Instructors
 | |
| Instructor | |
| Type | Academic, Professional |
|---|---|
| Supervised By | Department Chairs |
| Affiliations | Oakridge College |
Overview
An Instructor is a formal teaching rank within Oakridge College, granted to academic staff who have been trusted to lead basic instruction, support student learning, and participate in the regular educational life of the department. This rank recognizes a faculty member who has moved beyond occasional or temporary teaching duties and is now expected to serve as a dependable classroom presence.
An Instructor is not yet considered part of the professorial ranks. They do not hold the same academic standing as an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, or Tenured Professor. However, they are more established than Adjunct Faculty and may be trusted with recurring classes, structured lessons, supervised activities, and basic departmental responsibilities.
Within Oakridge College, an Instructor may teach introductory courses, lead practical workshops, assist with student preparation, support learning exercises, and help deliver the department’s foundational academic work. Their work is primarily instructional. They are expected to teach clearly, follow departmental standards, and provide students with a reliable foundation before those students move into more advanced coursework.
The rank carries limited authority. Instructors may guide students during class, answer academic questions, and assist with department activities when requested. They may also support Teaching Assistants in a classroom setting. However, they do not normally shape curriculum, review faculty, direct academic policy, or make major departmental decisions.
At its best, the Instructor represents dependable teaching without senior academic authority. The position is practical, useful, and necessary. Instructors are the people who keep the classroom side of Oakridge functioning, especially in programs where students need clear instruction, structure, and repeated practice.
Responsibilities
An Instructor is expected to support the instructional work of the department. Their role is centered on teaching, student support, and dependable participation rather than academic leadership.
Core Responsibilities
- Teach introductory or basic courses within the department
- Lead workshops, guided discussions, or practical learning activities
- Support students during class scenes
- Provide basic academic guidance related to assigned coursework
- Assist Teaching Assistants during instructional scenes when appropriate
- Follow department standards for classroom conduct and course delivery
- Prepare simple lesson materials or class notes
- Attend department meetings when requested
- Support department events or student activities
- Maintain professional conduct in classrooms, offices, and college spaces
Departmental Role
Within their department, an Instructor may help deliver practical, foundational, or introductory instruction connected to the department’s programs, courses, student preparation, classroom practice, or supervised learning activities.
They are not expected to manage programs, direct curriculum, supervise faculty, or make formal academic decisions. Their role is to make the department’s teaching work happen reliably and visibly.
Faculty Development
Instructors may be asked to:
- Assist Adjunct Faculty learning department expectations
- Support Teaching Assistants during class
- Help prepare simple classroom activities
- Lead introductory lessons
- Participate in student events
- Provide basic feedback on student work
- Assist with department service tasks
- Begin preparing material for future promotion
Institutional Expectation
An Instructor should behave as a dependable member of Oakridge’s teaching staff. They are expected to be active, respectful, prepared, and consistent.
The rank is still a lower faculty position. An Instructor who fails to appear, neglects students, ignores department expectations, or causes unnecessary conflict may face loss of teaching assignments, delayed advancement, formal review, or removal from the rank.
Requirements
The rank of Instructor is granted to faculty members who have demonstrated enough reliability, availability, and teaching ability to be trusted with regular instructional duties. Promotion to Instructor is not automatic. It must be earned through new work completed while serving as Adjunct Faculty.
Eligibility
To be considered for Instructor, a candidate must:
- Hold the rank of Adjunct Faculty
- Serve at least 30 days as Adjunct Faculty
- Complete all promotion contributions while holding the rank of Adjunct Faculty
- Remain in good standing with the department and college
- Submit a promotion request for review
- Receive approval from the appropriate faculty review panel
Contribution Rule
Work used for previous promotions does not count toward Instructor. A candidate must complete new contributions while serving as Adjunct Faculty.
