League Reaffirmation - Johnson County Community College

Adjunct Certification Training
JCCC offers all adjunct faculty members the opportunity to participate
in the Adjunct Certificate Training (ACT) program; more than 275
adjuncts have completed the program so far. The goal of ACT is to
provide adjunct faculty with tools and resources to assist them in
becoming more effective educators in the classroom.
Certification requires an adjunct faculty member to complete nine
required modules on topics such as assessment and test construction,
designing an effective syllabus, legal issues, classroom diversity issues,
classroom technology, teaching to the whole student, and instructional
design, and at least one optional module on subjects ranging from
teaching techniques and learning styles to strategies to reach students.
Participants are videotaped giving a lecture and then receive a critique
to help them improve their skills.
Upon completion of ACT, the adjunct faculty member should be
cognizant of the college’s mission, aware of policies and procedures of
the academic branch, comfortable in the college’s learning community,
and equipped with more resources to enhance student learning in the
classroom. Adjunct faculty who complete the program receive a
one­time stipend of $800.
Since 2002, JCCC has also provided an annual Semester Refresher
for adjuncts who have taught at the college for seven or more semesters.
These professional development sessions have included teaching and
learning strategies for the classroom, active classroom learning and
advice about crossing the frontier from adjunct faculty to full­time faculty.
“Adjunct Certification Training has given adjuncts at JCCC the
opportunity to participate in professional development activities
that help them develop teaching skills and techniques that will
engage their students in the learning process. ACT has proven
to be a very positive professional development experience for
participants; indeed, full­time faculty have asked if they can
attend these modules.”
– Dr. Joseph Gadberry, assistant dean, sciences
“The Adjunct
Certification
Training
program
offers
well ­constructed, meaningful
modules and great facilitators.
While the coursework is
precisely what new (and
experienced) faculty need, I
think the best part of the
program is the support and
camaraderie that develops
among the participants.
One of the biggest drawbacks
to adjunct status is the lack of
a feeling of community and
little access to peers. The ACT
program gives you a chance
to share ideas and create
solutions with those you
might otherwise never meet.”
– Leslie Quillen,
adjunct professor,
philosophy
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