Jennifer Sweeney - Survey of Contingent Faculty in LIS: Preliminary Findings
- Are they different than other adjuncts?
- Using ALISE statistics, beginning in 2005, the number of adjuncts outnumbers the number of full-time faculty. In 2010, nearly as many full time faculty as adjuncts.
- Research Question: What are the characteristics of contingent faculty in LIS?
- Modeled on 2010 Coalition on the Academic Workforce (CAW) survey
- What do we mean by "contingent"?
- Employed for a specified time period
- Not tenured or tenure-track
- Part time or full time
- A variety of titles
- Methods
- Online survey opened in November 2014
- Emailed invitation via many discussion lists,etc.
- Target population: approx. 704 adjuncts teaching fall 2014
- Respondents
- 229 usable responses
- Held from 32 ALA accredited programs out of 58
- 62% are part time at one or more institutions
- 22% are full time adjuncts
- Most are mid-career
- What is your primary occupation?
- 33% teaching
- 26% other non-academic
- 16% other non-teaching academic
- 9% librarian
- 16% other, student, research, retired
- Other findings:
- Students per course - generally 11-30
- Compensation per course
- Most receive $3000-6000 per course
- 65% do not receive benefits
- They receive a variety of resources from their employer
- Teaching online and at a distance may be impacting this
- Working conditions - positive and negative
- Next steps:
- Continue survey analysis
- Continue to solicit survey contributions
- Mine CAW data set for comparisons
- Interviews: deans, directors, chairs,faculty
- Continue the dialogue
- SJSU, Students from 48 states and 17 countries - faculty also come from U.S. and international locations
- At SJSU, all faculty receive the same level of teaching support
- Role of nontenure track faculty
- Enrich curriculum offerings
- Contribute valuable perspectives
- Enrich the schools teaching, service, and research environment
- Serve as a face of the school
- Type Of contingent faculty
- Approx 10 full time lectures
- Approx 100 part time faculty
- Teach on an as-needed basis
- Recruitment is ongoing
- Look for PhD or Masters with significant professional experience
- Online teaching experience preferred
- All receive training in how to teach online
- Hiring
- Salary is dependent on highest degree received
- Most paid once at end of semester,due to union contract
- No benefits currently
- Expectations
- Provide recorded content - must meet accessibility standards
- Be visible and engaged as instructor in classes
- Respond within 24-48 hours. Set expectations
- Marian strong student ratings
- Participate in at least one T3 session (teaching workshop) each semester when teaching in the school (Teaching Tips and Techniques)
- Take teaching online course (new instructors)
- Support includes staff support and access to student peer mentors
- Performances appraisal
- Peer reviews
- Student Opinion of Teaching Effectiveness
- Self-Evaluation
- Annual Director/Dean Review
- Communication
- Director's Forum for Instructors (new)
- Information delivered via a variety of tools ne methods
- Faculty email list
- Blackboard IM (they are also using Canvas)
- Part time faculty are represented on all school governance committees
- May participate in university level initiatives
- Encouraged to participate in research
- Clarion hires as many as 25-30 per semester at their peak. Right now about 10 per semester. Is now a all distance program.
- Governed by the union contract.
- Part time faculty are selected by the full time faculty.
- They recruit all the time. The department search committee works on this all the time. Go through the applications 1-2 per semester. They do phone interviews.
- They do background checks.
- They do peer evaluations.
- If a person is hired for a single semester (at a time), then they cannot see the student evaluations.
- Part time faculty do receive benefits.
- Salary is governed by the union contract.
- Part time faculty do not teach core classes.
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