Minimum Requirements
A candidate must earn at least 3 promotion points and complete the following:
- At least 1 teaching scene
- At least 1 student-support or classroom-support action
- At least 1 department service action
- Formal review by the Department Chair and faculty reviewers
Qualifying Contributions
Teaching may include classes, lectures, workshops, guided discussions, practical demonstrations, study sessions, supervised student exercises, or other approved instructional scenes.
Student support may include helping students understand course material, assisting with class follow-up, supporting a Teaching Assistant, holding basic office hours, reviewing simple student work, or providing in-character academic guidance.
Department service may include attending faculty meetings, helping with department events, preparing classroom material, assisting with scheduling, supporting public academic events, or completing small administrative tasks assigned by the Department Chair.
Academic contributions may include lesson plans, course outlines, brief lecture notes, classroom handouts, short World Anvil entries, department resource notes, or other written material approved by the Department Chair.
Faculty Review
The promotion review panel should include:
- Department Chair
- One senior faculty representative
- Two faculty reviewers at Instructor rank or higher
Faculty reviewers should preferably be from the candidate’s department. If that is not possible, reviewers from another department may serve with approval from the Department Chair.
Promotion requires at least 3 out of 4 votes.
Possible Outcomes
Approved: The candidate is promoted to Instructor.
Delayed: The candidate must complete one additional requirement before review continues.
Denied: The candidate remains Adjunct Faculty and may reapply after 30 days.
Contested: The decision is referred to higher administration if there is evidence of bias, conflict of interest, or procedural error.
Expectation of Instructors
An Instructor is expected to act as a reliable teaching presence within the department. They should appear consistently, teach clearly, support students appropriately, and respect the authority of senior faculty.
The rank carries responsibility, but not broad academic influence. An Instructor has proven that they can be trusted with basic teaching duties, but must continue building the record needed for advancement into the professorial ranks.
Benefits
An Instructor holds a recognized teaching rank at Oakridge College. The title marks a faculty member as more stable and trusted than Adjunct Faculty, while still remaining below the professorial ranks.
Core Benefits
- Recognized teaching status within the department
- Greater stability than Adjunct Faculty
- Eligibility to lead introductory courses, lessons, or workshops
- Ability to support Teaching Assistants during class scenes
- Permission to provide basic student guidance
- Increased visibility within the department
- Eligibility to attend some department meetings or academic events
- Opportunity to assist with classroom resources and department activities
- Recognition as a dependable instructional staff member
- Eligibility to apply for Assistant Professor after meeting promotion requirements
Academic Influence
An Instructor’s influence is practical rather than political. They may shape student experience through teaching, guidance, and classroom presence, but they do not normally influence department policy or faculty advancement.
Their opinion may be heard in matters involving their own classes or students they have directly taught. However, their recommendations carry less weight than those of Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Professors, or Tenured Professors.
Professional Prestige
The rank of Instructor gives a character a legitimate place within Oakridge’s academic structure. They are not simply temporary help or guest lecturers. They are part of the department’s teaching staff and may be recognized by students as a regular academic presence.
For roleplay, this rank is useful because it gives a character authority in the classroom without making them powerful in the broader faculty hierarchy. They can teach, advise, struggle for recognition, clash with senior faculty, mentor students, and work toward advancement.
Path to Assistant Professor
One of the most important benefits of becoming Instructor is eligibility for promotion to Assistant Professor. An Instructor may begin building a promotion record through new teaching scenes, student support, department service, and approved academic contributions.
This makes the rank a proving ground for faculty who want to move into the professorial ladder. Instructors must show that they can do more than teach occasionally. They must prove they can be relied on as part of the department’s ongoing academic life.
Limits
An Instructor has teaching recognition, but limited authority.
They may still face:
- Loss of teaching assignments
- Administrative review
- Delayed advancement
- Removal from department projects
- Faculty criticism
- Formal discipline
- Denial of promotion to Assistant Professor
In short: an Instructor is trusted to teach, but not yet trusted to lead. They are a real part of Oakridge’s faculty structure, but their influence remains narrow until they prove they are ready for the professorial ranks.