Support for Adjuncts
The importance of adjunct instructors to students and educational institutions is a topic that I would like to discuss in this week’s blog. Adjunct instructors have always filled a void on campuses across the country. We give much needed relief to full-time instructors who are overwhelmed with the courses they must teach. Most full-time instructors have other duties besides teaching they are expected to carry out. Whenever there is increased demand for a course, adjuncts are called in to teach these courses.
There is no substitute for the experience that adjuncts have working in their professions. They can relay to students the most current practices, regulations and new technology related to their field. As working professionals, they are in the trenches and know firsthand what students will face upon graduation. Students want to know what it is like working in the field and the kind of challenges they will face on the job.
Some adjuncts may feel like stepchildren because they may work for years as adjuncts with no promise of full-time employment.Those adjuncts that work strictly in education on contractual basis may feel a little disconnected from the college or university where they teach.There is a Web site called http://www.adjunctnation.com/, which provides all kinds of information for adjuncts.This online community contains blogs, jobs, forums, teaching tools and articles on various subjects.This site is an excellent way for adjuncts to stay connected to their peers.