Professional Identity of Adjunct Faculty Members at a Small Rural Community College PDF Download

Author: Kathryn J. Kaczmarski
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Author: Robert C. Mohrbacher
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community college teachers
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
Background: Previous studies suggested that the professional identity of community college faculty is less than clearly articulated. Lack of clarity with regard to professional identity may have impacts in a number of areas, including recruitment, professional development, and the overall reputation of community colleges. Purpose: To examine how community college faculty members articulate their professional identity and how the discourse around that professional identity affects the social reality of community college faculty members. Setting: Interviews were conducted at "typical case" community colleges in Washington and Oregon: institutions with an annual full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment of between 3,000 and 10,000 FTE, with a mission mix in which academic transfer students formed the largest percentage of annual enrollments, followed by career and technical education, and then pre-college programs. Subjects: Fifteen faculty members were interviewed at three community colleges. Faculty members were full-time, tenured teaching faculty. Research Design: Qualitative interviews using a semi-structured question matrix; the question matrix was designed to elicit responses related to elements of social identity theory. Data Collection and Analysis: Face to face interviews were conducted on college campuses. Audio recordings were collected, transcribed, then coded using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software. Coded excerpts were grouped into prominent themes. Findings: Five primary themes were identified from the interview data. · Participants became community college faculty members through an accidental or unexpectedly changed career path. · Teaching was the most salient role feature for community college faculty. · Being involved in a significant committee, professional development project, or other work group was often cited as a marker of professional identity development. · Autonomy, freedom, and flexibility were prominent values attached to the professional roles. · Community college faculty articulated a strong sense of mission; however, that sense of mission tended to vary between three values--a traditional academic paradigm, a workforce development paradigm, and a social justice/student empowerment paradigm. Conclusions: While teaching was the most salient role feature for community college faculty, most had little or no professional training for that role. In addition, the accidental career path that most faculty members experienced may contribute to a sense of luck or randomness that prohibits serious self-examination of the professional role. The strong value placed on autonomy and flexibility by community college faculty members may also inhibit examination of the professional identity. The social identity constructed by the discourse of community college faculty seemed weakly defined from the perspective of social identity theory.

Author: Hara Dracon Charlier
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College teachers, Part-time
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Author: Roy Fuller
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000974103
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
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.

Author: Patricia A. Wagner
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College teachers
Languages : en
Pages : 590

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Author: Jessean J. Banks
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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What factors, as perceived by adjunct faculty in an academic department at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) institution, had the greatest impact on adjunct faculty and their decision to continue to serve in the part-time role? In this study, I explore the effects of not receiving professional development and mentorship can cause for disruption among the adjunct faculty. Largely in response to economic issues, universities of higher education have increased their hiring of part-time adjunct instructors. In 2011, adjunct faculty accounted for 50% of instructors in degree-granting institutions. Studies indicate that adjunct instructors have less access to faculty development resources, may not have office space to meet with students, and have less prestige than their full-time counterparts (Maybee, 2014). The reorganization of academic departments is one response to the economic, political, and intellectual challenges that universities face. This study focused on six participants from academic departments. However, little research has explored how faculty members understand their professional identities and affiliation during the structural and cultural shifts engendered during an academic department reorganization which is the focus of this qualitative case study.

Author: Desna L. Wallin
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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The employment of adjunct faculty is often what allows community colleges to offer excellent yet affordable education; however, this group is often deprived of the professional development and basic amenities enjoyed by their full-time colleagues. Academic administrators are those charged with hiring and supervising adjunct faculty, and this book provides them with examples of successful programs that highlight the important connection between teaching quality and effective hiring, orientation, acculturation, and professional development practices for their constituency. These models come from community and technical colleges across the United States and can be implemented into any two-year system. Through the use of research, case studies, and hands-on how-to guides, checklists, and samples, this volume’s expert contributors explain how to understand part-time faculty— how to motivate them and value them as members of the academy. They go on to offer practical advice for recruiting, integrating, supporting, and retaining these great teachers.

Author: Kemah Eugene Paul Washington
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Author: Allison Venuto
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College teachers, Part-time
Languages : en
Pages : 102

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Book Description
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.

Author: Richard E. Lyons
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Showcases proven initiatives at a variety of institutional types that help achieve the needs of adjunct instructors, while increasing their effectiveness within institutions' existing delivery systems.