Adjunct Faculty Guidebook
The Adjunct Faculty Guidebook is a general guide to administrative procedures and practices of the Department of Music (as well as various such practices of the College). The information in the Guidebook is subject to change without notice at any time, and may be modified in its application as deemed appropriate by the College to address the individual circumstances of any specific situation. Therefore, the Guidebook is not a contract and does not affect or supersede any term of your adjunct faculty contract.
3. Studio Scheduling, Student Management, and Lesson Administration
A large part--perhaps the biggest part--of administering our applied music program involves setting up mutually agreeable times and places for students and adjunct faculty to meet, and then keeping track of students’ lesson attendance once they have been assigned a teacher (dropping lessons, obtaining financial aid for lessons, etc., etc.). We urge all adjunct faculty to be as proactive as possible in this area of course administration. Adjunct faculty should keep accurate records on each student’s attendance and progress.
-
Before a Term Begins
Things that should happen before a term starts: Studio Assignments and Teaching Schedules
At the end of each term, adjunct faculty members will contact the DAA and determine their studio assignments and teaching timeframes for the upcoming term (e.g., Monday afternoons from 1:00-5:00 p.m. and Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). We will always try to honor faculty requests for particular teaching spaces, but studio assignments will be made based on anticipated enrollment and departmental needs.
During the sixth week (approximately) of each term, students register for courses for the following term. Once registration is complete, the DAA schedules lesson times for most adjunct faculty based on the teaching days and timeframes detailed in the previous paragraph. By the end of the term, adjunct faculty should receive a preliminary teaching schedule which lists specific times/days for each of their students. Adjunct faculty who schedule their own lesson times should provide the DAA with a copy of their teaching schedule as soon as possible, but most certainly by the first day of classes.
When students receive their Applied Music Lesson Form (requires Microsoft Word), the Information and Guidelines for Applied Music Study (requires Microsoft Word) is printed on the back. At the first lesson of each term, it is the responsibility of the instructor to distribute the “Information and Guidelines” which also includes Financial Aid information on the back. If adjunct faculty wish to convey any additional information to students (e.g., your own personal lesson policy, information about equipment or music suppliers, etc.), such information should be given to the DAA three weeks before the beginning of the term.
NOTE: Unless otherwise notified by the student, lessons may be scheduled during Common Time and Convocation [Music Schedule Form (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)]. If a student’s lesson with an instructor is scheduled during Common Time more than one time during the academic year, the student has the right to contact the instructor or the Department for a new lesson time. Notices regarding this policy will be posted at all teaching locations.
Once the teaching schedule has been set, the DAA will refer student requests for lesson time changes directly to the instructor. Unless specifically requested to do so, the DAA will not be involved in changes to the lesson schedule after it is initially set. If an instructor makes any such changes, however, s/he must send an updated copy of his/her teaching schedule to the DAA.
-
Things That Need To Happen During the First Two Weeks of the Term
3.2.1 Drop/Add Deadline
The deadline to drop or add a course without recourse to the "late drop" or "late add" is generally the end of the second week of the term (you may consult the academic calendar on the Carleton Registrar's web page for current dates and details). Dropping a course before the deadline has no effect on the student's class transcripts, whereas late drops are listed (though they do not affect the student's GPA).
Likewise, students are only allowed to add a course during the first two weeks of the term; lessons cannot be started anytime thereafter. Adjunct faculty should be aware that students will need signatures on Drop/Add cards at (or before) the Drop/Add deadline. Given that adjunct instructors are usually not on campus each day of the week, the Department Chair or DAA can sign these cards and will notify the applied music instructor of any such drops or adds.
At the very beginning of the term, adjunct faculty should inform (or remind) students about the financial implications of a late drop: students are not given a refund for late drops unless there is a medical reason or other similar circumstance as determined by the Applied Music Program Administrator. Students should also be informed (or reminded) about the availability of financial aid (see section 5.1).
