Professional Development

Throughout the year, the department, UW, and the university offer trainings and workshops on various aspects of teaching. Watch your email for training and workshop announcements. Two trainings that happen regularly are the following:

• The Biennial Adjunct Faculty Conference: Every even year during winter semester, UW hosts the Biennial Adjunct Faculty Conference—a conference where adjunct faculty present their best ideas and practices for teaching writing to their fellow adjunct faculty. Plan on attending and presenting when you can!
• Adjunct Faculty Seminar: At the end of each winter semester, the Faculty Center hosts the Adjunct Faculty Seminar. Adjunct faculty can attend various presentations by campus members on topics related to being a successful instructor at BYU.

One of the best ways to improve your teaching and/or your students’ classroom experience is to work with a Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) consultant. They can give you one-on-one help by

• observing you in the classroom and giving feedback
• providing resources and training on pedagogical theory and practice
• helping you integrate and use technology into your class
• reviewing your syllabus and LMS materials to evaluate their effectiveness—and more!

For more information or to contact the College of Humanities’ consultant, visit the CTL website (ctl.byu.edu/improve-teaching-learning).

Many adjunct faculty teach more than one course—they like variety and how variety can help create a good teaching schedule, giving the department and UW more options when assigning courses.

Keep in mind that training to teach a course does not mean you’ll automatically be assigned to teach that course. Who gets to teach what is all about supply and demand.

Fortunately, any course training will help you improve the current course(s) you teach. You’ll observe other teachers in action and get new ideas. You’ll also get a better sense of how courses work together to help students develop as thinkers, writers, and communicators.

Generally, you are not paid to train to teach a new course. However, if you are asked to train to teach a new course in a short amount of time, you will receive a small stipend.

ENGL Course Training

When additional instructors are needed for an ENGL course, the department will post a job opening. The strongest candidate will be selected based on qualifications, experience, and faculty recommendation. If you are selected, you are required to complete a short mentoring experience.

To remain eligible to teach the course in the future, you must teach that course at least once every 11 months. If you’re interested in teaching an ENGL course, you can reach out to the course’s coordinator or contact the member of the DEC responsible for adjunct faculty relations for more information.

WRTG Course Training

Training to teach a WRTG course is similar to how you train to teach an ENGL course. However, because adjunct faculty teach the majority of WRTG courses, there are more opportunities to train for and teach a variety of classes.

How to train to teach a new course

1. Successfully teach at least two semesters of WRTG 150.
2. Review WRTG course descriptions and course syllabi (syllabus.byu.edu) to decide which advanced writing courses best match your expertise, experience, and interests.
3. Contact UW’s associate coordinator to let them know you’re interested in training to teach the course. They will connect you with the course coordinator, who will direct your training. The course training typically includes the following tasks:
   
   • Read the course’s assigned readings.
   • Create a course syllabus.
   • Ask the course coordinator to review your syllabus, revising it until the coordinator approves it.
   • Attend a one-hour seminar about the course that’s part of ENGL 611: Teaching Advanced Composition (only taught fall semester). 
   • Observe the course for six hours. (The course coordinator will provide the names of experienced instructors for you to observe.)

4. When you have completed the course training, let the department business manager know you have trained to teach a new course, so they can add it to your teaching profile.

Apply to teach the course when there’s an opening (https://hrs.byu.edu/job-seekers). Openings are also announced via email. (University policy requires you to apply to teach any class that you were not originally hired to teach.)

If you like to help plan events, problem solve, and chat with people within the department and UW and all over BYU, you may be invited to serve as the adjunct faculty liaison. Typically, the adjunct faculty liaison serves for three years and receives a stipend for their work.

The adjunct faculty liaison is typically someone who

• has taught at BYU for at least five years,
• teaches at least one course each fall and winter semester,
• participates regularly in trainings and activities,
• is responsible and innovative,
• receives excellent student ratings and annual reviews, and
• can serve as adjunct faculty liaison for three years.

