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"I would recommend ignoring criticism about "offering too much academic support." What's up with that?" Well put, Suzzanne. In the California State University system we find that lecturer (adjunct) faculty tend to be more dedicated to their students than 'regular' faculty. Just this morning I received an email from a student thanking me for responding to her email, because "you are just about the only one who does." Now what's up with THAT? Isn't our job to help students succeed academically? Perhaps our grading reflects this dedication to teaching and helping our students? PHH Paivi Hoikkala, Ph.D. Department of History California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Tel: 909-869-3860 Lecturer Representative, California Faculty Association Tel: 909-869-4809 "No one can make you feel inferior without your own consent." Eleanor Roosevelt ________________________________ From: H-Net Network on Adjunct/part-time faculty issues on behalf of Howard Smead Sent: Mon 11/12/2007 5:15 PM To: H-ADJUNCT@H-NET.MSU.EDU Subject: Do Adjuncts give more A's? Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 From: Suzzanne Kelley <zzannie@plainsfolk.com> Subject: Re: Do Adjuncts give more A's? I have found that most university professors were not taught how to teach. Being an expert in your field is good; being able to communicate that knowledge in a usable fashion is another skill altogether. I have witnessed professors who claim that their students who fail, did so because they failed meet the "rigor" expected by the professor. (One professor even thinks she deserves a teaching award because so many students did poorly and vehemently criticized her in their student reviews!) These same professors often keep their expectations a mystery from their students--until that grade is posted. I teach now at a community college where pedagogy is high on the list of priorities. It is a pleasure to work with adjuncts and tenured faculty who take pride in student success--rather than in trying to weed out as many as possible. The adjuncts and the faculty are evaluated by student reviews, but also by observations from mentors and administration. While instructional methodology is emphasized, equally stressed is the "rigor" that prepares our students to transfer to any university. For every written assignment I prepare a rubric. It is a checklist students can use to almost know their grade before turning in their papers. I find that however high I set the bar, there will be students who meet the criteria. I also find that my average scores still hover in the mid-70s. This process seems a fair way to evaluate whether students have met my expectations--but also whether I have made my expectations clear to them. I would recommend ignoring criticism about "offering too much academic support." What's up with that? Suzzanne Kelley > Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 > From: Janet Galley <janet.galley@yahoo.ca> > Subject: Re: Do Adjuncts give more A's? > > Howard raises an interesting issue, and I think it is one that we need > to talk about more - not just among ourselves but with our departments > as well. > > This term I began adjuncting at a new school and one of my concerns was > whether or not my expectations of the students' work meshed with the > department's. Fortunately for me, my new department actually prints out > a handbook for new adjuncts that clearly details the department's > expectations. The handbook describes the expected workloads for student > reading and writing at the various course levels and articulates the > expected calibre of work associated with grades. Even with all of this > support, when it came time to grade the exams, I calculated the class > averages (72% in each case) and ran those figures by a couple of faculty > members just to make sure that I was within the department's norms. I > realize that I may be a lucky exception in the degree of support that I > have been given as an adjunct. > > On the other hand, a friend of mine teaches at a small liberal arts > school in the US and she has recently been criticized for having too > high expectations of her students. During the same meeting, she was > also criticized for offering her students too much academic support. Is > her situation unique? > > Whether the grading done by adjuncts is more or less rigour than that > done by full-time faculty, I think the larger question is what can > adjuncts, and the departments they work for, do to ensure that everyone > is on the same page when it comes to expectations? > > Janet McShane Galley > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Howard Smead <howard@HOWARDSMEAD.COM> > To: H-ADJUNCT@H-NET.MSU.EDU > Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 8:49:47 AM > Subject: Do Adjuncts give more A's? > > There is a small but persistent controversy on the campus where I teach. > > There is an apparently widely-shared belief (supported to a degree by > statistics) that adjunct professors consistently give far more A's than > tenured and tenure-track professors. Recently, I was in a meeting about > this where it was my task to defend adjuncts against this and the > implied charge of being less intellectually rigorous. The disdain of the > panel of senior professors and departmental chairs for Adjuncts was > palpable. One full professor replied to my presentation by stating that > all adjuncts should be replaced. Her ignorance of the situation is > typical, in my opinion. > > In any case, if this grade differential is true, or if the perception is > widely held, it undermines the already tenuous credibility that > adjuncts already have on many if not most campuses. At the very least > adjuncts ought to be aware of this particular monkey on their backs. > > Howard Smead > The University of Maryland, College Park -- Suzzanne Kelley North Dakota State University, PhD student in History Minnesotat State Community & Technical College, History Instructor 3803 Willow Road West Fargo, ND 58078 www.plainsfolk.com/kelley/ 701-799-3064
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