Teaching Qualifications Needed
COTC follows the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) guidelines for credentialing and hiring faculty. Educational transcripts and a resume or CV will be reviewed by COTC Academic Affairs to assess an applicant’s qualifications based on Higher Learning Commission (HLC) guidelines.
HLC guidelines vary depending on whether an instructor will teach career and technical courses or general education courses.
Career and Technical Education Course Teaching Qualifications
Faculty teaching in career and technical education college-level certificate and occupational associate degree programs should hold a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in the career field and/or have a combination of education, training and tested experience.
General Education Course Teaching Qualifications
Faculty teaching general education courses, or other non-occupational courses, hold a master’s degree or higher in the discipline or subfield. If a faculty member holds a master’s degree or higher in a discipline or subfield other than that in which he or she is teaching, that faculty member should have completed a minimum of 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline or subfield in which they teach.
Dual credit instructors: HLC recognizes that many high school teachers possess tested experience beyond their years in the classroom that may account for content knowledge for the dual credit courses they may teach. These teachers may have gained relevant experience while working in other sectors or through professional development or other relevant experience that now informs their teaching. They may be active in professional organizations and learned societies through presentations and publications on topics relevant to the dual credit courses they may teach. In combination with other credentials and/or tested experience, they may be able to provide direct evidence of their students’ achievement on college-level tests that reflects a level of teaching and learning akin to a college classroom. However, evidence of students’ achievement, on its own, is not sufficient to demonstrate minimal qualifications. (Higher Learning Commission)
Part-Time Faculty Compensation
A part-time faculty member is a COTC instructor who teaches ordinarily 12 or fewer contact hours during any semester of the academic year. Part-time faculty appointments may be made to any of COTC’s four campuses located in Newark, Coshocton, Mount Vernon and Pataskala
Employment offered to part-time faculty are subject to the sufficiency of legislative appropriations, the pertinent provisions of the Ohio Revised Code and the official actions of the Board of Trustees. The offers create no expectation of future employment, and the college maintains sole discretion in choosing to offer or not to offer future teaching opportunities.
Part-time faculty are paid on a bi-weekly basis after all necessary paperwork has been submitted to the Office of Human Resources. Part-time faculty are required to participate in the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS).
Part-time faculty at COTC are paid an hourly rate based on their education level. The following rates are effective 8/21/23.
| Degree Level | Pay Rate |
|---|---|
| Associate or lower | $39.50 |
| Bachelor’s* | $44.00 |
| Master’s | $49.00 |
| Doctorate | $50.00 |
*Part-time clinical teaching assistants in healthcare programs are paid at the bachelor’s degree level.
The number of hours an instructor is paid is based upon the number of contact hours established for a course and the number of weeks a course is taught.
For example, if an English composition course is four contact hours, taught for 15 weeks for a total of 60 contact hours by someone with a master’s degree paid at an hourly rate of $49.00, the total pay to teach that class would be $2,940.
Steps to Apply and Join our Team
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The first step to joining our teaching team is to view job postings on the COTC employment website, then complete an online application for the position you’re qualified for and interested in. Note: Applications will remain on file in Human Resources for up to 12 months.
- If you are a high school teacher interested in teaching a College Credit Plus (CCP) course at your high school, please complete the dual enrollment instructor application.
- As part of your application, please be prepared to include
unofficial transcripts for all education you’ve completed and are
currently pursuing. Also include a resume, CV or be detailed in
your teaching application about your professional experience.
- Your application materials and transcripts will be reviewed and a brief telephone or Zoom interview may be scheduled. Application review typically occurs three times a year about six to eight weeks before the start of each semester. Our COTC semesters begin in August, January and May.
You’re hired. Now what?
- Qualified candidates will be extended a conditional offer of
employment via email to teach for COTC, and a new hire packet
will be sent via email for completion. Note, the new hire process
at COTC includes a background check to include but is not limited
to FBI/BCI, references, pre-employment drug testing where
applicable, etc.
- After new hire paperwork is complete, new instructors will
receive instructions on how to set up their COTC account to
access email, online instructor orientation, and teaching tools
and resources.
- Part-time faculty receive a contract/agreement for each
semester they teach outlining the details of teaching load and
compensation.
- Current faculty will reach out to new faculty to welcome them to their teaching team and provide them with course-specific information to help ensure consistent and quality instruction.
Contact Us
Our friendly staff in the Office of Academic Affairs is ready to answer any questions you have about teaching at COTC. Feel free to call us at 740.366.9357 or email academicaffairs@mail.cotc.edu.