This report describes findings from a study of the Engaging Adjunct Faculty in the Student Success Movement project, a two-year initiative led by Achieving the Dream to develop and implement strategies to support adjunct faculty in improving student outcomes. Work in the project--guided by design principles related to classroom activities,…

This Guide is designed to support the work of institutional cross-functional teams charged with strengthening adjunct faculty professional learning and institutional engagement. Each section shares key learnings from ATD's work with six Leader Colleges, including accomplishments in the form of new programs, services, or policies that can serve as…

Issues of instruction and assessment at community colleges are influenced by the high percentage of classes taught by adjunct faculty. In 2014 for the Virginia Community College System, part-time instructors comprised 70.3% of instructional faculty. This dissertation describes the instruction and assessment technique choices of adjunct instructors…

Documentary filmmaker and writer Linda Janakos describes the life of adjunct professors as "Teachers on Wheels." She teaches at various schools in California where adjuncts are also called "Freeway Flyers." The author calls this life the "Adjunct-a-go-round." They are anything but part-time, but they fall under what…

As online enrollments escalate, so does concern about student attrition rates. There is an abundance of literature addressing student success in online courses, particularly using constructivist learning theories to create engaging learning experiences. Also emerging from the literature is the "Seven principles of good instructional…

Nationally adjunct faculty comprise almost 70% of all two-year institution faculty while in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) adjunct faculty teach 60% of the community college courses, and should past trends continue, the number of adjunct faculty members is expected to grow 10% within the next fifteen years (Caliber, 2007; Phillipe…

One of the ways public colleges and universities are adjusting to changing financial circumstances is by hiring more part-time faculty and teaching/research assistants than full-time faculty. The possible long-term effects of this change should be watched closely by campus and state leaders. Several cost factors have triggered the trend:…

States that part-time faculty--whose numbers have doubled in the last generation--are paid an average of only $1500 per three-unit class, are rarely included in the community college culture, receive no benefits, and frequently lack legal protective measures. Offers suggestions as to how these legal issues can be addressed and resolved. (NB)

This collection of charts, graphs, and text; part of a series describing the public colleges and universities in Virginia, are intended to examine what the faculty in Virginia's public colleges and universities do, who they are, and how they are supported, evaluated, and rewarded. In most charts, institutions are grouped by mission doctoral…

This collection of graphs and text, part of a series describing the public colleges and universities in Virginia, are intended to answer the question, "What is it like to be a student at a public college or university in Virginia?" Most graphs provide data for fall 1995 and are broken down by individual four-year institution and the…

Volume 5 of the "VCCA Journal" contains the following articles: (1) "Outcomes Assessment Weather Forecast: A Cold Wind Blowing from the North," by David C. Hanson; (2) "The National Endowment for the Humanities Grant at Piedmont Virginia Community College," by Evelyn Edson, Jane Kingston, William Owen, and Samuel…

The "Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Fact Book on Higher Education" is one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of comparative data on higher education. For decades, state leaders, policy-makers, researchers and journalists have used the "Fact Book" to find useful data quickly--and to learn more about…