From police officer to part-time professor: making the leap into the college classroom

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, April, 2007 by Tracey G. Gove

Once officers settle issues, such as class design and format and learning competencies, they need to address several more ancillary matters before the first day of class. These include obtaining a parking sticker and finding the faculty parking lot; securing appropriate identification; learning how to get to the classroom; knowing the location and phone number of security personnel (e.g., in case someone mistakenly locks the classroom); procuring access to a photocopier for class assignments; and becoming familiar with the storage and use of audiovisual equipment.

IMPROVING TEACHING COMPETENCY

Although adjuncts typically serve more as experts in content than in pedagogy, they still will benefit from a familiarity with different teaching theories and learning styles. For instance, officers should become familiar with "Bloom's Taxonomy," which identified educational goals and objectives that teach educators what students need to know and how they acquire information at the cognitive level. (17)

Officers also can find printed resources to help build their proficiency. These include books specifically devoted to the issue of adjunct teaching, although only a few exist, and several periodicals and journals.

Finally, informal, anonymous class evaluations can help. Because most colleges and universities prefer to administer these at the end of the semester, instructors do not receive the results until the course is completed. Obviously, this does not allow officers to fine-tune their skills during the class. However, an informal evaluation given within the first few weeks of the course and another given after the midterm can allow for a more fluid approach and permit teachers to actively improve their competencies.

CONCLUSION

Institutions have found adjunct faculty members valuable and have enjoyed not only the quality instruction they provide but cost savings. The demand for part-time professors results in a world of opportunity.

Interested police professionals should take advantage. They will have much to offer schools and their students. By sharing experiences gained working in the trenches, law enforcement personnel can bring a unique flavor to classes. Consequently, they will only improve as officers as they acquire a stronger grasp of the subject matter through the art of teaching. The police officer turned professor serves the community in a dual role--protecting citizens by day and shaping the future of law enforcement by night.

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.

--Henry Adams

Endnotes

(1) Carolyn Butler, "A Good Time to Study Crime," U.S. News and World Report: America's Best Graduate Schools 2006.

(2) William Wickun and Rock Stanley, "The Role of Adjunct Faculty in Higher Education"; retrieved from http://mtprof.msun.edu/Win2000/Wickun.html.> (3) Ibid.

(4) John Hickman, "University Professors Get Outsourced"; retrieved from http://www.landiss.com/teaching/outsourced.htm.> (5) Supra note 2.

(6) Barbara Wyles, "Adjunct Faculty in the Community College: Realities and Challenges," New Directions for Higher Education 4 (Winter 1998): 89-93.