The Adjunct Professor's Role in Geotechnical Engineering Education A Bridge between the Classroom and the Workplace

摘要

The paper argues for the positive contributions adjunct faculty with practical experience would make by bringing their expertise into the classroom and in setting up linkages with industry. Unfortunately, adjuncts, often with proven records of excellent teaching, are marginalized by the academic systems in place today, and their contributions to the academic process are undervalued. Next, the paper reports on the success story of an adjunct, a practitioner with good credentials, who "teamed-up" with a "full-time" faculty in an attempt to bring the practice to 4thyear students in a geotechnical/foundation engineering class. The success achieved in meeting course objectives was largely attributed to proper planning and the effectiveness of the adjunct in the delivery of "practice-related" materials, and the adjunct's ability to engage students. The positive outcome of this experience has encouraged other full - time faculty members to search for practitioners - as adjuncts - to assist in bringing the practice into the classroom.