REALITY CHECK: PERSPECTIVE OF A COMMUNITY COLLEGE ADJUNCT FACULTY MEMBER IN GEOLOGY

Increasingly, universities and colleges are relying on teaching assistants and adjunct faculty to teach their introductory geoscience courses. For example, adjunct faculty account for 74.9% of the faculty employed at Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona¹. Adjunct faculty face challenges unique to their nontenurable position. Challenges such as hiring process/qualifications, access to teaching materials, scheduling, department inclusion, student contact hours, faculty collaboration, and professional development will be addressed. Lessons learned, best practices, policy recommendations, and strategies for surviving these challenges in both in-person and online venues will also be presented.

¹Maricopa community colleges demographics. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.maricopa.edu/about/?demographics