FAQ
For the past several years the greater IWU community (including Wesley Seminary) has used a Learning Management System called “Brightspace.” This is a cutting edge program specifically designed for higher education online learning, developed by internationally renowned D2L.
You have access to real people familiar with your course. If your question is technical about the LMS interface, you can call the IWU Support team, the Brightspace support team, or the Seminary Adjunct Professor Coordinator. If the question is regarding course content you can contact your faculty mentor. We know it can be stressful to have a problem or question with no one to help. We don't want that to happen to you.
A rule of thumb is around 45 - 60 minutes per student per week.
The range is between 7 - 20, with an average of 10 - 15.
After your first semester as an adjunct professor, the dean will receive feedback on how it went from:
- You
- Adjunct Faculty Coordinator
- Faculty mentor
- Students.
It is common procedure, if this is your first semester teaching with Wesley Seminary, to take the following semester off. This will give you time to assess your own experience and consider whether this is something you would like to continue. The intermediate semester will also give us a chance to review evaluations and see if this position seems to complement your spiritual gifts and skills. If we both feel good about it, you will be given an invitation to teach in future classes.
In the “Let’s Get Acquainted” questionnaire you can identify your areas of expertise and/or experience in a particular field(s). You and the Seminary Dean will discuss what classes might be the best match for your skills and our needs.
Most adjunct professors teach one course per semester, particularly if it is their first online experience. However, once you have completed your first semester and subsequent evaluation, if you have the time you may teach more than one course per semester. You may also wish to take semesters off and then return to teaching later.
Wesley Seminary courses are written to be facilitated by a variety of different professors while maintaining course consistency. Because of this, adjunct professors are not allowed to make changes in their course. At the same time, we always want to keep courses current. Therefore, after teaching the existing course at least once, if you have recommendations that you feel would enhance the quality of the learning experience, submit your suggestions to the Dean, who will review them and forward them to the Curriculum Development and Review Committee.
