Professional development, a continuing process of activities that enhance professional growth, should be planned and managed by the individual. Although part-time adult educators may be able to consult with supervisors in planning professional development, more often they work in relative isolation and must take sole responsibility for their…

This CRitical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on issues related to part-time and adjunct faculty. It is clear that part-time faculty are now a substantial entity within academe and need to be understood better. This CRIB sheet lists resources that address: (1) trends in contracts, numbers, or conditions of part-time faculty; (2) issues…

This digest addresses the history, motives, key players, potential effects, and future of the graduate student unionization movement. The course of faulty unionization efforts is intricately tied to that of graduate student unions. Graduate student employees have attempted to unionize at both public and private college and universities. There has…

The current use of part-time faculty and issues regarding this practice are addressed. Ways that part-time faculty affect the quality of academic programs are discussed, including the frequent characterization of them as "second-class citizens." Policies and practices are shaped by the diverse characteristics of part-timers,…

Reviews the literature concerning part-time faculty characteristics, salaries, recruitment, orientation, and staff development. Provides a bibliography of relevant works selected from the ERIC junior colleges collection. (JP)

Part-time instructors have been increasingly in demand in adult and vocational education. The two greatest benefits an educational program realizes by employing part-time instructors are cost savings and staff flexibility. Part-time employment offers certain benefits to instructors. Particularly drawn to such teaching commitments are semiretired…

The number of part-time faculty instructors at two-year colleges has grown steadily since the early 1960s, increasing from 38% in 1962 to 65% in 1993. Part-time faculty are employed in community colleges for four main reasons. First, they save an institution money in both salaries and benefits and are rarely promoted; second, the use of part-time…

An overview of the use of part-time teachers in adult and postsecondary education is presented. It is stated that adult and postsecondary institutions have found that the extensive use of part-time teachers helps to fulfill the needs for maintaining current, relevant training programs in new and emerging occupations; for providing training…

The increased use of part-time faculty in community colleges has left in its wake a large literature on the problems posed by heavy reliance on part-time faculty and on the need to address these problems through staff development programs. Four approaches have been used by community colleges to deal with the staff development needs of their…

Provides citations and abstracts for six documents from the ERIC junior colleges collection dealing with the evaluation of community college administrators and faculty. Specific topics covered in the documents cited include president evaluation, faculty evaluation systems, student evaluation of faculty, and the assessment of part-time faculty…

Provides abstracts and citations for six documents from the ERIC collection dealing with part-time community college faculty. Specific issues addressed include legislation and employment, institutional practices, staff handbooks and manuals, professional development, and evaluation. (JP)

The evolution of the Adult Education Act (AEA) in the last 25 years illustrates the progress of adult basic education (ABE) in the United States. A detailed look at the literature and outcomes of AEA-funded projects provides a sense of the effectiveness of 25 years of federal involvement. The passage of the AEA in 1966 led to the first systematic…

The essays in this collection provide contrasting points of view on a number of community college issues that have become more pressing during periods of economic constraint. The volume contains: (1) "Part-Time Faculty: The Value of the Resource," by William R. C. Munsey; (2) "Part-Time Faculty, Full-Time Problems," by David Hartleb and William…

The purpose of this volume is to provide a current view of the evolving professional development movement in community colleges. Chapter authors provide descriptions of how their institutions have addressed issues through professional development, created institutional change, developed new delivery systems, reached beyond development programs…

This document reports on the current status of community college faculty. Several articles draw on a survey of community college faculty administered by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) in 2000. CSCC staff invited 240 randomly chosen college presidents to appoint a local facilitator to administer the survey on campus. A total…