Relevant Issues Pertaining to Adjunct Faculty versus Full Time Faculty - Research Paper Example

 Relevant Issues Pertaining to Adjunct Faculty Versus Full Time Faculty Abstract This paper aims to present the difference between an adjunct faculty versus a full time faculty member. A literature review as well as policies regarding hiring of both types of faculty members would be discussed. Relevant human resources regulatory requirements concerning adjunct versus full time faculty would also be presented. Adjunct versus Full time Faculty 3 INTRODUCTION The history of education has evolved from a curriculum comprising of a simple theoretical framework to the complex structure we have today. The development of technology opened a whole spectrum of information and educational opportunities which enhanced the capabilities of individuals. Murphy, et.al. (2002) averred that “school leaders, educational administration faculty, and policymakers are endeavoring to redefine the profession in an era of ferment, during which the legitimacy of its knowledge base and the appropriateness of programs for preparing school leaders have been thrown into question”. More and more educational programs and institutions opt to utilize adjunct faculty members for diverse reasons. In this regard, the objectives of this essay are threefold: (1) to differentiate an adjunct faculty member versus that of a full time faculty; (2) to present underlying policies and regulatory requirement regarding hiring practices of both types; and (3) to determine the effectiveness of each type in terms of educational leadership. DEFINITION OF TERMS The State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) conducted a study of policies regarding the use of adjunct faculty (1998). The study provided a broad definition of an adjunct faculty as “one who is appointed for a specified and limited term to teach one or more academic courses or to provide other stipulated academic responsibilities”. Boston College (2008), on the other hand, defines adjunct faculty as “those persons holding instructional and/or research positions without contract of appointment to the faculty.” From these definitions, adjunct faculty are those teaching Adjunct versus Full time Faculty 4 professionals without contract and who teach a minimum load. The SCHEV study referred to this type as "part-time" faculty which could also include ‘temporary hires, paid and unpaid, who teach as substitutes, as "fillin" appointments, or as on-call instructors whose employment depends on adequate enrollment in courses”. A full time faculty, on the other hand, are professionals with full time teaching load with tenure and are eligible for benefits from the educational institution that employs them. Marquette University defines full time faculty as “a faculty member whose combined instructional, advising and clinical weekly workload equates to at least 12 credit hours per semester or 24 credit hours per academic year”. FACTORS THAT LEAD TO HIRING ADJUNCT FACULTY Wickun and Stanley made a research on the role of adjunct faculty in higher education. This study revealed that as early as 1960s employment of part-time instructors became a necessity in community colleges due to evening study programs. The administrators of these colleges sought professionals from various field to fill in as evening instructors for various subjects. Other factors that lead to hiring adjunct faculty are budget constraints and overworked full time faculty. The members of the professional community who take on adjunct faculty responsibilities welcome the additional income provided by the job as well as they view this as a chance to be of service to their community. National research has suggested that increasing enrollment without a commensurate rise in institutional revenue was an important factor in reallocating faculty positions from full-time to part-time (Leslie). According to Leslie, "[t]hese conditions Adjunct versus Full time Faculty 5 made it harder to hire more fulltime faculty, given the lower salaries paid to part-timers, the shorter time commitment to them, and the fact that part-timers mostly need not be paid benefits." STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES The strengths of hiring adjunct faculty are as follows: 1. Professionals who are employed as adjunct faculty are equipped with the educational background and experience needed to teach a particular course. 2. Adjunct faculty enriches the curricula with their personal and professional inputs and expertise on their field. 3. Due to their full time jobs in their professional capacities, adjunct faculty “they bring an increased level of productivity and flexibility to degree programs. The professionalism of most adjunct professors has been consistently exceptional, lending further credibility to the institution's reputation.”( Wickun and Stanley) 4. Since teaching is a welcome service for adjunct faculty, their “availability and reasonable salary requirements” are plus factors for their employment. (ibid) On the other hand, there are areas of improvement which have been identified in relation to hiring adjunct faculty, to wit: Adjunct versus Full time Faculty 6 1. Being professionals in their own field, they lack the necessary qualifications for teaching. It usually takes some period of adjustment and teaching skills to cope with this weakness. 2. The lack of support accorded by the educational institution which hired them aggravates the teaching experience of adjunct faculty. Wickun and Stanley reveals that “the adjunct faculty member typically has no office or telephone and often is not provide with a job description, course description, or even a syllabus”. In most cases, orientation is done through the college secretary and no handbook or orientation manual is provided. 