Welcome Adjunct Instructor!
Welcome to teaching at Wichita State University. We rely on experts from the community and industry to bring their insights and knowledge onto campus through their service as adjunct instructors. You have the opportunity to touch many lives during your time as an adjunct instructor.
Here are a few things you need to know as you embark upon your time here at Wichita State:
- Your academic department is your primary contact at the university. Don't be afraid to take questions and concerns to your departmental contacts as they are experts in both the field and in teaching.
- The Office of Instructional Resources supports all instructors as Wichita State, and that includes you! Every program, training session, and opportunity we offer is open to all instructors at WSU, regardless of rank. That means that opportunities like the Academic Resources Conference, our Zoom-based help labs, and our email help are open to you. Make sure to take some time to learn about these avenues of support and training so you have what you need.
- Many classrooms at WSU have a lock on certain classroom media items. In order to get a key, you will need to go through a short training. We have standard training times and also offer training on your schedule if none of these times will work for you. You should plan to do this training early in the semester or before the semester begins so you are aware of any items you might need to purchase or borrow. Many times instructors need to acquire an adapter to allow them to plug the classroom media into their personal laptops, for example.
- If you have an in-person class and the technology fails you, be prepared to call 316-978-3588. This will bring Campus Media Services right to your classroom. This number is also printed in our classrooms.
- The Office of Instructional Resources has a robust Facebook presence, and you should consider joining our group. Through it you will learn of upcoming training opportunities, hear if WSU systems go down, and get to interact with others on campus.
- You should also consider subscribing to our monthly newsletter Teaching Today. To subscribe, make a request to OIR@wichita.edu. All we need is your name and the email you would like the newsletter to come to.
- Wichita State is a Blackboard school. All classes have a companion Blackboard site available to them. If you will be using your Blackboard site and need training in how to set it up, we recommend this 10-step program.
Have a Look Around!
This webpage is part of a large suite of training pages designed to help any Wichita State instructor in their job. Right now, you are in the "New Teacher" area, and if you click "In This Section" above, you will find several articles the Office of Instructional Resources has written for people just starting out in the university classroom. You can see all the topics that OIR provides training for by clicking the "Return to OIR" link in the "In This Section" area. That will take you to the main homepage for this suite of webpages. You will then see button links at the bottom of the page, and they will take you to the various sections created to help you.