Dept chair being unreasonable with adjunct?

[hester]

Hi,

  Funny you mentioned culture at college.
Every interaction I had with staff on campus was less than pleasant.

There were emails from fac Senate about bad morale and everyone hating each other.

  The students in this class did not perform well and the few complaints stated I was ruining their 4.0 gpa.

Wearing earbuds and texting in a class the entire time, bombing tests does not warrant a 4.0 gpa.

I think there is a very bad culture from top to bottom there.

It's interesting how bad morale impacts students morale.

Just my observation

[Ruralguy]

I doubt students are wearing earbuds and complaining about grades because some faculty are at odds.
If you were staying, you could see how common these behaviors are at your college, but at this point it only matters as a comparison. As you teach elsewhere you may want to see if you need to adjust your teaching methods.

[hester]

I think some faculty give grades away as  passive aggressive behavior.

Students accustomed to solid A's and yes wearing earbuds. I consider myself an easy grader.

My overall point being is how bad faculty morale spills down to students.

That's all.

Thanks

[the_geneticist]

Hello,

  Taught a class as a last minute hire. Dept chair gave me vibe they didn't want to hire me and ran ads for my replacement throughout term.
Term ends a few students don't like grades and appeal.
I was essentially fired (been replaced) yet I'm being expected to go through appeal process.

In your opinion, at what point does contractual obligation end.

I'm not sure if I'll even have a college email much longer.

Thanks for feedback.

The Chair can handle any grade appeals without you.  No need to be available

[Ruralguy]

Yes, a brief conversation or nothing at all is most likely. Dont sweat it. Sorry that your faculty has issues and that students are a bit inattentive. Its very common even among the most popular professors who also teach them a lot.
You just have to try to involve them more, but even so, some will still try to ignore you.

[Caracal]

Thanks for the feedback. The replies are what I expected. It makes one wonder the role of an adjunct has on campus. We really shouldn't be communicating with students if we are no longer teaching or in adjunct limbo ( still have an email but no courses).
Requests about grades and LOR's should be limited.




In closing, a fair amount of cynicism does help to protect ourselves while adjuncting.

Thanks again for the support!

Some cynicism is helpful, too much and you're going to end up killing your own morale and hurt your chances of future employment. There's a tricky balancing act here, because you are absolutely right that there's always a danger of being taken advantage of. Here's how I think of some of the things you mentioned.

1. I agree completely about grade appeals. I would write the chair a shortish email explaining the situation with the student appeal and including any relevant documentation and email correspondence you can easily get ahold of. In that email just make clear in a polite way that you don't have time to be involved further in the appeal process.

2. LOR are a bit different. You definitely are not required to write letters. However, I think of this as a sort of professional obligation to students that goes beyond employment. Retired instructors write letters. It is completely normal for people to write letters for students at a previous institution after they have gotten a new job. If you actually don't have time to write the letters, or you are getting flooded with requests, by all means start saying no, but if its just a letter here and there for a student at a former institution and you can do it, I think you should.

[fizzycist]

If you are an adjunct and only taught one semester, I don't see any obligation to write letters of rec. It's hard to imagine a scenario where a student has absolutely nobody else to go to for a letter besides an adjunct who they took a single class with. And how much substance could really be in the letter anyway? Dept chairs, undergrad advisors, and TT faculty can easily pick up these responsibilities.

Of course if there are a couple students you had a strong connection with and you want to help them out then by all means go for it.

[jerseyjay]

I am not sure what "obligation" a former adjunct has to write letters of rec, but that's because I don't think it is very likely that somebody who taught one semester at a school, and apparently did not really fit in (for whatever reason) is going to get a lot of requests to write letters.

I taught intro level courses as an adjunct at a school for four years and never got one request. Mainly, I think, because students ask professors they are more familiar with and who teach courses in their major. I teach full-time and get several requests per semester, mainly because I teach upper-level courses, and often have had students in multiple courses over two or three years. Still, the students in my introductory courses almost never ask for letters (until they become students in my upper-level courses).

To be honest, if you've taught as an adjunct for one semester, assuming there was no major scandal, by this time next year nobody's going to remember you. That's the nature of being an adjunct.

[Wahoo Redux]

I did get requests for letters as an adjunct and as a NTT, probably because I taught smaller classes and I was friendly with the students.  Very few students even know that there are "adjuncts," "lecturers," "VAPs," or whatever----everyone is just "professor" to them. 

I never had a problem with writing letters, even when off the clock.  Letters don't take very much time and I always figured I was just doing a nice young person a favor. 

[Ruralguy]

i think they are aware that some professors are part time/short term appointments, but I precise titles, and how that's really different from tenure track, no, they don't really know or care unless they've been studying academia for some reason (want to go to grad school in a small field, etc.) or maybe if a favorite prof. gets *denied* tenure, then some wake up to that (they do know what getting fired means).

[hester]

Very valid points about LORs.

I do agree adjuncts have a reasonable obligation to write them.

  Getting back to main point of this thread. How much work is an adjunct obligated to do after semester ends and it's clear they are not invited back to teach.

  Some Dept chairs really have an abusive view of adjuncts.
  As of today, I'm still helping students with grade appeals I e processing the forms. Yet, dept won't acknowledge my request of what their obligations are of me if I'm no longer teaching. Am I expected to sit through appeal hearings?

It makes me appreciate the dean's / chairs who are easy to develop working relationships with.

Thanks

[Ruralguy]

I think we've pretty clearly stated that your "obligations" are pretty much "none," other than
perhaps supplying your dept. chair with, say, specific graded papers, if they exist, and only if you have them.
But even in that regard, you would only do so if asked, and the chances you'll be asked are small.
You will almost certainly not be asked to be in person at a hearing. In fact, for grade appeals, my school doesn't even do an in person hearing at all, though that wording might be used in documentation. Basically, the student explains why he/she thinks the grade is unfair, and provides evidence if there is any. The Dean who receives this then goes to the Chair, and Chair looks at evidence and sees if anything has merit. If so, then there's an attempt to re-grade or whatever.  The dean would also ask the original professor for some sort of rebuttal or acquiese to new grade.

[hester]

Thanks all.

Part of this was a bit venting but mostly seeking guidance.

  I really appreciate all of you taking the time !

[the_geneticist]

Very valid points about LORs.

I do agree adjuncts have a reasonable obligation to write them.

  Getting back to main point of this thread. How much work is an adjunct obligated to do after semester ends and it's clear they are not invited back to teach.

  Some Dept chairs really have an abusive view of adjuncts.
  As of today, I'm still helping students with grade appeals I e processing the forms. Yet, dept won't acknowledge my request of what their obligations are of me if I'm no longer teaching. Am I expected to sit through appeal hearings?

It makes me appreciate the dean's / chairs who are easy to develop working relationships with.

Thanks

No need to participate more than you've already done.  A grade appeal isn't a legal trial, you have no obligation to appear.

[Ruralguy]

Also, why are you helping the students? if you think that in the end they are correct, just change the grade yourself.