Criteria for Contributing Scholar Participation

NTU is looking for Contributing Scholar faculty (CS faculty) who:

• are either currently affiliated with a university or have emeritus faculty status;
• hold a doctoral terminal degree in their area of content expertise;
• have a passion for teaching and evidence of a dedication to teaching excellence;
• have experience teaching with technology or in a distance education format;
• have experience in industry, either consulting, employment, research, or teaching practicing engineers;
• are excited by the opportunity to teach and interact with adult learners;
• are interested in innovative teaching environments and methods;
• are flexible and enjoy collaboration

CS faculty who develop courses for NTU must understand that our highest priority is the successful student achievement of university, program, and course competency objectives. It means our students must successfully master the concepts of a course that is as rigorous as the faculty believes it should be. It means our courses and curriculum are only as good as the responsible faculty. It also means acknowledging the special situation and status of our students – recognizing, within reason, that NTU and the course itself are not necessarily the highest priorities in our students' lives. Our accommodation encompasses a more liberal add/drop policy and asynchronous presentation adhering to a pre-set term schedule. It means having some flexibility within the term when it comes to deadlines, exam dates, and workload and, when appropriate, greater tolerance for incompletes.

CS faculty should recognize that the specific course content is up to them, but that the course management and presentation is a team effort with a Part-time Faculty member (PtF) and our Course and Instructional Design (CID) staff. NTU PtF are Doctoral or Master's degree qualified individuals with experience in the content area they support. When possible, NTU seeks to hire PtF that will commit long-term to a course. The CID team consists of professionals who are skilled in online instructional design and consult with CS faculty to assist in organizing and packaging the course content for a distance-learning environment.

The model is designed to off-load CS faculty from daily course management and student interaction, while still allowing participation to the extent desired. The PtF are there to provide a baseline level of academic support to NTU students and CS faculty. Their role is to assist CS faculty in grading, answering student email, addressing student questions, engaging students in online discussions, managing exam processes, and performing other course management duties. There will be a PtF presence in each of our classes. It is integral to our assessment process (aka quality control) for accreditation purposes.

CS faculty are responsible for certifying student achievement. Thus, CS faculty members write or approve exam questions, establish grading policies and rubrics, and work closely with PtF to make sure grading is done to the CS faculty member's standards and satisfaction.

CS faculty must be actively engaged with the PtF for at least one to two hours per week. The first time a course is taught, there may be additional interaction required. As trust builds, more responsibility can be shifted to the PtF.

NTU is different from traditional bricks and mortar schools in that we offer courses on a multiple start calendar, which means a course may be offered by NTU up to eight times per year. Given this schedule, most CS faculty learn to rely on the PtF for most support and information.