Harper College
Academy for Teaching Excellence

New Adjunct Faculty

Welcome!

The Academy for Teaching Excellence would like to welcome you to Harper College! As an adjunct faculty member, you play a vital role in delivering quality instruction to our students. To help you get started, you are invited to attend our New Adjunct Faculty Orientation, designed to provide you with the information you need to make a successful transition to teaching at Harper.

Two orientation sessions are offered each semester (an on-campus option and a virtual option) and include the following: dinner (at the on-campus session), remarks from the Provost, a division office tour and time to meet with your dean, technology essentials training with IT, a Blackboard Ultra Bootcamp (the learning management system used at Harper), a presentation on inclusive and evidence-based teaching strategies, and time to learn about instructional support, resources, professional development opportunities, and ask questions. New adjuncts are also provided with a few recorded presentations to watch that focus on important teaching strategies and campus information.

Review the frequently asked questions listed below to help you get started and please let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything we can help you with. We look forward to working with you!

Frequently Asked Questions

There is an on-campus New Adjunct Faculty Orientation session scheduled for Fall 2026:

  • Monday, August 17, 5 – 9 p.m., On-Campus Session: Register Here

If you are unable to attend in person, there will be an online, self-paced orientation option available through Blackboard. This course will be available beginning on Tuesday, August 18, and new adjuncts will be automatically added to the course on that date. Note: new adjuncts must have completed the hiring process and be assigned to a course in Banner in order to have Blackboard access and be able to complete this option; if a new adjunct does not yet have Blackboard access, they will be added to the course after receiving access.

There is an on-campus New Adjunct Faculty Orientation session scheduled for Fall 2026:

  • Monday, August 17, 5 – 9 p.m., On-Campus Session: Register Here

New adjunct faculty who attend the on-campus orientation session or complete the online, asynchronous orientation option will receive a $120 stipend for attendance per the Adjunct Faculty contract (Article 8.6).

  1. Register for the New Adjunct Faculty Orientation session: Use the registration link provided in the toggle above.
  2. Complete all onboarding requirements: Work with your Division Office to ensure you've submitted all required documents and completed all required onboarding tasks in the Oracle Fusion system. Finishing these tasks promptly will help ensure that you receive access to your Harper accounts before the semester begins. If you have questions, contact your Division Office or Human Resources at hr@harpercollege.edu.
  3. Review the recorded presentations: Topics include campus emergency procedures, HR employment overview, the Harper syllabus template, the SOAR student success model, student conduct and support resources, instructional design strategies, and other key resources for new instructors. These will be provided to you via email.
  4. Review instructional support resources: Familiarize yourself with materials such as Blackboard course templates, Harper syllabus template, inclusive teaching resources, and more. Learn more.

Completing these steps will help ensure you're prepared to begin teaching and have the necessary access to systems and resources.

Please contact the Academy for Teaching Excellence: academy@harpercollege.edu, 847.925.6174.

Last Updated: 8/26/26