Assessing Institutional Support for Remote Adjunct Faculty Teaching Online

Eliminate Policy Barriers

The first theme relates to institutional policies and the importance of assessing how remote adjunct faculty teaching online experience institutional policies. These policies encompass those related to employment, such as completing employment paperwork, obtaining usernames and passwords to institutional systems, and accessing payroll systems. Policies specific to teaching and learning must also be examined through the perspective of the remote adjunct faculty member, including access to the institution’s bookstore for textbooks and the clarity and applicability of classroom policies (attendance, student learning accommodations, academic honesty, student complaints, grade appeals). While most institutions have policies specific to on-ground, hybrid, and online learning, it is often how these policies are put into action that can exclude remote adjunct faculty. For instance, if remote adjunct faculty do not have access to, or a relationship with, the administrators who process student complaints and grade appeals, then they can be disadvantaged in the mediation process. As mentioned in Chapter 7, incentives matter and policies should consider that remote adjunct instructors are attracted to institutions which offer intellectual stimulation, professional career enhancement, development opportunities, schedule flexibility, and appropriate financial compensation and rewards. Likewise, as we learned in Chapter 16, policies need to provide such instructors with appropriate expectations and requirements for teaching in the online classroom, and support through coaching and mentoring. Chapter 17 reminds us that as such policies are further refined or created, we should also avoid overburdening instructors with unnecessarily time-consuming administrative tasks. As we approach this delicate balance, we adhere to the advice provided in Chapters 18, 19, and 20 on the opportunity to utilize holistic evaluation strategies to empower remote adjunct instructors.