Best Practices Adjunct Faculty » (New Edition)

The number of part-time faculty members is increasing steadily, to the point that most colleges and universities could not function efficiently without them. The evening and weekend availability of adjunct faculty enables us to expand class schedules to serve the educational needs of nontraditional students, and their expertise offers students important real-world perspectives.Yet there is often a lack of preparation or support for their vital role. Best Practices for Supporting Adjunct Faculty is written for a full range of academic leaders, including instructional administrators, department chairs, and directors of teaching and learning centers. It showcases proven initiatives at a variety of institutional types—two- and four year, public and private—that help achieve the needs of adjunct instructors, while increasing their effectiveness within institutions’ existing delivery systems. This book provides research data on the initiatives highlighted, and valuable ideas for institutions expanding their professional development opportunities for part-time instructors—thus enhancing student learning and improving accountability outcomes. Contents include:

• Deepening our understanding of adjunct faculty
• Ensuring an effective start for adjunct faculty
• Supporting adjunct faculty through face-to-face and online programming
• Mentoring adjunct instructors in a variety of approaches
• Building community and a sense of mission
• Analysis of orientation, pre-service training, recognition, and comprehensive professional development programs for adjunct faculty
• Portraits of proven programs and strategies for implementing initiatives atyour institution
• An adjunct professor’s perspective on the benefits of supporting your part-timers’ teaching

About the Authors     iii
Preface     x
Deepening Our Understanding of Adjunct Faculty   Richard E. Lyons     1
Ensuring an Effective Start for Adjunct Faculty: Orientation With Multiple Options   Kevin Yee     13
The Part-Time Faculty Institute: Strategically Designed and Continually Assessed   Marianne H. Hutti   Gale S. Rhodes   Joni Allison   Evelyn Lauterbach     31
A Proven Program for Supporting Adjunct Faculty Online   Daryl Peterson     49
Mentoring Adjunct Instructors: Fostering Bonds That Strengthen Teaching and Learning   Cynthia Zutter     68
A Mentoring Network for Adjunct Faculty: From Proposal to Pilot to Five-Year Plan   Gayle Nolan   Cynthia Siegrist   Nancy Richard     81
A Consortium Approach to Supporting Part-Time Faculty   Helen Burnstad   Ben Hayes   Cindy Hoss   Ann-Marie West     107
An Applied Course in Teaching That Serves the Home and Neighboring Institutions   Thomas Lux     118
The Associate Program: A Foundation for Professional Growth in Adjunct Faculty   Russell Richardson     132
Adjunct Faculty Associates Professional Development Program   Keith Barker   Dan Mercier     143
Supporting Adjunct Faculty Through Orientation and Mentoring Initiatives and an Online Professional Development Course   Jeanne C. Silliman     158
A Proven, Comprehensive Program for Preparing and Supporting Adjunct Faculty Members   Frank Harber   Richard E. Lyons     186
Initiating a Support System for Adjunct Faculty: The First Year   Laura Renninger   Shannon Holliday   Marie Carter     199
The Two-Year Effort to Build a Program That Provides Part-Time Faculty Pedagogical Support, Community, and a Sense of Mission   H. Edward Lambert   Milton D. Cox     217
Professional Development Geared to Part-Timers' Needs: An Adjunct Professor's Perspective   Jason Schwartz     241
Index     252