Tips for the new Social Work Adjunct Instructor
In my role as the Director of our undergraduate social work program this summer, I have been onboarding several new adjunct instructors to our Department. It is a fun process as new adjuncts bring new ideas and energy to the role, and I have been reminded of my early days in social work education as an adjunct instructor. I taught statistics to social work students for four years while working on my Ph.D. I often think back to that experience as my boot camp for my career as an academic in social work education. One of my teaching mantras is “if I can teach stats, I can teach anything.” If you are unsure that you want to be an adjunct instructor, please read this post by my colleague, Dr. Trish Desrosier, at Western Kentucky University, who will explain why you might want to teach a class for your local social work program. If you already have a new adjunct teaching position, congratulations and welcome! In this post, I write about a list of tips I share with our new social work adjuncts based on my experiences and their questions.
Collect the key course materials as soon as you can. Start by getting a copy of the course syllabus as soon as possible, along with the textbook and other materials such as PowerPoint slides, lecture notes, and handouts. This includes digital content from the institution’s learning management system. The syllabus is your road map for the course, and the other content will make the ride through the semester smooth.
Learn your boundaries as a social work educator. One of the best pieces of advice I got as a new adjunct instructor was to stick to the role – that is, the job of an adjunct instructor is to focus on helping students to learn the course content, not being their social worker. College students have needs like everyone else – mental health concerns, food insecurity, etc. Most institutions have resources to support students, such as a counseling center, food pantry, and financial aid. Learn about these resources and how to refer students. I also recommend you learn about FERPA – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which grants students privacy and rights over their educational records.
Learn about the teaching resources available at the institution. Most institutions have a Center for Teaching and Learning, IT support services, an office of student disability services, and many other resources to support you as an adjunct instructor. In addition, ask about what resources are available to you within the social work program and across the campus.
Contextualize your course within the Social Work Program. While you are responsible for just one social work course, your students are taking a series of courses across an entire curriculum. Therefore, spend some time learning where your course falls within the overall program, what courses students take before and after your course, and especially when they will be in their field practicums. This will help you and the students connect the knowledge, values, and skills needed for your class to other courses and their field placements. Start by reading a copy of the Student Handbook and reviewing the one student catalog for your institution. I also recommend new faculty review the most recent edition of the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, which outlines the social work competencies we strive to teach our students in the United States.
Plan for communication. You probably have a full-time job or do other things outside of teaching as an adjunct. Spend time thinking about when and how you plan to respond to student questions and concerns. Email is a very common means of communication between students and their professors, but there is also texting and phone calls. Share with your students your preferred mode of communication and when they might expect a response (i.e., within 24 hours, etc.). For texting and phone calls, I recommend that instructors get a Google Voice number to share with students. I use my Google Voice number to text with students. You will also want to set up boundaries for when students can text – read more about how to do that here.
Finally, bring your practice experience and knowledge to the classroom. One of the reasons that students like learning from an adjunct instructor is because of the current and real-world examples that you bring to the classroom. Find ways to incorporate your practice experiences into your lectures and classroom discussions, and write case studies to help your students think through how to work through the change process and ethical considerations.
These are just a few tips for new social work adjunct instructors. There are many more out there. As a new adjunct instructor, what are your questions? If you have been teaching for a while, what is your best tip for someone new to teaching in social work?
How to cite:
Hitchcock, L.I. (2022, August 25). Tips for the new Social Work Adjunct Instructor. Teaching and Learning in Social Work. https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2022/08/25/tips-for-the-new-social-work-adjunct-instructor
