Submitted by Al Owen, Coordinator of NU's Adjunct Academy
Maybe the following short scenario will help answer that question.
"BUT, BUT, BUT, PROFESSOR, THE INSTRUCTOR WE HAD LAST MONTH LET'S OUT AT _________."
(you fill in the time)
Is this a frequent reply you hear the first night of class when you inform your students that your class will be meeting for the full four and half hours each session?
Is there any truth in your students lament? Yes and no. Probably NO as to the exaggerated time your students told you. But also probably YES. Yes, because you know there are instances when you are leaving your NU Center at 10:00 PM and the parking lot is very desolate.
Is "early dismissal" a concern of NU's adjunct faculty? From information gathered by the members of NU's Adjunct Academy from NU's adjunct faculty "early dismissal" is not a concern. What NU's adjunct faculty has shared though, is: "We would like help in learning better ways of making each four and half hour session more engaging for our students."
A little background first: Did you know that National University has a contract with every student to provide 45 contact hours for undergraduate students and 40 contact hours for graduate students each and every month? And, are you aware those contact hours are an integral part of National University's continued accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)? Student contact hours are the basis for National University being a university of value.
Section IV of the soon-to-be-released Adjunct Handbook focuses on how to enhance your nightly classes. Appendices A and B of the Handbook provide specific and well-tested techniques for making all four and half hours of your classes engaging. Here are some excerpts from Appendix B of the Handbook:
STRUCTURING THE 4.5 HOUR CLASS
First 75 minutesDinner Break – 30 minutes
Second 75 minutes
Break – 15 minutes
Third 75 minutes
Additionally, the Adjunct Academy members are addressing this request and other requests for support at each NU Center in a variety of ways and on an individual basis in conjunction with the Centers' Lead Faculty.
