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

San Francisco Bay University•Fremont, CA

49d•Onsite

About The Position

San Francisco Bay University (SFBU), an innovative, nonprofit, WASC-accredited university situated in the heart of Silicon Valley in Fremont, California, seeks an adjunct faculty member to teach scientific inquiry and sustainability within our Agility Praxis Pathway (APP) Core Curriculum. SFBU’s mission is to offer inclusive, innovative, and inspirational education for lifelong careers and our vision is to set the standard as a national model of higher education in service of the common good. At SFBU, students come first. We prioritize students’ needs by building meaningful relationships and personal engagement among students, faculty, mentors, industry leaders, and staff. We are committed to providing affordable, high-quality education with a deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. About the APP Core Curriculum The APP Core Curriculum model, or Agility Praxis Pathway, is the transdisciplinary foundation of SFBU’s undergraduate curriculum. It places students at the center of learning and draws on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The model responds to the varied needs of students, employers, and communities. Students move through three connected stages: Think, Do, and Create. They build knowledge, practice skills, and use what they have learned to produce work that shows their progress. Think In the Think stage, students work with carefully selected texts and other resources that introduce different perspectives and raise questions about the subject. Materials may include guest-speaker presentations, videos, and readings. Students discuss and question these materials, use reflection and self-inquiry, and take an active role in making sense of what they learn. Do In the Do stage, students practice the skills and habits needed to meet the course learning outcomes. They use scientific concepts and methods to investigate questions and apply what they learn. Activities may include reflective writing, hands-on experiments, communication protocols, and iterative design. The emphasis is on repeated practice, feedback, and meaningful application. Create In the Create stage, students bring their knowledge and practiced skills together in projects, written work, presentations, and other tangible products. These products give students a way to demonstrate their progress and provide evidence of what they can do. They may also become part of a portfolio that shows their developing skills and readiness to address real-world problems. Through the APP model, students prepare for academic work, professional life, and continued learning. The model is responsive, experiential, and designed to help students use knowledge in new situations. We encourage candidates to learn more about SFBU’s Agility Praxis Pathway Core Curriculum by visiting: https://www.sfbu.edu/learning-teaching/sfbu-core-curriculum.

Requirements

Experience teaching general education, interdisciplinary science, or sustainability courses.
A doctorate in a natural science or a closely related discipline, such as physics, chemistry, ecology, biology, or environmental science.
Experience teaching or working in sustainability or environmental science, including topics addressed directly or indirectly in APP 301.
Demonstrated success teaching through student-centered methods.
Ability to teach quantitative reasoning, unit conversion, and order-of-magnitude estimation to students who are not science majors.
Experience using generative AI in teaching, with attention to source verification, scientific accuracy, and independent student reasoning.
Authorization to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

Teach APP 301 in alignment with the approved course learning outcomes and SFBU’s teaching vision, with attention to 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.
Other responsibilities and tasks related to the class may be assigned as needed.