3. The attitude of full time faculty towards adjunct faculty has created stress in their working relationship, if they have any. The study of Wickun and Stanley appropriately documented: “Regardless of their dedication to their classes, the low salary of adjuncts at some universities often creates animosity. The general attitude among adjuncts is often colored by the disparity between their high level of "expertise" and their low level of remuneration. Moreover, adjuncts are not always respected and admired by the permanent faculty.” REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES According to the study conducted by SCHEV, “adjunct faculty are not eligible for tenure and they are usually ineligible for major benefits applicable to full-time positions, such as retirement, medical and insurance benefits, and research leaves. Within the state Adjunct versus Full time Faculty 7 system of employment, adjunct faculty are treated no differently from other state part-time employees in regards to benefits.” Since adjunct faculty are professionals in their specific fields, “professionals such as doctors, attorneys, bankers, judges, psychologists, ministers, and engineers comprise a large sector of the adjunct faculty pool at the national level” (Wilkun and Stanley). Thereby, in terms of qualifications, leadership skills and experience, adjunct faculty has passed with flying colors. In fact, as averred by Leslie, “they also tend to be concentrated in specific academic disciplines, including law, fine arts, English and literature, computer sciences, and mathematics and statistics”. Different educational institutions provide written policies covering hiring of adjunct faculty. Boise State University, for example, have “Best Practices for Adjunct Faculty Hiring and Evaluation: A Guide for Departments at Boise State” as their reference for policy procedure regarding hiring adjunct faculty. Hiring policies and procedures, in their specific case, are departmental bases. To quote: “Some departments have created policies with the following elements: *minimum degree/experience *a hiring committee that reviews materials submitted by the applicant and makes hiring recommendations to the chair *a formal interview process prior to selection (Information on conducting a lawful employment interview may be found at http://cl.idaho.gov/lawintvw3.htm, and all individuals involved in an interview should review that information.) *a mock teaching experience prior to selection *review of prior teaching and evaluation data.” Adjunct versus Full time Faculty 8 CONCLUSION The improvement of the quality of adjunct instruction should be one the standing goals of any department that employs adjunct faculty (Kamps, 1996). Given the strengths and weaknesses that are enumerated herein, corrective measures should be applied to change the necessary aspects needed to enhance educational leadership in this endeavor. Carson (1988) has suggested that “institutions should identify a supervisory position to coordinate instruction provided by part-time faculty, including responsibilities for recruitment, hiring, scheduling, orientation, counseling, in-service education, and evaluation. Further the evaluation should include student evaluations, classroom observations, and post-observation conferences”. It is not enough that educational institutions have answered their teaching requirements for courses which could not be appropriately met by full time faculty members. These institutions should have a holistic program incorporating policies and performance evaluations for adjunct faculty. Educational leadership should be embodied in the structure of their educational system. As appropriately written by Sergiovanni (2001): “The heart of leadership has to do with what a person believes, values, dreams about and is committed to…. The head of leadership has to do with the theories of practice each of us has developed over time and our ability to reflect on the situations we face in light of these theories…. The hand of leadership has to do with the actions we take, the decisions we make, the leadership and management behaviors we use as our strategies become institutionalized in the form of school programs, policies and procedures.” References Boise State University. Best Practices for Adjunct Faculty Hiring and Evaluation: A Guide for Departments at Boise State. Retrieved on February 27, 2009 from Carson, V. M. (1988). Supervision of Part-Time Faculty: A Model for Community Colleges (Report No. JC 880 318). Dekalb College. Kamps, D. (1996). Continuous Quality Improvement in the Employment of Adjunct Faculty: A NIACC Plan (Report No. JC 960 1400). Mason City, Iowa: North Iowa Area Community College. Leslie, D.W. (1998) Part-Time, Adjunct, and Temporary Faculty: The New Majority. The Sloan Conference on Part-time and Adjunct Faculty. Marquette University. PART TIME FACULTY DEFINITION, BENEFITS AND RECOGNITION. Retrieved on February 27, 2009 from Murphy, J., Manning, J.B., & Walberg, H.J. (2002). Educational Leadership Reports and Recommendations From a National Invitational Conference. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory. Vol. 1 No. 2. Retrieved on February 27, 2009 from Sergiovanni, T. J. (2001). The Principalship A Reflective Practice Perspective (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Study of Policies Regarding the Use of Adjunct Faculty Response to Item 156.H., Chapter 1, Special Session 1, 1998 Retrieved on February 26, 2009 from Read More