Category Archives: #AdjunctChat

Course Evaluations and Adjunct Teaching: #AdjunctChat

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I’m guest hosting #AdjunctChat again this week (3/18)! Join in on Tuesday at 4pmET.

End-of-term student evaluations are a common way to ask students for feedback at the course level. The format has changed, at many colleges and universities, from paper and pencil questionnaires to online forms.

As an online adjunct instructor at two universities, I’ve had trouble accessing evaluation results in the past. It can take a long time for the completed forms to be tabulated and distributed to the instructor, and there is often a low response rate. But recently, and quite coincidentally, I received notification from each of my institutions letting me know about new systems that allow me to log in and retrieve all of my past evaluations.

Having access to the information is just the start. Now to figure out how the feedback can be put to practical use. From course revision to future job applications, there are many possibilities. For this week’s #AdjunctChat, we’ll use the following questions to guide the discussion:

  • What role do student evaluations play in your adjunct teaching?
  • When, how do you receive formal feedback from your students?
  • Do you have any specific examples of how these evaluations have been a benefit to you?
  • Do you conduct your own course evaluations?
  • What are your suggestions for improving the process for adjunct instructors?

Related resources:

How Do Course Evaluations Affect Adjunct Teaching?

Developing and Evaluating Adjunct Faculty

Explore Alternatives for Online Course Evaluation

What would you like to cover during this chat? Please add your ideas and questions to the comments area below, and plan to join us on Tuesday, March 18th at 4pmET! All are welcome.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who participated in this conversation! If you missed the session, the AdjunctChat site will post a transcript and a Storify version is linked below.

[View the story “#AdjunctChat – Course Evaluations and Adjunct Teaching” on Storify]

Adjuncts and Academic Blogging: #AdjunctChat

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academic bloggingI’m excited to be guest moderating #AdjunctChat this week! This weekly Twitter conversation takes place on Tuesday at 4:00pm ET.

As a full-time education writer (a.k.a. blogger) and an adjunct online instructor, my interest in this topic is close to home. Blogging platforms (e.g., WordPress, Blogger, EduBlogs) offer the opportunity for an individual to be heard, to share a perspective based on his or her unique combination of experiences, context, and areas of interest. And many academics have turned to blogging, as an alternative form of publication, to do just that.

Blogging can be, well, whatever the writer wants it to be. Consider the possibilities for:

  • Developing an online presence
  • Sharing practical experience and advice
  • Disseminating research results
  • Connecting with students
  • Collaborating with colleagues
  • Exploring professional development
  • Developing a portfolio

These questions will guide the chat:

  • Is there a value to blogging?
  • How can and adjunct faculty member add his or her voice without adding to the noise?
  • What cautions should adjunct bloggers be aware of?
  • What are your favorite adjunct resource blogs?
  • Do you blog? Share your link(s)!

If you are interested in finding out more about how students, faculty, and administrators in higher education are creating blog content, you can visit my ongoing collection of related articles via Scoop.it, and a related conference presentation: All about Blogs: Universal Tool of the Digital Academic.

What would you like to cover during this chat? Add your ideas and questions to the comments area below.

Please join us on Tuesday, January 28th at 4pm ET! All are welcome.

UPDATE: Thanks to all participants for their enthusiasm for this topic. A long list of ideas, experiences, and further questions were shared. The group took the chat in a helpful direction with a discussion about the use of blogs with students and in a class setting. The AdjunctChat site will post a transcript and a Storify version is linked below.

[View the story “#AdjunctChat – Adjuncts and Academic Blogging” on Storify]

Image credit: Travelin’ Librarian, Flickr, CC:BY-NC-SA