Getting Started as an Adjunct Faculty in the Online Classroom

Within the higher education communities, adjunct instructors play a vital role in nontraditional programs that are fully online. Because of the importance of these types of instructors, it is also essential that candidates are fully prepared to apply, interview, and research a position that will support them and their growth as adjunct instructors online. In addition, adjunct instructors need to understand the non-traditional learner within these online programs through knowledge of what makes a “non-traditional” student and how to support them through the possible challenges they face as students. In the end, understanding the role, the process of selecting an adjunct, and the support systems in place to support the adjunct growth and student's growth, will not make the adjunct successful but the students they work with successful too.