Center for Faculty Development

Questions for Part-Time Faculty to Ask

Found in Scholarship and Professional Development > Part-Time Faculty Development Resources

• Does the instructional program seek to provide students with a theoretical foundation on which they might build advanced study at this or another institution, or does it equip students for immediate entry into the workforce?

• What is the overall demographic makeup of the institution and the student population of your specific program?

• Are the students in the program typically full-time or part-time?  If students are usually employed, are there particular industries or organizations in which their employment tends to cluster?

• Do the students in the program tend to have an especially dominant academic strength or weakness?

• Are the courses the discipline leader identified as being your potential assignments required courses or electives?  Are there prerequisites?  What degree programs do each support?

• Will the discipline leader or designee visit one of your class meetings?  If so, will the session to be visited be announced in advance?  Will an evaluation form be used, and if so, is it available for you to look over in advance?  How and when will the observation be "debriefed"?

• Will students evaluate your performance at the end of the term?  If so, is a copy of the form available in advance?  What are the procedures and timing of the evaluation?  When can the completed forms be reviewed?

• Is an evaluation conference conducted with the discipline leader?  When?  If so, what are its procedures, and ramifications?

• Have targets of success been defined, against which your performance will be compared?  These might include goals related to the retention of enrolled students, defined percentage limits of "A" or "F" final grades, etc.

• Who makes the final decision on whether you will be asked to teach again?

• When and where are faculty meetings held?  Are they for all faculty, or solely adjunct faculty?  If they are mandatory, how do you document attendance?  Are minutes from previous meetings available?

• Are mailboxes provided?  Where are they located?  What times are they available?

• Is a newsletter or other form of periodic information update available?  Where, when, and how are such resources made available?

• Does the college/university have an adjunct faculty committee or other vehicle for dealing with issues peculiar to adjunct instructors?  How does it function?  Where and when does it meet?

• Which, if any, social events or ceremonies are open to adjunct faculty members?

• What are the parking arrangements for faculty and students?  Is a decal required?  If so, where, how and when is it obtained?

• What other transportation considerations affect students in the course, e.g., location of bus or subway stops?

• What is the general state of safety on campus?  What are the security provisions?  Do you need a specific form of identification?  How do you reach a security guard in a hurry?  Where are telephones located in relation to your classroom?  What is the procedure for locking and unlocking your classroom?

• Where are refreshments available?  Is their consumption permissible in the classroom?

• Where do students purchase textbooks and required supplies, if any?  What are the hours?

• Where and how do you obtain class rolls and grade sheets?  Are midterm grades reported?  When are final course grades due?

• If you teach at a satellite campus, what provisions are available for transporting materials to the discipline leader?

Source:  Lyons, Kysilka, Pawlas, The Adjunct Professor's Guide to Success, Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights, MA, 1999.