The following faculty policies help to guide our Maranatha program to be as excellent as possible.
Compensation
Read about the faculty compensation process and payment policies.
Course Load
To encourage retention rates within a program and within a course, most online courses will be offered on an 8-week basis. Residential faculty may choose to teach a 16-week course online (regular semester length), but most online faculty will be encouraged to teach in 8-week sections. To encourage faculty to rest and have time for academic development, the following guidelines are in place in relation to faculty load:
- Faculty may not teach two online courses at the same time, unless they choose to teach two sections of the same course, and then the combined courses may still not exceed a total of 50 students.
- Faculty teaching a 16-week course may have up to two 8-week sessions running concurrently, but none of those three courses may be classes with extra sections.
- Faculty may not teach more than two back-to-back 8-week sessions without sitting out a session or taking the Christmas break.
- Residential faculty may not teach two back-to-back 16-week sessions.
- Residential faculty are encouraged to teach online during a summer session.
Credentials, Qualifications, and Expectations
Maranatha seeks to hire the most academically and experientially qualified person for a course. Ideally, faculty will possess a graduate degree (doctorate required for master-level of instruction), significant experience in the course’s topic, college teaching experience, and experience teaching online. Read how these qualities affect your compensation.
Maranatha also hires only faculty members who have a clear testimony of placing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and who are exemplary members in good standing of a fundamental Baptistic church. Exemplary members meet pastoral expectations related to teaching in Sunday School or being involved in Christian service at their local church.
Online faculty are expected to follow the personal life standards (i.e. dress, music, Bible versions) of the church they attend. While teaching an online course, though, faculty should use biblical discernment in discussing topics or activities that are restricted for students (see the Student Life Journal ). Students who are 100% online will also be under the authority of their local church, so faculty will need to recognize that the class itself will probably have different standards represented. Faculty members will need to monitor students as to the appropriate level of language (foul and inappropriate language will not be permitted under any circumstance). Online faculty visiting campus are asked to follow campus dress guidelines.
Online faculty are hired on a class-by-class basis and may work for other colleges; however, Maranatha Online reserves the right to not hire a faculty member who is teaching at an institution whose association may not be positive for the college.
Online Training for Faculty Members
All faculty teaching online or hybrid courses must complete the one-time MBBC faculty online course, entitled Teaching Online Overview, preferably the semester before designing the course.
Faculty members teaching at least one course a year online must take one online course a year until they’ve completed their Master Online Teacher Certificate from the Illinois Online Network (4 courses, one elective, one practicum). Progression through these courses positively affects your salary. (See compensation rubric.)