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[adjunctannie]

Hi,

I am an adjunct who was just told, very kindly, that I did very well in the interview, but was not selected to move on to the next stage of the process. My information was not forwarded to the administrators for further consideration, and it is unlikely that I will get this position.

I would like more feedback on the process in order to position myself better for the next round of hiring, but I am not sure if I should approach members in the department for more information. After all it is the chairman's job to give people bad news, and he has done it. That's why he gets paid the big bucks!

I have been teaching in this department for 4 years, and am a valued adjunct. I teach majors classes and they want me to continue to do that. They "like the way I have been modifying my teaching and want to see me become more comfortable in that."

I am sure that I can continue to work with this school for as long as I want, and I supplement my income with other schools. I do OK financially and am earning a year of retirement each year. I am in a stable place, and I like that.

How would you feel about someone approaching you for more feedback?

[kamiakin]

This is a reasonable and frequently asked question here. But the unsatisfactory answer is that you will not get any feedback and should not ask.

[untenured]

Normally the answer would be not to bother contacting the chair.  However, you are currently employed at this institution.  Assuming you have a good relationship with the Chair, you should be able to inquire casually about your application.  Don't expect much enlightening information, as the Chair has little to gain from this exercise.

I cannot say for sure, but it sounds like that the school is taking you for granted.  They probably see you as an adjunct and nothing more.  You fill a need.  You fill it cheaply.  The outside candidate is inherently more attractive.  Why buy the cow (you, full-time) when they can get your the milk (your labor) for cheap?

Another factor is your CV.  How is your publication record?  If you are not a robust researcher, that could kill your application at many schools. 

This happened to me long ago.  I taught as an adjunct at a SLACish college.  I gave those students my all.  I so badly wanted to teach full-time there, and let it be known.  Over the years I built up a growing CV.

Interest = zero.

So, I looked elsewhere, found a full-time gig at a roughly equal school, and then moved to a higher-paying and lower teaching-load R1.  If SLACish college came calling now, I'd tell them no thanks.

Untenured

[dr_mcmom]

AdjAnn,

First - Welcome to the fora :)

I don't know what the practice is for adjuncts, but for tt, peer review of teaching is part of the annual eval process.  those who receive poor evals (or those who simply want to improve) seek additional guidance from the outsiders who specializes in pedagogy.  

You might want to approach the chair and indicate that you appreciate the feedback, wondered if they would feel comfortable about providing more explicit feedback - making it clear it is to help you improve in your teaching because you care about providing students with an enriching learning experience, not because you wonder why you didn't get the job.  

Then DO go and take as many of these trainings/workshops as you can reasonably handle.  If you can't make time in your schedule (it sounds like your plate is full), then ask one of the best teachers in the program if they have time and inclination to help you by coming to watch you lecture.  

I hope this helps.  Too bad about the job, but you sound like you're in a comfortable position and are willing to stretch a bit to learn some more.

Best wishes to you!

[goldenapple]

You might get a more useful response if you wait. For instance, if you approach the chair in the fall to discuss your progress. It's perfectly reasonable to ask, "What areas do you think I could strengthen? I realize that I wasn't as strong a candidate as I could have been last year. Do you think I should be participating in more pedagogy workshops? Or do you think it would be wiser to focus on my publishing?"

Now, it is possible that you won't get the real answer to your question. It could be that some of your current colleagues want someone who is a different combination of qualities. There are some things you can't control. But given that you intend to keep working at this place, it's reasonable to ask how you can do your job better and make your work more valued.

[untenured]

I agree.  That's a smarter way to approach the problem.

Ask around discreetly.  How many full-time, tenure-track faculty were former adjuncts?

Untenured