Adjunct Lecturer Responsibilities

Adjunct lecturers generally work part time or for a particular semester or program. Though they are needed to carry out the adjunct lecturer responsibilities, which are similar in nature to that of a lecturer, they do not enjoy the privileges and benefits that are received by the tenure track professors. They need to handle lesser responsibilities and may or may not be involved in publishing their research work.

Key Responsibilities of an Adjunct Lecturer

The duties of an adjunct lecturer closely mirrors with that of the lecturer. It is not binding on them to perform additional administrative duties or any other extra work, though they may need to perform them in case of emergency. They may or may not assist in research work. However, they need to adhere to rules and regulations and work towards achieving the mission. Here is a detailed description of the key responsibilities that need to be handled by him:

Responsibilities towards Students: The first and the foremost thing is to review and study the syllabus. He will then design, plan and implement various strategies and instructional formats to facilitate better learning. While doing so, he must make sure that he adheres to the standards designed. He should ensure that proper study materials and other relevant equipments are made available at the required time. He will guide, instruct and teach the syllabus to the students in a way that will be easily understood by them. He should try to solve their queries in a timely manner. He should grade and evaluate the students based on their performance. He should maintain accurate reports of their attendance and performance. Ultimately, he should be able to achieve the objectives of the course syllabus as well as that of the academic institution.
Responsibilities Towards College/School/University: He should thoroughly understand the mission and work out action plans to achieve it. He should keep himself updated with the material that needs to be taught and the way it should be taught, i.e. the instructional methods. He should maintain appropriate data and information on the reports related to attendance and performance. He should prepare the curriculum and follow the established rules and regulations.
Other Miscellaneous Responsibilities: He may assist in developing the course syllabus and provide suggestions. Sometimes he may be required to perform some additional clerical and administrative functions.

Essential Skills

To ensure success, you need to have the following skills:

A quest for acquiring knowledge and a passion to learn and teach a diverse range of students
Should have good communication skills which will enable in building a friendly environment, motivating the students to acquire relevant knowledge
Should be able to demonstrate care and concern for students and try to resolve their personal or academic issues
Should be proficient in computers, as he will need to maintain and update reports related to student attendance and their performance
Should be able to communicate complex material in a simple and easily understandable way
Should keep himself updated with the latest developments in the instructional procedures

Educational Requirements

To make an entry as an adjunct lecturer, you need to have minimum bachelor's or master's degree in the relevant subject of specialization. A doctoral degree will definitely be a plus. A work experience in the relevant subject will prove your expertise and help you in getting the job more easily. Both full time and part time positions are available.

Salary Details

The salary for an adjunct lecturer varies depending on the type and size of the college or university they are employed in. The salary normally varies from $25,000 to $40,000 per year. However, an adjunct lecturer is not a permanent position and they are not eligible to receive any privileges that a full time tenure track lecturer has.

Career Prospects

There are good career prospects for those aspiring to make a career in teaching. They can be promoted to senior position and or with higher education can even become full time lecturers.

Now you must have realized that the adjunct lecturer responsibilities are almost similar to that of a full time tenure track lecturer, but the scope of duties that need to be handled by them is quite less.