3.2.2 Verifying Enrollment
At the end of the second week of classes, the DAA will obtain lists of students enrolled in music courses as of the end of the Drop/Add period. The class lists will be sent to each faculty member as soon as possible. All faculty teaching applied music must review these lists, make any necessary corrections, and confirm them with the DAA as soon as possible. At this time, the instructor should confirm the number of lessons given to any student who dropped during the Drop/Add period. It is on the basis of these verified class enrollments that students are billed for lesson fees and adjunct teaching loads are reckoned. A prompt response will also assure a timely payment of any additional fees to which adjunct faculty members are entitled, such as "overloads," additional mileage payments, and so forth.
When verifying enrollment, adjunct faculty members should update and confirm their teaching schedules with the DAA. This information is helpful in a variety of ways, especially should the adjunct faculty member have to miss a teaching day. This is especially important as studio space is limited, and other instructors may well use open studio times for make-up lessons.
-
Considerations throughout the Term
3.3.1 Missed Teaching Days and Missed Lessons
Adjunct faculty members must immediately inform the DAA and their students if they are not able to meet their students as scheduled. At that time, they should also consult with the DAA about possible make-up date(s) and teaching space. Do not assume that studio space will be available at a time different from your normal schedule. Since trying to make up several lessons at once during the final Reading Days is usually unproductive, extra make-up times typically need to be scheduled earlier in the term.
Instructors may wish to remind their students of the following policies. Students who need to miss lessons due to illness or off-campus field trips should inform the instructor at least 24 hours in advance and arrange a make-up lesson at the instructor's convenience, preferably during Reading Days. The instructor will not make up lessons that are missed because a student is too busy or has not practiced, but advance notice is a courtesy which permits the instructor to use his or her time more efficiently. Some instructors may allow unprepared students to come at their scheduled time and use the lesson time for work on technique, theory, etc. Students who have more than three unexcused absences from lessons should be advised by the instructor to late drop or accept an F or NC grade.
3.3.2 Teaching During Mid-Term Break
Classes are not held over Mid-Term Break weekend (which is generally the Saturday and Sunday of the end of the fifth week of the term and the Monday of the sixth week of the term). The main import of Mid-Term Break is for adjunct faculty who teach on Mondays. These faculty members may arrange, with the consent of the student(s), to teach that Monday, or to make up those lessons at a later date (possibly Reading Days). Students, however, are under no obligation to have lessons during Mid-Term Break.
3.3.3 Academic Difficulty
Because they see their students in a one-on-one teaching context each week, and because applied music study is often a form of "stress relief" for students, adjunct instructors are often the first to see signs of academic and/or personal distress. If a student seems to be experiencing significant academic difficulty--for example, she or he suddenly starts missing lessons, or is markedly unprepared for lessons, please notify the Office of the Dean of Students. That office may then notify the student's advisor and other instructors as needed.
While we are all sympathetic to the plights of our students, it is not the adjunct faculty member's role to serve as counselor or therapist. Indeed, the College strongly prefers that you not take on this role.
-
Considerations at the End of the Term
3.4.1 Teaching During Reading Days
Reading Days occur between the last day of classes and exams. Adjunct faculty are advised not to teach lessons on Reading Days; ideally, every effort should be made to complete all teaching by the last day of class.
3.4.2 Grades
Grades must be submitted to the DAA by the last day of exams (again, you may consult the Registrar's Page on the Carleton web site for current exam week information). Be aware that grades for Seniors at the end of Spring Term are due on a special, accelerated schedule; please note this as Spring grades are prepared.
It is the responsibility of each adjunct faculty member to keep accurate and detailed records on each student -- missed lessons, the progress of the student, and the grade given at the end of the term. Even if the student is not officially registered, this information should be available from the instructor.
As noted above (section 1.3.3), if a grade of D or F is given, it must be accompanied by an explanation of the grade on a form provided by the Registrar (refer to the D/F form in section 7).