Part-time Community College Faculty Perceptions of Assessment PDF Download

Author: Sarah Elizabeth Martin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Author: Erin M. Nitschke
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781303910234
Category : Academic achievement
Languages : en
Pages : 106

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This qualitative case study examined the perceived benefits of academic assessment as seen by community college faculty members. This study further aimed to identify what methods of assessment faculty perceive as valuable in evaluating student learning and how faculty utilize assessment results to modify academic programming. Lastly, this study sought strategies that may facilitate the construction of a sustainable culture of evidence and learning by focusing on the benefits of assessment. The researcher selected ten faculty members employed at the organization to participate in the interview process. Participants were limited to full-time faculty members with at least five years teaching experience in adult and higher education. During data analysis, six emergent themes developed as follows: (1) assessment as a multi-level process, (2) alignment beginning at the course level, (3) reciprocal relationship between teaching and learning, (4) assessments of higher order thinking, (5) data usability, and (6) administration-faculty disconnect leading to a culture of compliance. While faculty in this study found assessment to be beneficial to improving teaching and learning, faculty also noted several specific challenges they perceived to be barriers in creating a sustainable culture of assessment at the organization. Strategies for building the organizational culture were outlined and recommendations for future research were made.

Author: Barbara Jean Kelberer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 462

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

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Author:
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Post-secondary education is experiencing increasing numbers of incoming freshman who are academically under-prepared for college level work. California Community Colleges have more academically under-prepared students than any other institutions in the state, with 60-90% of incoming freshman in need of some form of remediation. The California Community College System Office is addressing this influx into its colleges with the Basic Skills Initiative which provides resources for colleges to support the under-prepared population. The purpose of this study was to determine what community college faculty think about the growing population of under-prepared students, how they are addressing these students in their classroom, and how they feel their institution is doing to support this population. The study further investigated differences of opinion between basic skills faculty and non-basic skills faculty. Study participants were full-time instructional faculty who participated in focus groups and a written survey which explored faculty awareness and perceptions of under-prepared students, current classroom practices addressing the under-prepared population, and recommendations for improvement. The response rate of 71% for the survey results paints a fairly accurate picture of the community college classroom as it pertains to under-prepared students at American River College. The results portray community college faculty as a flexible group doing their best to accommodate under-prepared students entering their classroom. Virtually all faculty recognize the under-prepared students in their classroom and most stated up to 50% of the students in transfer level classes are academically under-prepared. Many faculty have adjusted their course requirements to address issues associated with under-prepared students. Faculty believe the institution could be doing a better job to support their work with under-prepared students and a more focused effort is needed to ensure the success of under-prepared students at the institution. Most faculty believe the reason for the growth in under-prepared students is due to student motivation rather than the student's background or available resources. Although current practices in the classroom truly demonstrate progress with academically under-prepared students, they reveal additional work is necessary before all students, regardless of their level of preparation, can achieve success at the community college.

Author: Tatyana Batazhan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community college teachers
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Higher education is faced with ever-increasing challenges, which require fundamental changes in order to ensure its relevance in the future. Business leaders and academic scholars urge organizations to continuously reshape and renew through learning and innovation to assure viability and sustainability. Organizational climate serves as a foundation that can promote or hinder innovation. Consequently, an organizational climate that encourages innovation is paramount to get community colleges through challenging times and ensure their relevance and value in meeting the needs of the 21st century complex society. The purpose of the study was to assess perceptions of full-time faculty members about organizational climate for innovation in community colleges in Oregon and to determine if there is any difference in perceptions based on individual demographic factors or organizational characteristics. The secondary purpose was to gather feedback related to enhancements that community colleges can pursue to improve organizational climate for innovation. A web-based questionnaire was developed using items from other instruments that measured organizational climate for innovation with the constructs of leadership, support for creativity, norms for diversity and risk-taking, continuous development, ownership, and resources. There are 17 community colleges in Oregon; of these, 13 community colleges participated in the study. A total of 219 full-time community college faculty members participated in the study, which was (16%) of the total population of full-time community college faculty in Oregon Quantitative analysis included general description of respondent characteristics and descriptive findings; Cronbach's coefficient alpha to test instrumentation constructs and reliability; confirmatory factor analysis of the instrument confirmed the constructs. Investigation of assumptions related to the inferential analyses and factorial ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses. Qualitative research method was used to analyze qualitative data related to enhancement of an organizational climate for innovation. The study findings revealed that the organizational climate for innovation based on faculty members' perceptions was average and below average on the measurement along six selected constructs. There were no significant differences in responses of faculty based on the demographic factors (age, gender, educational level, area of teaching, experience in the profession, experience at community colleges, and experience at current community college) and an organizational size. Faculty members provided several recommendations on how to enhance an organizational climate for innovation, which were in line with the six constructs, the existing scholarly literature, and best business practices. While the body of research pertinent to organizational climate perceptions, culture, and innovation is growing, limited research is available on the topic of an organizational climate for innovation in post-secondary education. This study encompassed a broader approach of an assessment and information gathering from most of the colleges in one state, the state of Oregon. Therefore, this research is significant as it added to and enriched the existing and growing body of constructed scholarly knowledge. Most importantly, the results of this research provided Oregon community college leaders in administrative positions with an assessment of current organizational climate for innovation based on faculty members' perceptions. Therefore, community college leaders are armed with pivotal information that can assist them in shaping organizations' future directions and set up their colleges for innovation.

Author: Center for Community College Student Engagement
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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The Center for Community College Student Engagement encourages colleges to hold focus groups with part-time and full-time faculty to learn about differences in the faculty and their experience at their college and to complement survey data. Survey responses tell the "what" about faculty's experiences; through conducting focus groups, colleges will learn the "why." In addition to gathering specific details about faculty perceptions and experiences, these structured discussions will also help uncover possible strategies to consider for strengthening the role of part-time faculty at the college. Provided in this toolkit are materials for organizing focus groups and sample focus group discussion guides for faculty. In addition, sample quantitative response sheets are provided to gather basic demographic information, as well as information to complement findings from discussions. [This toolkit was produced as part of the Center initiative Strengthening the Role of Part-Time Faculty in Community Colleges, supported by MetLife Foundation.].

Author: Thomas George Buzan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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The interaction with, accountability for, and inclusion of part-time instructors is a growing concern of higher education. The increase and development of virtual classrooms, online courses, and other transformative technologies have also impacted this particular phenomenon. As students become more focused on a customized education that fits their lives, it is evident that the traditional form of lecture in the classroom as the primary source of teaching will continue to evolve and change. This new normal of how education is delivered and taught in higher education institutions of today leads to the primary question of this study, which is who is and who will be teaching. According to the American Federation of Teachers, as cited in Charlier and Williams (2011), it is estimated that part-time instructors account for more than 68% of the professoriate teaching in the country's community colleges. Based on their perceived role and value incurred by their institutions, it is clear that this segment of faculty will continue to be significant contributors or detractors to the core mission of their institutions. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the perceptions of part-time and full-time faculty members at Gadsden State Community College regarding the inclusion or exclusion of this growing population of educators. Utilizing an online survey instrument, the study will provide a framework of practices and strategies with the potential to bring about a higher level of involvement and job satisfaction for part-time faculty.

Author: Brian A. Sandford
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College teachers, Part-time
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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This study was designed to describe the frequency of professional development activities provided to part-time occupational and technical program faculty. Additionally, the perceptions of occupational education officers concerning the instructional professional development needs and their appropriate delivery method(s) for these faculty members within the community colleges in the United States were identified.

Author: A. Rae Price
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Community college teachers
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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