Binji, Kamla

Srivastava, Ashok

Sund, Kristian J.

English

Seton Hall University Libraries

Organization Management Journal Volume 9 Issue 2 Article 9 6-1-2012 The Adjunct Faculty Handbook by Lorri Cooper and Bryan Booth (Eds.) Kristian J. Sund Middlesex University Ashok Srivastava Middlesex University Kamla Binji Middlesex University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/omj  Part of the Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, and the Organizational Communication Commons Recommended Citation Sund, Kristian J.; Srivastava, Ashok; and Binji, Kamla (2012) "The Adjunct Faculty Handbook by Lorri Cooper and Bryan Booth (Eds.)," Organization Management Journal: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, Article 9. Available at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/omj/vol9/iss2/9 Organization Management Journal, 9: 140–141, 2012Copyright © Eastern Academy of ManagementISSN: 1541-6518 onlineDOI: 10.1080/15416518.2012.688000The Adjunct Faculty Handbook by Lorri Cooper and BryanBooth (Eds.)Kristian J. Sund,1 Ashok Srivastava,1 and Kamla Binji11Business School, Middlesex University, London, United KingdomThe rise in the number of adjunct faculty over recent decadeshas been widely documented and discussed, with an increasingliterature on the motivations, work conditions, and challengesfaced by such faculty. Whether we refer to adjunct faculty aspart-time, contingent, or temporary, the fact remains that inthe United States alone, close to 50% of all faculty are nowadjunct (Cooper & Booth, 2011, p. xi). In many cases adjunctfaculty have full- or part-time employment outside the fieldof higher education, and bring to the university their profes-sional experiences and practical know-how. However, enteringthe field of higher education on a part-time basis can be some-what overwhelming, with a lot of information to take onboardin a short period of time. This is not helped by the fact thatoften universities staff courses a relatively short time before theystart. The second edition of The Adjunct Faculty Handbook is abook all three of us wish we had had access to when we ini-tially decided to work for an academic institution. It providesa wealth of practical, useful information, in a short, conciseformat. We found The Adjunct Faculty Handbook well writtenand a delight to read. Each chapter provided the right amountof detail to keep us interested, and each of us actually cameacross new pieces of information that we could use in our ownpractice.The handbook contains seven chapters. These chapters cover,in sufficient detail, what an adjunct faculty member shouldbear in mind when working in higher education. The firstchapter provides an overview and introduction to preparingfor the teaching role. This overview includes the first stepsand administrative issues, such as getting a contract, settingup an e-mail account, and so forth, and goes on to moreacademic matters, including how to prepare a syllabus. The sec-ond chapter discusses the role of technology in today’s teachingenvironment. As such, this chapter could be of interest to boththe new and more seasoned educator. The third chapter focuseson how one may enhance the student’s learning experience,Address correspondence to Kristian J. Sund, Principal Lecturer inStrategic Management, Middlesex University Business School, TheBurroughs, London, NW4 4BT, UK. E-mail: k.sund@mdx.ac.ukalong with identifying what the established or new academicshould consider when undertaking face-to-face teaching activ-ities. This chapter and the next succinctly examine learningtheories, the technology and resources available in the class-room or lab environment, and what the best teaching method toadopt may be in different circumstances. An entire chapter isdedicated to student evaluation and the provision of feedback tostudents. The book provides practical guides for learning strate-gies for the online classroom and establishing an environmentto learn. The handbook also has a short but very relevant chapterentirely devoted to the professional development of the adjunctfaculty, in which are offered practical suggestions on how theadjunct faculty member can critically evaluate and develop hisor her own teaching methods, and improve his or her teachingstyles that little bit more, to further enhance the overall stu-dent learning experience. The final chapter within the handbooklooks at what the authors perceive may be future trends relat-ing to academia, that is, technology, virtual interactions, andhow these new innovations within society, the workplace, andat home will provide opportunities and challenges to the adjunctfaculty member. The chapters are complemented by appendicesthat include examples of how to prepare a course syllabus andlesson planning.The Adjunct Faculty Handbook is not a book about adjunctfaculty, but a book for adjunct faculty. It takes the adjunct by thehand and provides much of the practical information that univer-sities themselves ought to, but too often fail to, provide to newadjunct faculty members. By including up-to-date informationon the role of technology in the classroom, the book appealsto seasoned adjunct faculty as well. In the words of VirginiaBianco Mathis and Neal Chalofsky, “Becoming an adjunct pro-fessor is now an actual career choice for experienced, degreedprofessionals who wish to expand their full-time jobs, extendtheir consultancy work, stay in touch with research, passion-ately teach, or give back to the community” (cited in Cooper &Booth, 2011, p. xv). For these professionals and those alreadyin academia, The Adjunct Faculty Handbook is a useful toolthat will guide them through the processes every adjunct facultymembers will go through.140REVIEW OF ADJUNCT FACULTY 141REFERENCECooper, L., & Booth, B. (Eds.). (2011). The adjunct faculty handbook (2nd ed.).Los Angeles, CA: Sage.ABOUT THE AUTHORSKristian J. Sund is a principal lecturer (associate profes-sor) in strategic management at Middlesex University BusinessSchool. He teaches strategic management at both undergrad-uate and MBA levels. He leads an online distance-learningMBA program at Middlesex and has been involved in executiveeducation for close to 10 years, as both an educator and a pro-gram director. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academyand the author of multiple journal articles, books, and casestudies. His research currently focuses on organizational cog-nition. Sund holds a PhD in management from the University ofLausanne, Switzerland.Ashok Srivastava is an associate lecturer in business andmanagement at Middlesex University Business School, London.His primary research is focused on business and sports man-agement, and the “transference of skills between sports andbusiness.” Srivastava is responsible for two “business and man-agement” first- and second-year modules, along with super-vising and teaching third-year and postgraduate students. Heis also first-year tutor for BA International Business studentswith a foreign language. Ashok initially graduated as a civilengineer in Glasgow, and obtained his MBA from MiddlesexUniversity.Kamla Binji is a consultant and works part-time atMiddlesex University Business School in London. She assistswith the implementation of module information onto the uni-versity’s central UniHub, and also assists with the designing ofnew business courses, as and when required. Binji used to workfor a well-known property auction company and estate agency,in the accounts and administration department, in West London.Her experience ranges across accounts, education, training anddevelopment, and film and television. Binji graduated fromHammersmith & West London College.

The Adjunct Faculty Handbook by Lorri Cooper and Bryan
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