Training for Adjunct Faculty

Professor, teacher, instructor, faculty member –all are cherished and incredibly important titles at any university. At the same time, every full-time faculty member knows that it took time to become a good teacher and that training and mentoring shortens the required train-up period. Members of the Civil Engineering Department Heads Council Executive Committee (DHCEC) have indicated that the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) ExCEEd Teaching Workshop is a must have tool for developing new faculty. So why do we thrust a syllabus into the hands of adjunct faculty and wish them well – while it appears that some type of orientation training is warranted for all full-time faculty? This paper examines the topics that should be covered in such training. The results are based on a survey of existing civil engineering department heads and an examination of the training already available through universities and professional societies