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As the debate regarding the increasing use of adjunct faculty in higher education continues to swirl, the voices of adjunct faculty themselves are rarely heard. Stories abound regarding the poor working conditions in which most adjunct faculty labor, yet many of those that employ adjunct faculty are unaware of how the conditions impact an adjunct's ability to teach effectively. Adjunct Faculty Voices gives a voice to this growing population. It shares the experiences and clear benefits adjuncts gain from having access to professional development opportunities. In spite of a shortage of resources, there are institutions offering development programs that target the pressing needs of this population.The first part of the book features the voices of adjunct faculty who tell their stories of finding professional development and creating or connecting with communities of colleagues for mutual support. These adjunct voices represent a range of disciplinary perspectives, career stages, and institutional types. In the second section, the authors draw upon a benchmarking study of adjunct faculty developing programs, examine specific challenges and highlight successful practices. Institutions can support adjunct faculty through teaching academies and faculty learning communities; mentor programs; conference support; and adjunct faculty liaison positions.Topics discussed include:• Best professional development practices that support and benefit adjunct faculty• Faculty social isolation and community-building opportunities• An overview of changes affecting the academic workforce• An outline of issues and working conditions• Current demographics and types of adjunct faculty• Survey results from adjunct faculty developers• Adjunct faculty narratives featuring their professional development and community experiencesTeaching and Learning centers across the country are responding to the growing adjunct cohort in innovative and efficient ways. Administrators, deans, department chairs, and adjunct faculty will all benefit by hearing the voices of adjuncts as they express the challenges faced by adjunct faculty and the types of professional development opportunities which are most beneficial.
As the debate regarding the increasing use of adjunct faculty in higher education continues to swirl, the voices of adjunct faculty themselves are rarely heard. Stories abound regarding the poor working conditions in which most adjunct faculty labor, yet many of those that employ adjunct faculty are unaware of how the conditions impact an adjunct's ability to teach effectively. Adjunct Faculty Voices gives a voice to this growing population. It shares the experiences and clear benefits adjuncts gain from having access to professional development opportunities. In spite of a shortage of resources, there are institutions offering development programs that target the pressing needs of this population.The first part of the book features the voices of adjunct faculty who tell their stories of finding professional development and creating or connecting with communities of colleagues for mutual support. These adjunct voices represent a range of disciplinary perspectives, career stages, and institutional types. In the second section, the authors draw upon a benchmarking study of adjunct faculty developing programs, examine specific challenges and highlight successful practices. Institutions can support adjunct faculty through teaching academies and faculty learning communities; mentor programs; conference support; and adjunct faculty liaison positions.Topics discussed include:• Best professional development practices that support and benefit adjunct faculty• Faculty social isolation and community-building opportunities• An overview of changes affecting the academic workforce• An outline of issues and working conditions• Current demographics and types of adjunct faculty• Survey results from adjunct faculty developers• Adjunct faculty narratives featuring their professional development and community experiencesTeaching and Learning centers across the country are responding to the growing adjunct cohort in innovative and efficient ways. Administrators, deans, department chairs, and adjunct faculty will all benefit by hearing the voices of adjuncts as they express the challenges faced by adjunct faculty and the types of professional development opportunities which are most beneficial.
This study determined the professional development needs of dual credit adjunct faculty at a large community college in the United States. As institutions of higher education increase their reliance on adjunct faculty due to budget constraints, adjunct faculty members instruct a growing number of students. In tandem with this, more community colleges partner with local school districts to offer dual credit classes so that students can earn high school and college credit at the same time. Previous research denotes that adjunct faculty desire greater connection to and support from their institutions of higher education; however, these institutions do not consistently offer adjunct faculty these opportunities. Leadership at institutions of higher education must solicit the types of professional development desired by dual credit adjunct faculty because of the unique needs of this population of instructors. This qualitative action research case study combined data from a questionnaire, interviews, and document review from dual credit adjunct faculty members. Key findings from the study included needs for professional development related to connecting with colleagues and students as well as technology. Dual credit adjunct faculty express a desire for professional development related to their disciplines, technology, and institutional support. Professors with different years of experience need different types of professional development. Specifically, new instructors need orientation information, professors with some experience need information about student engagement, and experienced instructors want information related to building their careers.
