The Adjunct Professor's Complete Guide to Teaching College: How to Be an Effective and Successful Instructor

The Ancillary Army. Freeway Flyers. Roads Scholars. Turnpike Teachers. These are some of the nicknames given to part-time college teachers. They may teach one or two courses at a single institution, or, in some cases, they may teach multiple courses at multiple institutions. Often their "office" consists of the front seat of their car, and their "desk" is a cardboard box. Their lunch is whatever they can grab at McDonalds while zipping through traffic to their next scheduled class.

For many, the thought of teaching one or two courses in their area of specialty is most appealing. Not only does it offer an opportunity to share some basic information about a specific occupational field; so too, does it provide a chance to stay up-to-date on current trends in business, psychology, education, computer science or whatever one's field may be. It's also a nice way to supplement one's income and work with a new generation of students.

But, for many adjunct instructors, often hired just before a semester begins and usually without any pedagogical training, there's a constant question that always surfaces: What do I need to know in order to teach college students successfully?

This is a query asked by more than 700,000 adjunct professors in over 4,200 institutions of higher education - a number that represents approximately 75.5% of all college faculty. The reason why so many adjunct instructors ask that question is because, not only do they lack a practical resource; so too, do they lack any formal pedagogical training on how to teach and evaluate college students. With that information they can have the confidence and training (often missing at most colleges) that they can be effective instructors - no matter their discipline or experience. This book is unique in that it focuses on the basic and essential elements of college instruction - providing down-to-earth answers to instructors' often unanswered questions.