Adjunct Faculty - Introduction to Communication

About Holyoke Community College

Holyoke Community College is housed on a multi-million-dollar, 135-acre campus, equipped with state-of-the-art technology in specialized learning facilities. HCC serves over 9,000 students annually, and provides a variety of recreational and cultural activities, from sports programs to music festivals, for students and community members alike. The college's strongest assets continue to be an innovative spirit, a sincere concern for students and a commitment to strive for even greater success.

These values have created a tradition of excellence spanning more than six decades, and are enabling Holyoke Community College to meet today’s challenges.

Educate. Inspire. Connect.

Kindness, Inclusion, Trust, Innovation & Collaboration. Kindness, inclusion and trust are the foundation of the work that we do together. Innovation and collaboration enable us to explore and implement the ideas that will shape our future.

Holyoke Community College invites adjunct applications to teach COM 121:
Introduction to Communication in Fall 2026. The course explores human communication by focusing on approaches, concepts and theories by which verbal and nonverbal communication may be studied, including written, spoken, visual and mediated symbols. Students learn to develop messages for specific audiences and contexts, to explore symbolic representations, including their uses and ability to shape social realities, to investigate group dynamics, and examine the impact of media in U.S. society.

Adjunct faculty provides a quality learning experience for Holyoke Community College students on a semester basis. The adjunct faculty reports to a dean and performs instruction‑related duties and responsibilities in a timely manner and in accordance with the mission, policies and procedures of the college. The relationship of the adjunct faculty member to the student is one of teacher and facilitator of learning.

The adjunct faculty member will distribute and review the course syllabus during the first class meeting. The adjunct faculty shall forward the dean no later than the end of the first week of classes in each session a course syllabus. The adjunct faculty member will utilize active learning methods and a variety of instructional strategies designed to assist the learner in meeting the objectives of the course.

Such activities can include, but are not limited to: cooperative learning, experiential learning, writing for learning and/or critical thinking initiatives.

The adjunct faculty member will remain abreast of ongoing developments and practices in his/her professional content area(s). They will arrange for the acquisition and preparation of appropriate materials and equipment in a timely manner necessary to meet course objectives, in collaboration with the area dean. The adjunct faculty member will be prompt and accurate in the recording and reporting of student data including assessment of student performance;

including final grade reports.

Adjunct faculty members will be supportive of students’ learning goals by focusing on student learning outcomes, taking into account the needs and abilities of the students, becoming familiar with academic and social support, making reasonable provisions to accommodate individual differences, maintaining academic integrity, and making themselves available to assist students in achieving their goals. They are also aware of and recommend campus services to students as needed (library, financial aid, counseling, supplemental instruction, etc.).

Adjunct Faculty are expected to attend all scheduled classes. If it is necessary to miss a class, they will follow appropriate procedures by notifying the supervisor or the supervisor’s designee and will be responsible for providing an alternate assignment.

• Master’s Degree in Communication or related area;
• Firm grounding in the subject matter of the course being offered;
• Experience using an online learning management system to support classroom instruction (Canvas preferred);
• Commitment to and demonstrated ability to work…