A Critical Challenge: The Engagement and Assessment of Contingent,Part-Time Adjunct Faculty Professors in United States Community Colleges |
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| Authors: | Michael R Jolley Emily Cross Miles Bryant |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Educational Administration , University of Nebraska-Lincoln , Lincoln , Nebraska , USA mrjolley@gmail.com;3. Department of Educational Administration , University of Nebraska-Lincoln , Lincoln , Nebraska , USA |
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| Abstract: | In 2011, according to a National Center for Education Statistics report, part-time instructional staff in all higher education institutions exceeded full-time faculty members for the first time, accounting for 50% of all instructional staff (National Center for Education Statistics NCES], 2012 National Center for Education Statistics . ( 2012 ). IPEDS, Digest of education statistics, Winter 2011–12, human resources component, fall staff section: Table 286 data file]. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_286.asp Google Scholar]). The same report indicates part-time faculty in community colleges exceeds 70% of instructional staff. Perhaps more alarming are the numbers of contingent instructional staff—faculty without long-term employment commitments. According to this measure, nearly 70% of faculty members in all areas of higher education have little-to-no job stability (American Association of University Professors AAUP], 2013 American Association of University Professors (AAUP) . ( 2013 ). Background facts on contingent faculty. Retrieved from http://www.aaup.org/issues/contingency/background-facts Google Scholar]; Schuster & Finklestein, 2006
Schuster , J. H. , &
Finklestein , M. J. ( 2006 ). The American faculty: The restructuring of academic work and careers . Baltimore , MD : The Johns Hopkins University Press . Google Scholar]). However, limited research exists on the working experiences of this major subpopulation of United States professors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of part-time contingent community college faculty regarding the assessment processes their institutions implemented. Through interviews, researchers gathered data identifying what 20 part-time contingent faculty professors reported regarding teaching conditions and institutional assessment procedures. Participant interviews revealed two major themes centered on a lack of institutional engagement and meaningful assessment policies or procedures. |
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