Starting at a New College Starting at a New College? – How to Find Out Important Information No One Ever Tells You Janelle Barbier, Part –Time Faculty Committee, Skyline College Sam Foster, ASCCC Area D Representative 2019 ASCCC Part Time Faculty Leadership Institute

Welcome How long have you been teaching? Less than one year One to three years More than three years How many colleges have you taught at? One Two Three Four or more

Starting at a New College When you are first hired at a college, you are given a course outline, a schedule, a room location, and you might get a sample syllabus or some keys. Whether this is your first teaching position or you have worked at many different colleges, starting at a new college can be intimidating. Getting acclimated to a new environment can be a challenge, but becoming part of the department and the campus community could make a huge difference if a full time position opens in the future.

Working with the Dean or Other Administrator Your initial contact is often the Dean along with the office staff. They can help with the Division/Campus infrastructure Some of the things that you should ask about are: Do I have access to a photocopier and printer? Are classroom and office supplies (markers, pens, paper) provided? What are the administrative deadlines (add, drop, due dates for grades)? What should I do if I need to miss class?

What If I’m Teaching at Night? If your assignment is at night, consider additional steps to help for your success. Communicate with Dean and the office staff during the day to address the following: What should I do if an emergency arises (accident, injury, illness, etc.)? If you teach lab what are the procedures for night labs (supplies, lab incidents)? What types of reports should be filed in the event of an incident? Who should I contact if I need to miss class?

Working with the Department Chair/Coordinator Your primary faculty contact is usually the department chair Some of the things that you should ask about are: Where is the course outline of record for this course (what must be covered)? Are there specific topics that I should emphasize in this class? Do you have any sample syllabi that I can review? Am I required to assess the course SLOs? Is there a department specific assessment method or am I free to develop an assessment? Are there other instructors teaching the same course? Are there instructors that have taught this course in the past?

Seek Help From Other Faculty Reach out to other instructors that may be teaching the class and see if they have any advice. During the semester, check in with them and see if they are experiencing any of the same challenges in their class. If there are no other instructors teaching the same class, you can still reach out to other instructors that have taught the course in the past.

For Lab Classes Seek Help from Staff Reach out to lab technicians as soon as possible (they are an invaluable resource. Check to see if the laboratory schedule is fixed. Check with lab technicians and department chairs before altering any lab schedule Reach out to other faculty teaching the same (or similar) lab if possible. If there are no other instructors teaching the same class, you can still reach out to other instructors that have taught the course in the past.

Expand Your Teaching We all have classes that we love to teach, but if you only ever teach a single class you are less likely to get a full time position Go to the department chair and make it clear that you are willing and wanting to teach any class Teaching new classes every semester requires more work, but it forces you out of your comfort zone and expands your repertoire Seek continual improvement of the classes you teach Make adjustments to content, delivery, and assignments Don’t let your class become static from semester to semester

Get Involved with the Department It is often difficult for part time faculty to be involved beyond the classroom, but try to be engaged Be an active part of SLO assessment and offer suggestions if you have any Give feedback on the curriculum and make suggestions for possible changes Attend department meetings if you are able. When you are visible, you will get a better sense of what it is like to be a full time faculty member Attend flex activities and committee meetings if you are able. Be visible.

Service Outside of the Department Some colleges welcome the participation of part time faculty as members of groups like the academic senate – some even offer compensation Whether you are able to be an official committee member or not, meetings like the academic senate are open and a great place to learn about the college and how college governance works Questions about committee work or governance could be part of your full time interview!

Compensation While compensation is a union issue, it may be difficult for part time faculty to participate in department activities or committee meetings without compensation Realistically, many part time faculty have to work at two or more campuses to pay their bills and the class times that are available are often when meetings occur If there is monetary compensation available, participating in these activities may be a bigger challenge because you could be competing against several other candidates Make the decision that works best for you. You can make it clear that you want to be involved, but that you have a conflict.

Professional Development As academics, we are always trying to learn Look for professional development opportunities in your discipline or around teaching Many colleges offer opportunities to attend conferences to part time faculty – make sure to let your dean know that you would be interested Whether you are seeking to be a full time faculty member or want to stay part time, we all have things that we can do better!

Summary Try to engage with the department chair and other faculty as quickly as possible Expand the number of courses that you have taught. Don’t let yourself be the instructor that teaches “that class” Get involved on campus Seek out opportunities to improve yourself

Thank You for Coming Do you have any questions?