Expectations for Faculty

 

Peter Ross

Thank you for your interest in teaching in CMU’s off-campus programs. You have joined a population of over 1,200 adjunct faculty who serve our students at over 60 locations in the USA, Canada, Mexico and online. Here at ProfEd, we pride ourselves on excellent administrative service to our students – from the first time they contact CMU to the successful completion of their program, and beyond. But we also recognize and appreciate that the most lasting impact on students will be their experiences with you, their instructors.

 

You are the faces and voices of CMU. In your classrooms and online course sites, you will guide your students through an exciting and challenging learning experience. Many of your students will be balancing family, career, and personal commitments; all while seeking to better themselves through education. We trust that their time with you will be of great personal and professional reward, and we hope that you find equal benefit from your students.

 

To help you prepare for your role as an instructor in CMU’s off-campus programs, we have developed a comprehensive set of orientation materials. These orientation materials provide an overview of our expectations for you, along with the support services available at each step of your course planning and delivery. In addition, I’d like to offer some general thoughts for you to keep in mind:

 

  1. Communication is critical to our success: ensure your students know your expectations; be timely and clear in your feedback; and let us know when you have questions or face challenges.
  2. Plan ahead for your course: your syllabus, textbook order, and equipment requests should be submitted well in advance of your course start date; also keep in mind any possible conflicts with your course delivery, such as your work travel or other work schedules, and prepare in advance to develop mechanisms through which to still be available to your students (or at the very least inform them when you know you will not be available).
  3. Take the time to understand your students: their approach to your subject, motivations for education, and their different learning styles.
  4. Consider how your course fits into the larger degree program of which it is a part: talk to your Program Director and other faculty about the program and how your course supports overall learning objectives. If your course is part of a cohort sequence, connect with the instructors who teach before and after you.
  5. Remember that you are part of a team: just as we are here to support you, you are also a vital component of CMU’s mission and vision
  6. We expect you will review the following orientation information carefully and strive to work effectively as one of our team members.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Academic Programs office at any time. We may be reached at (989) 774-6489 or (800) 950-1144 ext. 6489.

Pete Ross, Ph.D.

Associate Vice President/Academic Programs

 

 

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