Adjunct Instructors - Math/Calculus
Posted Jun 25, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about your experience teaching calculus to undergraduates.
What they are checking: Whether they have the undergraduate teaching experience the posting asks for.
What have you done in mathematics in the last five years, through teaching, research or presentations?
What they are checking: Whether they meet the requirement for current professional activity in the field.
What would you do
Many students arrive in Calculus 1 with weak algebra and trigonometry. How do you handle that gap?
What they are checking: Whether they can support underprepared students without slowing the whole class down.
If the dean called you a week before the semester to cover a Calculus 2 section, how would you prepare?
What they are checking: Whether they can step into the last-minute openings the posting describes and be ready on day one.
A student tells you they're just not a math person. What do you say?
What they are checking: Whether they can shift a discouraged student's mindset and keep them working.
About the work
How would you explain the limit definition of a derivative to a Calculus 1 student who just wants the shortcut rules?
What they are checking: Whether they can teach the concept behind the rules without losing students who want procedures.
Integration techniques in Calculus 2 are where many students struggle. How do you help them decide which technique to try?
What they are checking: Whether they teach strategy and pattern recognition, not just a list of methods.
How do you help students visualize surfaces, partial derivatives or multiple integrals in multivariable calculus?
What they are checking: Whether they have concrete ways to make three-dimensional ideas understandable.
How do you write exam questions that tell you whether a student understands calculus or just memorized steps?
What they are checking: Whether their assessments measure understanding, which shows how they think about learning.
How do you use technology like graphing tools in calculus without letting it replace understanding?
What they are checking: Whether they use tools to support thinking rather than as a shortcut around it.
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