Responsibilities include

• Meeting regularly with a DEC associate chair to discuss policies and procedures
• planning trainings with the department and/or UW
• serving as a resource for new and continuing adjunct faculty
• gathering and relaying information from adjunct faculty to the department and/or UW
• updating the adjunct faculty handbook
• managing the adjunct faculty peer observation program

Working as visiting faculty gives adjunct faculty the opportunity to work full-time for BYU for up to three years, earning all the benefits that come with full-time employment: health and dental insurance, 401k, and spouse and dependents tuition benefit.

How visiting faculty positions work

• When full-time continuing-faculty-status (BYU’s version of tenure) faculty positions open, the department invites adjunct faculty to apply as visiting faculty. Visiting faculty candidates are only considered when no one is hired to fill the position. 
• Visiting faculty work on a one-year contract that can be renewed twice for a total of three years. After teaching for a total of three years as visiting faculty, adjunct faculty are no longer eligible to work as visiting faculty.
• Visiting faculty teach WRTG courses and lower-level ENGL courses; faculty with master's degrees teach a 4-4-1 schedule and faculty with PhDs teach a 4-3-1 schedule; visiting faculty have no scholarship or citizenship responsibilities. 

Reading professional books and articles keeps the brain percolating! Each calendar year you have $200 to spend on work-related books, journal subscriptions, memberships, creative writing submission fees, and some tech (like PowerPoint clickers, microphones, webcams). You may also apply this $200 toward conference travel.

How to spend your materials stipend

• Send request to english@byu.edu with a link to the item you’d like the department to purchase with your stipend and a one-sentence explanation of why it needs to be purchased. Include relevant course number(s). (The explanation is for the BYU auditors.)
• Wait for approval—and wait for the office staff to order an item or pay for a subscription or submission fee. The office may have you check out a BYU purchasing card to make the purchase. BYU does not reimburse personal purchases.

Two things to keep in mind—

• If an item is for your office, like a webcam, check with the department’s business manager to see if it’s an item that the department generally provides. 
• Stipends do not accrue year after year, so be sure to take full advantage of the money every calendar year.

One of the best ways to maintain your excitement for the classroom is to regularly attend and present at conferences, contributing to conversations about teaching and learning from content experts and your peers.

Each calendar year you have $1000 (or $2000 every other year) to use to travel to and attend conferences that you present at (remember, stipends do not accrue year after year).

However, one conference is an exception: the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). You can use your travel stipend to attend to attend CCCC, even if you’re not presenting! Watch your inbox in December for an email asking if you plan to attend the conference.

To request travel funding, go to the department’s website > Faculty Commons > Travel Request.

When your request has been approved, you’ll receive instructions for registering and booking your travel. Do not make any travel arrangements until you’re approved!

Conferences to Check Out

• Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW)
• Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)
• Feminisms and Rhetoric (every odd year)
• Modern Language Association (MLA)
• Rocky Mountain MLA (a more affordable option and just as good!)
• National Communication Association (NCA)
• National Council of Teachers of English 
• Popular Culture Association

Every year the department and/or UW hold events to bring together faculty and adjunct faculty or just adjunct faculty. These events help foster a community and help both faculty and adjunct faculty make connections and promote learning, even when it’s just a social occasion!

• English Department Fall Social: Every September, the department invites current and past full-time and adjunct faculty to a catered dinner at a local park—spouses and children are invited too! It’s a great opportunity to get to know each other and have good conversations. Watch your email for an invitation—we hope you say yes!
• English Department Christmas Luncheon: The department celebrates the end of the semester and Christmas with a luncheon for all full-time and adjunct faculty on the fall semester’s “Exam Preparation Day.” It’s a good time-–great food and the opportunity to meet new people and catch up with friends! Please come!
• English Symposium: Each March the department hosts a themed symposium for students to present their research and writing. It’s a great opportunity to find out what faculty and students are working on in the classroom. More information about the symposium can be found here: englishsymposium.byu.edu.
• Adjunct Faculty Awards Luncheon: At the end of winter semester, the department and UW host a luncheon to celebrate our hard work with good food, good company, and awards given to outstanding adjunct faculty members. Plan on attending—it’s one of the best days of the year!