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Adjunct Professor interview questions and how to answer them

An adjunct interview is short and practical. The chair has a section to fill and wants to know you can walk into that room, or that Canvas shell, and run the course without hand-holding. Expect questions about the specific class, your grading, and students who struggle, plus a teaching demo at a lot of schools.

11 questions7 minute read

Part 1

1.Walk me through how you'd teach our intro course.

Why they ask

The chair wants to hear you talk about their actual course, not teaching in general. They're checking whether you read the catalog description and whether your plan fits the course outcomes the department reports on.

How to answer

  • Name the course and reference its official learning outcomes
  • Describe how you'd sequence the term, with the big assignments placed where they land
  • Mention the textbook or open resources you'd use and why
  • Explain how you'd check understanding early, before the first big exam

2.Can you send us a sample syllabus for this course?

Why they ask

Adjuncts often get hired days before the term. The chair wants proof you can produce a working syllabus fast and that it follows the college's required template and policies.

How to answer

  • Have one ready, adapted to their course number and outcomes
  • Include the grading breakdown, late policy and attendance policy in plain words
  • Leave room for the college's required statements on accessibility and academic integrity
  • Offer to adjust it to the department's shared syllabus if they use one

3.How do you handle a student who's failing halfway through the term?

Why they ask

Retention matters to colleges, and adjuncts are often the only instructor a first-year student sees. They want to know you'll act before the drop deadline, not after.

How to answer

  • Spot it early from the LMS gradebook and missing work
  • Reach out privately with a specific message, not a generic warning
  • Point the student to tutoring, the writing center or an advisor, and use an early alert system if the school has one
  • Be honest about what it would take to pass and what the withdrawal deadline means
4.What's your experience teaching online or hybrid sections?

Why they ask

A lot of adjunct sections are online, and many chairs have been burned by instructors who disappear for a week. They're checking that you know the LMS and keep a steady presence.

How to answer

  • Name the platforms you've used, such as Canvas, Blackboard or Moodle
  • Describe how you set up modules, due dates and announcements before the term starts
  • Give your turnaround time for grading and for student messages
  • Explain how you keep discussion boards from turning into box-checking
5.How do you grade writing or projects so students see it as fair?

Why they ask

Grade complaints land on the chair's desk. They want to know you use clear criteria and can defend a grade calmly.

How to answer

  • Share the rubric with students when the assignment is given, not after
  • Use comments that tie back to the rubric rows
  • Describe how you handle a grade dispute: listen, point to the rubric, and follow the college's appeal process
  • Mention norming your grading against sample papers if the department does that

Part 2

6.Tell us about a class session that went badly and what you changed.

Why they ask

Every instructor has bad days. The chair wants to see whether you notice them and adjust, or blame the students.

How to answer

  • Pick a real lesson and say plainly what went wrong
  • Explain how you knew: silence, confused exit tickets, a quiz that tanked
  • Describe the specific change you made the next time
  • Say what happened after the change
7.How do you work with students who have accommodations?

Why they ask

Colleges have legal obligations here, and adjuncts sometimes ignore accommodation letters by accident. They're checking you'll follow the process.

How to answer

  • Say you follow the letter from the disability services office exactly
  • Describe setting extended time or separate testing in the LMS or with the testing center
  • Mention making materials accessible from the start: captioned video, readable documents
  • Keep the student's information private and don't ask for a diagnosis
8.Our students include working adults and dual enrollment high schoolers. How would you teach both?

Why they ask

Community college and evening sections mix ages and preparation levels in one room. The chair wants to know you won't teach only to the top of the class.

How to answer

  • Acknowledge the range without talking down to anyone
  • Use examples from work and daily life that land for adults
  • Build structure into assignments, like checklists and drafts, for students new to college
  • Keep expectations the same for everyone while giving more ways to get there
9.How does your professional work show up in your teaching?

Why they ask

Many adjuncts are hired because they work in the field. The chair wants to hear how that experience makes the course better, not just longer.

How to answer

  • Give a concrete case: a real audit, patient chart, court filing or client project you turned into an assignment
  • Explain how you keep confidential details out of it
  • Show how it connects to the course outcomes, not just to good stories
  • Mention how you'd keep the content current as your field changes
10.What's your availability, and are you teaching anywhere else?

Why they ask

Chairs build schedules like puzzles. They also know adjuncts often teach at several schools and want to be sure you won't drop the section when a better offer comes.

How to answer

  • Give the days and times you can reliably teach
  • Be upfront about other teaching commitments
  • Say whether you'd take a last-minute section and how quickly you could start
  • Commit clearly to finishing any term you accept

Part 3

11.How would you handle a student you suspect of using AI or copying on an assignment?

Why they ask

Academic integrity cases are messy, and the chair wants to know you'll follow the college policy instead of improvising a punishment.

How to answer

  • Say you'd look at the evidence first and talk with the student privately
  • Follow the college's academic integrity process and report through the right office
  • Mention designing assignments that make copying harder, like drafts and in-class writing
  • Keep your syllabus policy clear so students know the rule before it matters

Questions to ask them

Ask at least two. It shows you're picking them too.

  • Is there a shared syllabus or common textbook for this course, or do adjuncts build their own?
  • When are adjunct assignments usually confirmed, and what happens if a section is cancelled for low enrollment?
  • Who should I go to with questions during the term, and is there an adjunct coordinator?
  • Will I have office space, a college email and access to the course shell before classes start?
  • How are adjuncts observed or evaluated, and does that affect who gets offered courses next term?
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