Category: Career Preparation

“Managing course grading and student feedback is typically ‘included in the hourly teaching rate.’ However students are increasingly asking for precise feedback on their grades.

This is understandable, but giving unique and specific feedback for each student on each assignment is very time consuming and there is not enough time in class.

If students want personalized teacher feedback, and universities want teachers to improve student satisfaction, then universities need to add a payroll component that reflects this extra work.”

– Teacher

“Teachers must design a more detailed syllabus which clearly sets expectations, explains course prerequisites, project expectations, submission deadlines and grading. Each syllabus must also include a more in-depth teacher profile so we students can research them.

Universities must take greater control over the course content; content should not be solely at the teacher’s discretion.

Universities need to make the course program and syllabuses more readily available to us students at the beginning of the year.”

– Student

“Adjunct teachers are not considered ’employees’ nor part of the internal organization and as such, the internal procedures sometimes seem strange to us, cumbersome and above all not within our control.

Universities should offer teachers teaching assistants to provide administrative support; someone who knows the ‘house’.”

– Teacher

“Universities need to incorporate teacher recognition. For example, every semester let students vote for their ‘favorite teacher.’ Teaching can be a thankless job.”

– Teacher

“Adjunct teachers have similar to superior education and professional experience than full-time teachers yet aren’t offered the same amount of time and compensation to prepare for courses, to grade projects or to create educational content.

Offer adjunct teachers fixed-term contracts with a decent monthly salary as well as the perks that come along with it.”

– Teacher

“Universities must hire teachers who are actually interested in teaching us students and are not just here for the money.”

– Student

“Universities must create events to bring teachers and students together outside of class.

University and teachers must organize more inter-class projects so we can work with new students and not always only with students in our own class.“

– Student

“Universities must align teachers’ hourly rates within schools of the same group. There’s no reason teachers should be paid less to teach the same course at a different campus from the same school.

And improve the slow, unreliable remuneration and of independent teachers. Treat teachers humanely and pay them on time : Payment within 30 days after service should be performed like all other private clients.”

– Teacher

“I have seen fellow adjunct teacher’s contracts abruptly broken and the teacher replaced in the middle of the semester with no due process.

Falling out with one program director at a university likely means losing teaching opportunities with the entire university for at least the next couple of years, if not forever.”

– Teacher