street has affected just about every sector of the job market. Across the country, education is taking a hit with budgets being slashed to meet basic needs. With all of this uncertainty I have continued to be proactive in marketing my skills as an HIM professional and educator.
I am happy to say that my persistence has paid off and I landed a new teaching contract. The contract is with a traditional university who is starting up an online learning curriculum. The university has been around for almost fifty years and has a great reputation within the community that it serves and is accredited.
I started a 4-week training session this week. I will be attending online live sessions twice a week. These sessions involve learning how to navigate the course room which includes the discussion board, assignment drop box, grade book, announcements, and email. I will be required to hold two live interactive learning sessions a week. My office hours will be held through the breeze platform which will allow me to talk directly to the students. The training is unique because it allows the instructor to learn the course platform in the same manner in which the students learn. As part of my training, I will have to submit assignments and post to the discussion board the same way the students do. This way I can have a better understanding of how the students experience online learning.
After teaching online for over a year, I am quite familiar with the platform and have no problem navigating around the course room. I think having online teaching experience was a big plus in getting the position. This previous experience gives me a leg up on those who have never taught in the online environment.
After successful completion of the training, I will be placed on the schedule and be assigned my first class. My goal has always been to obtain multiple contracts to offset any contracts that may not be renewed. The continued economic downslide forces us all to be pro-active and market our experience and education to compete in a tight job market.