On this episode of the podcast we discuss how to become an adjunct professor. I get to chat with Caitlin from @beltransbehaviorbasics all about how we became adjunct professors and what is like teaching at the college level.
In this episode we discuss how we both became adjunct professors and ways you can explore this option as well. Caitlin is teaching at the University she attended and knew someone else teaching there which is how she started teaching her college classes. I emailed several program directors and heard back from two of them and started teaching at those two Universities.
If you are trying to become an adjunct professor, we recommend looking at local universities as they often post lecturer or adjunct positions. Another great strategy is to submit an application and email the director of that program to make sure the application is getting to the right place. You can also attend local conferences where Universities have booths and get your face in front of directors or professors in that program. I recommend bringing your resume and cover letter with you so they have it on file.
If you are curious as to what being an adjunct professor entails, we chat about that too. One of the most frequent questions I get is how much time does it take week to week to be an adjunct professor? Here is the thing, this will vary depending on a couple of different factors such as how many times you have taught that class, if you prep your content before the course starts, and if you prep activities before the course starts. Caitlin and I are both huge proponents of prepping the content before you course even starts. This way your week to week time commitment surrounds that actual class, answering questions, and grading assignments. This is much easier when you start teaching and have taught the same course a couple of times. In this situation you are often just making adjustments to the content you already have created. Over time you will get better and better at this and the course set up will take less time overall.
Another question people often ask is about imposter syndrome. In the episode Caitlin and I chat about how everyone experiences imposter syndrome and if you have a passion for a specific topic and have been practicing for a while, you probably have the ability to teach that topic. We also highly recommend looking at your reviews and taking into account what students say and using that to improve your class. One thing we both recognized this past semester is that our students do not like using zoom break out rooms, they would much rather do activities as a whole class. This is great information to have and can help you adjust your teaching plan.
Overall, we both love being adjunct professors and talk about what joys it brings us as educators and why we have been both doing this for over four years at this point. If you have ever been curious as to how to become an adjunct professor or what it looks like this episode is for you!
Resources Discussed in this Episode
Free Behavior Intervention Guide
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