Re: Teaching

Talk to the dean or director of the study area, usually business. I
think they welcome qualified instructors to serve as adjunct (part
time) faculty. Adjunct faculty aren't tenure track, and they usually
fill some specific requirement (like RPG programming!). I taught on
and off for 17 years at a community college. The college will identify
the requirements. The requirements can be different for adjunct vs.
full time faculty, but *usually* the minimum is a Bachelors with a
Masters preferred. That being said, colleges will hire people without
the requisite degree if they have a specific need that they can't fill
any other way.

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There are also non-credit IT and technology courses offered at many such colleges where the requisites may vary, and sometimes even a formal Bachelor's isn't necessarily required. I taught for a number of years here for the local county college (they have dropped the "Community" from their name) Miami-Dade College.

It was at the facilities of a private company that had over-bought capacity, Yes folks, it actually happened once in the real world! They spoke to the director of the non-credit technology institute for the local college, to teach the courses themselves as Miami-Dade College courses, and carry both the expense and the revenues. The company got the extra "prestige factor" and this institute (Miami-Dade Microcomputer Institute I think) got to add the AS400 programming and systems courses to their curriculum.

When the company decided not to carry it anymore, the college made a deal to take over the courses directly and pay the company for the use of the space and equipment. I've been thinking of suggesting something like this to a local facility again.

Please consider whether doing this makes a good fit for you, and whether you make a good fit for teaching. You must know your subject, and not just the "script", but just delivering your knowledge is not enough. To keep your students from dropping out of your classes, you pretty much have to be an entertainer, although that can be subtle.

I've had students tell me the teachers they have had were oh so painfully boring (I've sat in on some of their classes myself). There are others who are hell on their students. If you can't stand repeating yourself to the same person, forget it.

--Alan

On Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 10:10 PM, D Reaper <dreaper@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I'm wondering if anyone on the list is teaching IT related classes at a local technical college or similar. I'm wondering how one gets involved in this kind of teaching. What are the requirements?

Thanks,

Dennis
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