Adjunct Faculty: How Can We Thrive? Scientific Inquiry and the Future of Sustainability

About the role

San Francisco Bay University (SFBU) is an innovative, nonprofit, WASC‑accredited university in Fremont, California, committed to inclusive, inspirational education and the Agility Praxis Pathway (APP) Core Curriculum—a transdisciplinary, student‑centered model organized into Think, Do, and Create stages. SFBU seeks an adjunct faculty member to teach two sections of APP 301, “How Can We Thrive? Scientific Inquiry and the Future of Sustainability,” in the APP Core Curriculum for Spring 2027. The role involves co‑teaching one section with the course designer and teaching a second section independently, using the established course design while contributing to its continuous improvement. More information about the APP Core Curriculum is available at https://www.sfbu.edu/learning-teaching/sfbu-core-curriculum.

Responsibilities

• Teach APP 301 in alignment with approved course learning outcomes and SFBU’s teaching vision, emphasizing personalized, experiential, relational, and student‑centered learning.
• Design engaging learning experiences using scientific investigation, discussion, collaborative projects, and practical applications.
• Create a supportive, engaging, and inclusive classroom for students with varied levels of scientific preparation.
• Maintain accessible course materials, assignments, assessments, and the Canvas course site.
• Provide timely, constructive feedback and support student learning through scheduled office hours.
• Collaborate with APP program leadership and faculty on course design, assessment, and continuous improvement.
• Participate in relevant CEPI‑led faculty development workshops and trainings, applying insights to enhance teaching effectiveness.
• Perform other class‑related responsibilities and tasks as assigned.

Requirements

• Experience teaching general education, interdisciplinary science, or sustainability courses.
• A doctorate in a natural science or a closely related discipline (e.g., physics, chemistry, ecology, biology, environmental science).
• Experience teaching or working in sustainability or environmental science, including topics addressed in APP 301.
• Demonstrated success teaching through student‑centered methods.
• Ability to teach quantitative reasoning, unit conversion, and order‑of‑magnitude estimation to non‑science majors.
• Experience using generative AI in teaching, with attention to source verification, scientific accuracy, and independent student reasoning (APP 301 includes a weekly AI‑supported inquiry assignment).
• Authorization to work in the United States.

Skills

• Strong grounding in scientific inquiry and the ability to teach evidence‑based reasoning to undergraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds.
• Experience with project‑based learning, field observation, community‑based inquiry, or student research.

Pay

Compensation is $152.10 per classroom hour, based on 70 compensated classroom hours per section and 140 total classroom hours for two sections. Total compensation for the semester is $21,294.00 ($10,647.00 per section).