Compassion satisfaction (CS) and compassion fatigue (CF) are well-documented phenomena within healthcare, representing the positive emotions derived from aiding others and the emotional strain of caring for those in distress (Figley, 1995; Stamm, 2010). This research addresses a gap literature regarding CS and CF in higher education, particularly…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how community college adjunct faculty in the Southwest United States described the role of resilience in their lived experience as faculty while teaching during COVID-19. Phenomenological studies extract human perceptions of roles and are based on lived experiences told from the…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how contingent graphic design faculty in the US describe and interpret knowledge applications and real-world experiences from their accumulated conceptual repertoire in the execution of the classroom environment. Data was collected from 12 one-on-one semi-structured interviews and 16…

The use of casual contract employment has become a prominent feature in higher education institutions worldwide, including the growth of adjunct roles in the United States and fixed-term teaching staff positions in the UK. In Australia, this trend has been a subject of significant controversy and national attention in recent years, as casual…

Community colleges continually strive to improve the course completion rates for students. The quality of the instruction students receive is a primary area of focus for community college administrators. Many assumptions are often made in regard to the type of faculty (i.e., full-time faculty and adjunct faculty) who teach community college…

With the growth of cultural diversity in online higher education, this qualitative research aimed to investigate instructors' perceptions, practices, and challenges of increasing cultural presence in online course design and delivery. Seventeen instructors with different disciplinary backgrounds, online teaching experiences, titles, and ranks…

In an era of financial strain, colleges and universities are faced with many challenges. One such challenge is financial issues due to the recent pandemic, which has forced colleges and universities to implement many financial cut-backs. Nevertheless, higher education needs to invest in quality teaching to uphold the business plan of providing…

Current research indicates that online student grades have dropped at for-profit online institutions, where adjunct online faculty made up for 80-90% of online faculty. Evidence of low online student grades in an era of increased use of adjunct online faculty exists. A quantitative nonexperimental study examined the relationship between adjunct…

Revisiting his dissertation journal, the author undertook an autoethnographic study of that period in his life. As a full-time student within a U.S. research university, he had funded his studies by teaching international teaching assistants and undergraduates learning French and Arabic. In this study, he used inductive analysis to explore his…

This article presents new quasi-experimental evidence regarding the effectiveness of teaching-oriented faculty with tenure-track appointment, a model pioneered at the University of California (UC) system. Using data from six cohorts of students at a UC campus, we examine the impact of initial course-taking with three distinct types of…

This essay focuses on the communication studies' introductory course -- classes dominated by contingent labor -- to explore contingency within our disciplinary "front porch" (Beebe, S. A. (2013). Message from the president: Our 'front porch'. "Spectra," 49(2), 3. Retrieved from…

Since the 1970s, higher education has become increasingly reliant upon adjunct faculty to fill gaps in class instruction, but institutions tend to offer adjuncts subpar professional support as compared to their full-time counterparts. To ensure students' academic success, it is vital that adjuncts are provided resources, points of engagement that…

The world of online higher education is still in its infancy. This provides the opportunity for universities to create environments where online adjunct faculty acknowledges a sense of belonging and collaboration working with leaders who inspire, support, and mentor. Leaders, who truly listen, are open and honest. Support will inspire online…

The goal of this study is to investigate both the prevalence and the described strategies of university professors' use of one of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) techniques, Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs). This study also aims to compare whether traditional and online faculty and full-time and part-time faculty differ in…

The Faculty in Higher Education Survey collects data from approximately 853 higher education institutions on over 270,000 full-time faculty (tenure track and non-tenure track), as well as academic department heads and adjunct (pay-per-course) faculty. Data collected for full-time faculty include: salary, supplemental salary, and course relief (for…