Adjunct faculty at colleges and universities in the U.S. are quickly outnumbering full-time faculty. This new faculty majority often struggles with low pay and sub-par working conditions. Recognizing this issue has a number of negative impacts for higher education, researchers at a comprehensive university in the southeastern United States…

This article describes the transition of a Learning Community for adjunct faculty from an in-person professional development program to a virtual experience necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary findings show support for our goals of enhancing teaching effectiveness while building community among an interdisciplinary cohort of adjunct…

Mentorship plays a pivotal role in the development of faculty, across areas of academic and professional achievement. Faculty mentor programs exist to support and advance faculty through a variety of models and levels. As an introduction to the special section on faculty mentorship and mentor models, the authors examine the critical importance of…

This research study examined how adjunct professors have applied online teaching practices and perceived the impact of professional development on those practices. A purposeful sampling of online adjunct instructors from two adjunct-focused Facebook groups was used to collect survey data. An adapted 30-question instrument was administered via…

This article discusses the importance of developing a system of communication with a large adjunct faculty population. An active faculty roster was developed in order to maintain an accurate and convenient process to remain in constant communication with the adjunct faculty population. By developing a consistent and adaptive process, communicating…

This study measures the perceptions of departmental culture from both the adjunct faculty and departmental administrator perspectives. The preparation for this study included the development of a validated survey designed to collect mirrored perception data from both groups. Multiple factors in higher education have led to an overreliance on…

The role and significance of adjunct faculty in the success of higher education programs cannot be overstated. Institutions should consider ways to foster self-efficacy and a sense of belonging among this contingent population of faculty, one reason being the profound impact adjunct faculty members can have on the student experience. This article…

A key way that colleges and universities seek to improve student learning is by providing instructional development to faculty. Yet today, the majority of college faculty are non-tenure track, adjunct faculty who have limited access to instructional support, and have traditionally not participated in such teaching improvement efforts when offered.…

Institutions of higher learning are expanding their academic reach by offering distance education courses and degree programs. Student demand for distance education continues to grow and so does the need for qualified faculty. The literature presents numerous approaches and best practices regarding new faculty orientation and professional…

This quantitative study examines how faculty service morale is related to faculty's social identities, organizational environments, and the three dimensions of faculty work-lives proposed by Johnsrud and Rosser (2002): professional priorities and rewards, administrative relations and support, and quality of benefits and services. Findings suggest…

Adjunct instructors are the fastest growing population of faculty in the academy; and, given the current economic condition and its impact on institutions of higher learning, the proportion of adjunct faculty is likely to increase (Gappa, Austin & Trice, 2007; NCES, 2011). Yet the adjunct population continues to remain disconnected from the…

This study provides a foundation for further work about motivation for training and the world of contingent employment in higher education and beyond for adjunct faculty. This sample of adjunct business faculty shows there is much to be learned about why adjunct faculty choose to work in higher education and how they view their own professional…

Faculty development research historically reported details on the types of programming available and the format of delivery. This research instead sought to uncover the underpinnings of the goals behind development efforts at community colleges. Findings indicate that teaching and learning issues remain central, with faculty interests serving as…