Help for adjunct faculty

Adjunct faculty often get hired at the last minute and have to somehow pull together lesson plans at the last minute. A new website has been recently launched to assist with classroom preparation, reports Inside Higher Ed. AdjunctImpact, a classroom preparation program for adjuncts, provides assistance with everything from what to wear to how to deal with different types of students. There is a section on faculty compliance issues, how to develop a syllabus, and how to manage a classroom.

“Not only would adjuncts benefit from a program like this, full-time instructors could learn from true instructions on how to teach,” said Bob Gaudino, vice president of the Adjunct Faculty Association at Nassau Community College and an adjunct history professor.

The program addresses many of the issues raised in a four-year study on adjunct faculty by Westminster College in Utah. The study found that the majority of adjuncts hold another job. Many have families and few have much time to devote to teacher orientation.

The program can help adjuncts set a timetable to apply for parking permits, fill out their W-2 forms and see what basic tools to bring to class on the first day. There is also a segment for adjuncts who are new to teaching.

“The school doesn’t pay them for this type of education. Their career isn’t going to be advanced by going through this. There are no accolades or awards at the end; their motivation is self-improvement,” commented Scott W. Taylor, chief executive of bcpLearning, the Michigan company that created AdjunctImpact.