Chapter 10. Negotiating the Hazards of the �Just-in-Time� Online Writing Course

Abstract

Last-minute or “just-in-time” course assignments are “par for the course” for instructors who are contingent and teach online, despite numerous arguments against such practices. Universities and administrators have mythologized online instruction as less labor-intensive and those who teach online as somehow having less expertise than those who teach face-to-face. The reality is that tenure-line faculty resist such assignments without additional professional development compensation and without a guarantee that this labor-intensive and often invisible work will be recognized for tenure and promotion. This chapter takes an anecdotal perspective of a contingent instructor thrust into a full year of “just-in-time” online writing instruction. The chapter details how the instructor developed a strategic, flexible, and reflective mindset to counter the institutional silos and silences she encountered. Her experience serves as an alert to new online instructors and a reality check for administrators who may be unaware of the isolation and frustration of their online teaching faculty, especially those teaching in less-than-ideal contexts. The chapter includes a checklist of the information and resources needed for effective online instruction and a summary of the PARS approach to take with “just-in-time” assignments to help instructors best meet the needs of their students.