Managing the car when you cannot control the tracks: Understanding and supporting adjunct instructors

Abstract

AbstractReflecting upon the author's experiences as an assistant professor and an adjunct instructor, this essay considers two characteristics of adjunct teaching that threaten adjuncts themselves and the educational effectiveness of the institutions at which they teach. First, adjuncts routinely experience a sense of disenfranchisement in determining the direction of those institutions. Second, adjuncts' contingent status makes them peculiarly vulnerable to perverse incentives that tempt them to reduce the rigor of their courses. While acknowledging that adjuncts can take measures to combat these threats, this essay highlights ways in which deans, department chairs, and senior faculty can engage with adjunct instructors in ways that convey appreciation, lend support, and help them to grow as teachers. Not only do such measures foster adjuncts' sense of connection to the institution, but they are crucial to preventing the unjust exploitation of adjunct labor. See companion essays published in this issue of the journal by Hoon J. Lee, Adam Wirrig, Kyle Schenkewitz, and Charles Harrell.