This study examined the perceptions of adjunct faculty in higher education to gather their opinion on professional development that was offered and the professional development they feel is needed and whether institution type or career cluster was significant in determining their perception. This causal-comparative, quantitative research study utilized an online survey and included 220 adjuncts from within the United States. The study utilized one-way ANOVA to determine if there were statistically significant differences in means between the institution types and career clusters of adjunct faculty related to professional development offered and needed. It was found that there were statistically significant differences in the professional development offered and needed for both the institution types and career clusters. The resulting analysis provides recommendations for academic leaders to the significance of the institution type and the adjunct’s career cluster in fulfilling the needs of adjuncts when planning professional development.
Adjunct Faculty in Online Higher Education: Best Practices for Teaching Adult Learners is an essential handbook that delves into the pivotal role of adjunct faculty instructors in the booming realm of online higher education, with a specific focus on adult learners. As the demand for online education continues to soar, administrators, program directors, and adjunct faculty instructors alike are presented with unique challenges and opportunities. This comprehensive guidebook provides a wealth of knowledge and best practices for adjunct faculty instructors seeking to excel in online teaching roles. With a keen understanding of the competitive nature of the field, this book equips instructors with valuable insights that will set them apart in the ever-expanding landscape of higher education. University administrators and program directors will also find immense value in the book's content, which explores strategies for providing professional development to adjunct faculty and designing effective evaluations to support continuous improvement. Recognizing the paramount importance of the student experience, the book emphasizes the crucial role played by adjunct faculty in representing their respective institutions. Covering a wide range of topics, from the historical context of adult learners to the challenges associated with being an adjunct instructor, this handbook serves as a comprehensive guide for both aspiring and experienced adjunct faculty members. It offers practical advice on curriculum design, personnel development, and evaluation methods, empowering administrators and directors alike to make informed decisions in hiring and supporting adjunct faculty instructors.
Valuable practical advice for managing classrooms, workloads, and careers. Non-tenure-track lecturers and adjunct instructors face particular challenges at US colleges, including heavy teaching loads, lack of office space, little control over the selection of course topics or textbooks, and long commutes between jobs at two or more schools. Quick Hits for Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers contains short, practice-oriented articles by experienced instructors that offer valuable teaching and career tips for balancing competing demands, addressing student issues, managing classrooms, and enhancing professional development.
Universities and colleges have developed an over-reliance on adjunct faculty, and as a result, researchers have begun to study adjunct faculty satisfaction as it relates to their working conditions. Current research indicates that professional development is a source that can contribute to satisfaction at work (Hoyt, 2012). However, the research does not give us a sense of the adjunct experience with and perceptions of professional development. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of adjuncts with professional development at a single Texas community college. I conducted a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach. I interviewed sixteen participants. Of this 16, twelve were adjunct faculty, and four were administrators at a Texas community college in the Houston area. Interviews proceeded in 2 rounds and were guided by the major research question: what are adjunct faculty experiences with faculty development at a single institution. During data collection and analysis, adjunct faculty stated they do not frequently participate in professional development; however, when they do participate, it lessens their feelings of being invisible on-campus and connects them to their colleagues. In addition, participants described meaningful professional development. I identified six key themes: scheduling, communication, level/target, content, focus, and participation.
The purpose of this study was to explore adjunct faculty perceptions of factors that influence participation in faculty development at a multi-campus Florida state college. To improve Florida state college adjunct faculty participation in faculty development, it was necessary to examine their faculty development needs and the incentives and barriers that influence their participation in faculty development. This study extended the research on characteristics of adjunct faculty and their faculty development interests. This quantitative study addressed the gap in the literature related to the scheduling, format, and communication preferences of a Florida state college adjunct faculty, related to faculty development. A survey research design was used to explore faculty development preferences of adjunct faculty who had taught for a minimum of one semester. An online survey was used to collect the data via Qualtrics. Adjunct faculty who taught in fall 2018 from all academic areas, and all four campuses were included in the sample. The response rate for this survey was 20%. A frequency distribution was constructed for the demographic data. Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationship between adjunct faculty participation in faculty development and background characteristics. Measures of central tendency were used to calculate the mean and standard deviation to identify faculty development needs, preferred conditions for faculty development, incentives that may encourage participation, and barriers that may hinder participation in faculty development opportunities, as perceived by respondents. The results indicate that the adjunct faculty who responded to the survey need faculty development training related to the following topics: instructional technology, student engagement, and instructional strategies. They indicated weekday evenings was the preferred time for faculty development, one to two hours workshops was the most feasible format, and college-wide email was their preferred method of communication for faculty development. There was no consensus on the preferred location, online or campus. Professional growth and life-long learning were the two incentives identified, by the majority of the adjunct faculty, which significantly or moderately encourages their participation in faculty development. Most of the adjunct faculty identified time and full-time job as the barriers which significantly or moderately hinders their participation in faculty development.