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Re: more about adjuncts [HAPP-L]
I have forwarded some of this discussion to my assistant dean under the
heading: "scary."
plangley@xxxxxxxxx 01/27/03 01:17PM >>>
I'm always a bit stunned when I hear about mid- and upper-level
administrators making demands about grade distributions because that is
something that is simply not part of my experience. Unless there is
something overtly out of whack over more than a single semester, I can't
imagine even questioning a faculty member about it. In fact, I only
recall doing a college-wide examination of grade distributions once
(with some surprising results...) - and that was in response to a charge
that certain faculty were "too easy." (Not that a study of grade
distributions proved/disproved anything along that line...we're still
looking into it....)
In those places where this sort of pressure occurs, how is it justified?
I guess I'm naive in thinking that someone on the faculty of the the
department in which the adjunct is teaching would be best for judging
whether an adjunct was teaching and evaluating students appropriately or
not. While I do make classroom observations of department heads who
teach in areas outside my expertise, I'm not the only person evaluating
that individual, and I sure wouldn't want to do all adjuncts! Also, I
would assume that all regional accrediting bodies have something like
the New England Association's standard that maintains that faculty are
supposed to have substantial control over the curriculum, which to me
includes the assessment piece.
I've always thought part of an academic administrator's job was to make
things easier for faculty whenever possible - or at least not make them
harder. And I certainly see maintenance of academic integrity as part of
the job - so this emphasis on grade distributions as some sort of
valuable indicator doesn't work for me...
Glad I work here (and not "there" - wherever that is!),
pam
"Ford, Dayton" wrote:
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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