2.1.2 Adjunct Faculty

• –Adjunct faculty may be recruited for specific work in the online programs. Unlike full-time faculty, the adjunct faculty do not hold contracted teaching load in the residential programs. When an adjunct faculty member carries an online course load, they will be considered an online faculty member (in addition to any status on the residential campus, such as a residential adjunct instructor). As online faculty, they report to the relevant administrators, such as Faculty Mentors and SMEs, concerning online courses. Adjunct faculty are paid per the rates listed in Section 2.3 – Faculty Compensation. See also Section 1.3.3 – Online Faculty.

The Office of Online Education will offer adjunct faculty opportunities for workload as online faculty using the Adjunct Workload Agreement form, before the start of each term or subterm.

2.1.2.1 Adjunct Faculty Qualifications

Adjunct faculty must meet University criteria and the Faculty Credentials Guidelines of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC),22 for each course taught. It shall be the responsibility of the relevant program coordinator to ensure that adjunct faculty members are qualified to teach courses in their respective programs. This should involve a review of the hiring packet and transcripts. The Office of Online Education maintains records of transcript reviews and course qualifications for online faculty.

2.1.2.2 Adjunct Faculty as Part-time Employees

Adjunct faculty are considered part-time employees of the University. The Office of Online Education assigns online course load to adjunct faculty as needed. As much as possible, course

22 https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2019/07/faculty-credentials.pdf

load assignments consider the requests and preferences of each adjunct faculty member. In some circumstances, an adjunct faculty member might be asked to complete additional duties beyond the scope of their part-time teaching load, such as administrative support of the online programs, service as an SME, or curricular assessment. Other assigned duties are tracked by the Office of Online Education. Adjuncts are compensated for additional duties per the established rates. See Section 2.3 –Faculty Compensation.

2.1.2.3 Tracking Adjunct Faculty “Hours of Service”

Adjunct faculty are not hourly employees of the University. They are paid a flat rate per course and other duties. However, to comply with regulations relevant to the part-time status of adjunct faculty members and benefits administration, the university will use adjunct faculty workload information to track adjunct hours of service.

The term adjunct hours of service refers to the average calculated time per week a part-time adjunct faculty employee works. Since adjunct faculty are part-time employees, adjunct hours of service must be tracked to confirm that their workloads, in fact, remain below a calculated average of 30 hours per week, which is the threshold for full-time employment under the Affordable Care Act.

The method of calculating adjunct hours of service must fit the definition of a “reasonable method.”23 One reasonable method is described in the Federal Register:

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