Faculty – Adjunct Professor, Developmental Writing

About North Park

Founded in 1891, North Park University is a Christian university affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church of over 3,200 students from around the country and the world.

North Park University is located in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago, one of the most ethnically diverse zip codes in the United States. It is nine miles from downtown Chicago. The North Park campus has often been referred to as an oasis in the heart of the city – a place where students from urban, rural, and suburban backgrounds alike can call home. And all of this within the major metropolitan backdrop of Chicago: one of the world’s largest and most diversified economies, renowned for its museums and music, and voted best large city in the U.S. for four years in a row by Condé Nast Traveler.

Mission

The mission of North Park University is to prepare students for lives of significance and service through education in the liberal arts, professional studies, and theology.

Vision

Building on our core institutional identity—Christian, city-centered, intercultural—our vision is to create a university of uncommon character and enduring excellence, where faith, learning, and service meet.

Responsibilities:

Teach one or more sections of WRIT1000 “Fundamentals of Composition,” a first-year developmental composition course.

This course aims to foster skills essential for writing high quality college-level academic essays. In this course, not only will students learn to write more clearly, confidently, and persuasively, but they will also pay close attention to language and structure when reading, developing analytical skills that will enable them to apply successful techniques observed when reading to the writing of their own compositions. In addition to allowing space for the development of critical reading skills, this course emphasizes writing as a process with revision at its center.  Those enrolled develop essays from invention to final product while engaging in careful rereading, rethinking, revising, editing, and proofreading.

Students need to complete this course with a C- or better to move on to the credit-bearing, CORE1000 First Year Seminar (writing) class. Successful completion of the course includes students being able to demonstrate competency of the following Student Learning Outcomes, meaning they will be able to

• Express themselves orally and in writing for a variety of academic purposes and audiences.
• Use appropriate and relevant content, including source material, to develop ideas in writing.
• Apply a consistent system for basic organization and written presentation.
• Develop an essay around a clearly stated position (thesis).
• Improve self-editing and proofreading skills in order to communicate in writing more clearly with intended readers.

As a part-time instructor, adjunct faculty are contracted on a term-by-term basis. There is no guarantee of continuous employment.  The adjunct instructor will teach to a diverse student population. Course timing is at the discretion of the academic department offering the course.  Adjunct faculty will be made aware of the timing of the course prior to the offering of an official contract for the course.  In some instances, flexibility in course timing may be available.   The list off duties below represents minimum expectations of all faculty:

• Utilize the NP syllabus template, approved textbooks and supplemental course materials, and Canvas LMS.
• Submit personalized course syllabus to dean in electronic format one (1) week prior to course start date.
• Adhere to printed course schedule meeting times and locations.
• While there is not a formal office hours requirement, it is expected that you will be available to students outside of class by email and by appointment as needed.
• Ensure that all assessments within the course are graded and returned to the students promptly.
• Mid-term grades are required to be submitted for traditional undergraduate classes.
• Final grades and all course obligations must be completed by the due date published by the Registrar each term, typically the week after finals. This is required for the adjunct assignment & contract to be considered satisfactorily fulfilled.

Attendance records: North Park University is required by federal regulations to certify for financial aid purposes that students who receive a non-passing grade have attended classes and to also determine the last date they participated in an academic related activity. Thus, it is necessary for faculty to document the last date a student participated in an academically related activity which includes attending class, taking an exam, etc.

• Master’s degree or beyond in English, Composition, Creative Writing, or a related field.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Experience using Canvas or comparable learning management system (LMS).
• A clear understanding of North Park University’s mission of Christian higher education.