Adjunct Faculty Responsibilities

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Adjunct faculty functions like a part time professor who teaches a specialized subject in the university. Adjunct faculty responsibilities comprise imparting high quality education to the students by applying his knowledge, relevant work experience and using different instructional methods and strategies to achieve the desired objective.

Key Responsibilities

Adjunct faculty usually have previous work experience. They are responsible for arranging and preparing the course syllabus, conducting the lectures or field trips if necessary, preparation of reports and other relevant work. Though their functions are mostly like that of a professor, they do not get any assurance of job even after completing the contract successfully. They are not liable for any retirement or health related benefits. Here is a list of the key responsibilities that need to be handled by the adjunct faculty:

1. The basic thing is to attend the orientation program that gives a detailed description on the teaching and instructional guidelines as well as what are the objectives that need to be achieved
2. Next is to start the class and conduct the lectures at the given time. He should ensure that the classes should end on the scheduled time. If he is required to remain absent due to some illness or any other emergency, he should notify the same to his senior and make subsequent arrangements. He should take care that no class has been missed.
3. He should prepare, design the course syllabus and make recommendations to the head for improving the quality of education
4. He should design innovative instructional methods that will help the students to understand the subject.
5. He should teach the complexities of the subject in an easy, simple way
6. He should keep himself updated with the latest developments in the given area and relevant subject matter and apply the same to the curriculum.

He should be able to build good rapport with students. This in turn will enable him to know whether they have understood the subject as well as he will be able to solve their doubts if any. He should participate in the professional development workshops to improve his teaching skills, which will help him in achieving the mission of the university. He should constantly evaluate the performance of the students and grade them. He should maintain and update the records relevant to the course.

Essential Skills

To get an excellent adjunct faculty can be a tough job for a university. To give your best performance, some of the following skills are essential to ensure success:

1. Should be curious, inquisitive and have a quest for acquiring knowledge and keeping update with the latest trends and developments in the relevant subject area
2. Should have deep interest, passion, and enjoy teaching to the students
3. Should be able to develop innovative methods of instructions for teaching complex things in a simple manner by developing a friendly atmosphere
4. Should be able to motivate, inspire the students and instill in them a love for learning and gaining knowledge
5. Should have excellent communication skills, good organization and time management skills
6. Should be patient, mature, confident, compassionate and enthusiastic

Educational Qualifications

The minimum requirement criteria to be eligible as an adjunct faculty is a Master's Degree in the relevant subject. However, some may even hire those having a bachelor's degree, which is more common in career or community colleges. This is an excellent opportunity for those who are interested in teaching but cannot do a full time job.

Salary Details

This is definitely not a tenure track position and the salaries, therefore, are considerably low. This is a temporary position requiring an individual to work for only a few hours a day. The salary varies depending on the kind of institute they are employed in, their terms mentioned in the contract and the field of specialization. Normally, it falls in the range of $45,000 to $55,000.

Career Scope

There are ample opportunities available for this post. If you demonstrate a good teaching experience and take a further doctoral degree, you can definitely become a full time tenure track professor.

Thus, the adjunct faculty responsibilities closely mirror with that of a full time professor. They definitely need to handle lesser workload and are not liable for any privileges or benefits enjoyed by a full time tenure track professor.