RE: more about adjuncts [HAPP-L]

["Ford, Dayton" <dford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

<x-charset utf-8>Two important issues that have not been addressed here (at least from my recollection) are; 1) What pressures are there on the adjunct instructor in regards to grade distribution?, and 2) Does the administration have a specific "target goal" in mind when adjuncts are evaluated (prior to contracts being renewed)? I can think of at least one instance in which the academic dean of a small school in the midwest expected that the average grade in any class would be in the C+ to B- range. Adjunct instructors that did not meet these requirements were not offered contract renewals. It is quite possible that some adjunct instructors are "fitting" their students into pre-determined grade distributions merely as a means of survival. I know of a few non-tenured faculty that have been "pressured" by administrators to alter the way that they teach (or the way that they assess) their students.Although it was not explicitly stated, the underlying message was this: "If grades
do not improve in your course, then your bid for tenure will be denied." I am wondering if any one else has encountered these types of cases?

Dayton Ford
St Louis College of Pharmacy

	-----Original Message----- 
	From: Pam Langley [mailto:plangley@xxxxxxxxx] 
	Sent: Fri 1/24/2003 2:07 PM 
	To: HAPS Listserve 
	Cc: 
	Subject: more about adjuncts [HAPP-L] 
	
	

	Having been on all sides of the adjunct question (long-time adjunct at
	multiple schools simultaneously, full-time colleague of adjuncts, and
	department chair responsible for hiring and evaluating adjuncts), I can
	only say this. If your department has good adjuncts, do everything in
	your power to keep them!
	
	The HAPS messages about adjuncts have been coming in while I was busy
	working on the minutes of our last Department Head meeting, at which we
	discussed some ideas of "best practices" for orienting and keeping good
	adjuncts. We are in the process of creating an adjunct manual; some
	departments have their own manuals to cover their own "rules" (such as,
	"make sure these things get locked up when you're done"); most
	departments use some sort of mentor system for new adjuncts, generally
	agreeing that frequent contact (tho' not necessarily intrusive contact)
	is important; etc. We also held an "Adjunct Fair" back in August where
	day and evening adjuncts (and full-timers) from all areas could come and
	get information about all aspects of the campus. For example, the
	Registrar's Office had a table with information about rosters and
	grading; the Financial Aid Office had information about types of
	financial aid and the impact of student attendance (or lack thereof) on
	the college and the individual; the Learning Center had a table showing
	what services they provide; the Civil Rights Coordinator (that would be
	me...) had a table with information about how to avoid complaints of
	harassment and discrimination; and so on. It was very well-attended, and
	evaluations showed that both adjuncts and full-timers found the fair
	valuable.
	
	If you are not responsible for hiring or evaluating adjuncts but you
	"hear stuff," you really should discuss it with whoever IS responsible.
	They won't necessarily know unless someone tells them. If they are
	informed and take no action, then shame on them, but you've done what
	you can. Over the past several years, we have taken the bull by the
	horns and insisted, for example, that each department head be the one to
	approve anyone teaching a course from his/her department through
	Community Education.(And just because someone is approved to teach one
	course doesn't mean they are approved to teach any course!) Previously,
	the Community Ed folks hired whoever they wanted. In fact, it was my
	outrage at the poor quality of some DCE hires (more than 10 years ago)
	and their lack of supervision of any kind (the supervisor was a math
	teacher) that led to my crossing over to the "dark side" of
	administration - a case of the squeaky wheel getting the dirty job, I
	guess...
	
	I have been in the position of having to settle for "a warm body" (as
	one previous respondent said), and that's when you might catch me saying
	the dreaded, "They're more trouble than they're worth." To avoid that, I
	have also overloaded myself or others by taking on uncovered sections or
	by going to a team-teaching scenario in order to avoid canceling
	sections.
	
	Finally, I don't know too many places that have much control over what
	adjuncts get paid, and I've never heard anyone say that adjuncts get
	paid anything other than some "abysmal" wage. However, the happier you
	can make them in other ways by making them feel a part of the department
	and college, the more likely they are to meet departmental expectations
	for instruction.
	
	And everyone has to start teaching somewhere - often as an adjunct. So,
	remember that you probably weren't all that great when you started out
	teaching either! I know I wasn't!
	
	pam
	
	
	
	
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