What is the role of adjunct faculty?

Typical duties of adjunct instructors may include the following:

• Teaching graduate and undergraduate students in a specific field of expertise

• Developing and managing the class syllabus and ensuring that the syllabus meets department and college standards

• Planning and creating lectures, in-class discussions, and assignments

• Grading assigned papers, quizzes, and exams, as well as class participation and other orally assessed work.

• Reporting student learning outcomes, class reviews, and analyzing student data

• Collaborating with colleagues on course curriculum

While most professors who are employed full time will typically teach their courses in in-person settings, many times adjuncts faculty have more opportunities to teach a course either in a face-to-face setting or may teach the same course in a distance education environment, using a learning management system (LMS), and other media channels for communication.

It is important to have complete knowledge of what an adjunct faculty's position responsibilities are, as they may vary. Many duties expected of full-time professors are not required of adjuncts. For example, adjunct faculty do not need to conduct research, publish papers, or attend staff meetings and events as a condition of their appointment.