Adjunct Instructor, Psychology

Job Summary Adjunct Faculty are professional educators who work on a limited basis and have the primary responsibility of fulfilling the Texas Southmost College’s (TSC) mission, vision, values and goals of providing a quality education for all students enrolled at the College.

The relationship of the adjunct faculty member to the student is one of leader, teacher, advisor, and facilitator of learning.

Adjunct Faculty members are responsible to the College President through a chain of command and accountable to the College’s policies and procedures.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities Categories below constitute the expectations for the adjunct faculty member. These responsibilities will be assessed utilizing student evaluations, classroom observations and the supervisor’s formative and summative evaluations.

• Strive for continual improvement of student success by planning an optimal learning environment; providing high quality instruction and advising;
• participating in the development of learning outcomes and in the assessment of students as well as of self and applied teaching techniques in order to increase effectiveness;

and engaging in ongoing professional development.

• Manage learning environments by ensuring that accurate syllabi are developed that incorporate departmental, college and instructor requirements;
• maintaining attendance records, submitting grades, and providing constructive feedback as well as other relevant information to students throughout the semester;

and conducting classes punctually and in accordance with the prescribed meeting schedule.

• Deliver effective instruction by assuming primary responsibility for curriculum development in conjunction with the College’s policies and procedures, ensuring both rigor and the quality of instruction;
• by considering individual differences of students in order to design and support a range of appropriate learning activities;

by using the College’s digital learning solution to meet the objectives of courses; and by communicating clearly to students the expectations concerning the use of the College’s digital learning solution and other available technologies.

• Enhance the student’s learning experience by integrating concrete, real-life situations into learning experiences to encourage critical thinking, interdisciplinary skills and teamwork;
• by employing methods that develop student understanding of discipline-specific thinking, practices and procedures, as well as interdisciplinary applications, to create academic literacy;

and by working with students and employers in occupational settings as required by or appropriate to the academic discipline.

• Collaborate with colleagues across the College in the construction and continuous improvement of measurable learning outcomes to include the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) core curriculum objectives and additional Texas Southmost College’s objectives.
• Assess student learning by designing assessments that measure or demonstrate student growth; by sequencing learning opportunities throughout advising, courses and programs to build student understanding and knowledge;

and by aligning assessment with learning opportunities.

• Promote continual improvement as part of the cycle of teaching and learning by developing and revising curriculum as needed and using defined student learning outcomes to plan, develop, document and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching activities.
• Support TSC’s institutional effectiveness program by understanding the preparation and evaluations of Student Outcomes Assessment Plans (SOAPs);
• completing all mandatory performance evaluation measures within specified time limits; sharing best practices with colleagues in formal and informal settings;

and striving toward improved educational effectiveness.

• Support learning through student engagement by creating a positive classroom atmosphere that encourages active and collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student and faculty interaction, and support for learners.
• Maintain a learning-centered environment by being available to students during the designated work period.
• Support student learning by making students aware of and referring them to the appropriate student and academic support services available at the College.
• Pursue professional development by taking graduate courses or internal classes offered by the College or professional development organizations, as appropriate and by maintaining required professional credentials, licensing, and continuing education hours as disciplinary standards dictate.
• Participate collegially in discipline-specific activities developed for adjunct faculty, as appropriate.
• Handle sensitive and extensive confidential information.
• Attend the workplace regularly, reports to work punctually and follows a work schedule to keep up with the demands of the worksite.
• Complete duties and responsibilities in compliance with college standards, policies and guidelines.
• Promote positive morale and teamwork within the functional unit and provides exceptional customer service to students, faculty and the community.
• Use interpersonal skills and makes sound judgments to decide how duties and responsibilities are completed between coworkers, the supervisory chain, faculty, staff, students, and customers.
• Complete all required training and professional development sessions sponsored by Texas Southmost College (TSC).
• Support the values and institutional goals as defined in the College’s Strategic Plan.
• Assist with the process for systematic review and evaluation of the planning unit per the model adopted by the College, including the development and monitoring of outcomes and plans of action for improvement based on the assessment of those outcomes and plans.
• Working hours may include evenings, holidays or weekends depending on deadline requirements and special events.
• Perform duties and responsibilities within a high-tech all-digital environment.
• Perform other duties as assigned. Required Knowledge and Skills To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required.

• Strong, demonstrated commitment to the mission of the community college.
• Strong, demonstrated commitment to quality teaching, student success and student completion.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the academic and instructional functions of the College.
• Demonstrated knowledge of curriculum development, assessment and revision.
• Demonstrated knowledge in developing and monitoring student learning outcomes and student assessment strategies.
• General knowledge of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
• Skill in working effectively in a team environment with a customer service focus.
• Ability to use technology in the teaching and learning process.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive and effective working relationships with students, college employees and the public.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions;

and effectively present information.

• Demonstrated excellent communication, interpersonal and leadership skills and ability to work independently.
• Ability to grasp concepts and procedures quickly.
• Strong detail orientation and ability to multi-task with little direct supervision.
• Ability to work under pressure with multiple interruptions and meet deadlines.
• Cooperation team player in a diverse working environment.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, customer-service oriented collaborative team environment.
• Ability to handle sensitive and extensive confidential data.
• Problem solving skills and the ability to lead, instruct, handle a large variety of details and to work with all levels of the organization.
• Proficient in the use of the Internet to access data, maintain records, generate reports, and communicate with others. Required Education and Experience To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The requirements listed below are representative of the education required.

Master’s degree in Psychology OR a Master’s degree with eighteen (18) graduate hours in Psychology; OR a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, or Counseling Psychology with eighteen (18) graduate hours in Psychology from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Teaching experience in a comprehensive community college setting.
• Experience in enhancing the student’s learning experience by integrating a variety of methods and strategies into the teaching process and maintaining a learning-centered environment.
• Experience in collaborating with colleagues across the College in the construction and continuous improvement of measurable learning outcomes.

Certificates and Licensures None required. Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand.

The employee is occasionally required to walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms;

climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must frequently lift and / or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and / or move up to 25 pounds.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and is occasionally exposed to risk of electrical shock.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.