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Teaching assistant vs adjunct lecturer

The differences between teaching assistants and adjunct lecturers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an adjunct lecturer has an average salary of $79,657, which is higher than the $36,519 average annual salary of a teaching assistant.

The top three skills for a teaching assistant include lab experiments, laboratory experiments and TA. The most important skills for an adjunct lecturer are C++, undergraduate courses, and syllabus.

Teaching assistant vs adjunct lecturer overview

Teaching AssistantAdjunct Lecturer
Yearly salary$36,519$79,657
Hourly rate$17.56$38.30
Growth rate-12%
Number of jobs59,46526,546
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4446
Years of experience--

What does a teaching assistant do?

Teaching assistants are employees who aid teachers in activities needed to deliver lessons. They are usually junior employees or even students who are doing part-time work. Teaching assistants usually set up classrooms, prepare handouts, and give out these handouts in the classroom. They may also be tapped to help prepare presentation materials, source items for classroom demonstration purposes, and assist in the conduct of the lesson. Teaching assistants also help collect schoolwork from students and may also assist teachers in checking schoolwork.

What does an adjunct lecturer do?

An Adjunct Lecturer is responsible for teaching college classes. They prepare course guides, teach content that matches courses standards, and assist students with inquiries outside of class.

Teaching assistant vs adjunct lecturer salary

Teaching assistants and adjunct lecturers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Teaching AssistantAdjunct Lecturer
Average salary$36,519$79,657
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $59,000Between $42,000 And $149,000
Highest paying CityPhiladelphia, PANew York, NY
Highest paying statePennsylvaniaNew York
Best paying companyPace UniversityJohns Hopkins University
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between teaching assistant and adjunct lecturer education

There are a few differences between a teaching assistant and an adjunct lecturer in terms of educational background:

Teaching AssistantAdjunct Lecturer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorPsychologyEnglish
Most common college-Carnegie Mellon University

Teaching assistant vs adjunct lecturer demographics

Here are the differences between teaching assistants' and adjunct lecturers' demographics:

Teaching AssistantAdjunct Lecturer
Average age4446
Gender ratioMale, 42.4% Female, 57.6%Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 11.6% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 12.8% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage6%16%

Differences between teaching assistant and adjunct lecturer duties and responsibilities

Teaching assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead well-received labs aim at students learning SAS including: data step, general regression models building and plots generating.
  • Develop and lead ELA lessons at the 8th grade level, with an emphasis on critical reading and literary analysis.
  • Assist classmates with developing positive study habits and strategies for managing classroom material.
  • Lead discussion sections for students to understand concepts including introductory quantum theory and statistical thermodynamics as well as their applications.
  • Develop expanded communication and teaching skills on explaining the human anatomy and its functions to achieve student understanding and patient education.
  • Organize and run review sessions design to help students better understand concepts of animal anatomy and physiology.
  • Show more

Adjunct lecturer example responsibilities.

  • Develop the course syllabus to achieve personal and departmental proficiency and performance goals.
  • Instruct respiratory therapy and medical assistant students on human anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and the pathological basis of diseases.
  • Prepare lesson plans for freshman seminar course.
  • Teach pure and apply mathematics to engineering students.
  • Conduct the student teaching seminar for prospective teaching candidates.
  • Instruct practical sessions and labs for courses in human physiology and environmental chemistry.
  • Show more

Teaching assistant vs adjunct lecturer skills

Common teaching assistant skills
  • Lab Experiments, 20%
  • Laboratory Experiments, 10%
  • TA, 6%
  • Organic Chemistry, 6%
  • Mathematics, 6%
  • Undergraduate Courses, 4%
Common adjunct lecturer skills
  • C++, 10%
  • Undergraduate Courses, 8%
  • Syllabus, 8%
  • Rehabilitation, 7%
  • Mathematics, 5%
  • Course Syllabus, 5%

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