The labor market for part-time faculty at community colleges has changed such that in the past decade the number of instructors who teach part-time now outnumber those who teach full-time. This dissertation examines the full-time and part-time labor markets arguing that two separate labor markets exist. The supply in an urban area is nearly perfectly elastic for both full-time and part-time faculty; the demand side of the labor market is characterized by a number of costs. Data on costs were collected by two separate questionnaires, one to faculty and one to the personnel office of each college. The costs differ between full-time faculty and part-time faculty and include wages and fringe benefits, which are higher for the full-time than for the part-time faculty, and turnover costs which, on the basis of the total cost of the two groups, are higher for the part-time than for the full-time faculty. Because a service is produced, the input side rather than the output side of the labor market is used to estimate the expected productivity of the two groups. Literature on human resource investment is used as a basis for examination of productivity difference of the two groups. The labor market for the two faculty groups is segmented; however, the faculty perform nearly identical services and thus are considered perfect substitutes although not on a one-to-one ratio. The productivity difference between the full-time and part-time faculty is based on data collected by the faculty questionnaire. Based on the theoretical predictions and using the above data, the dissertation examines the effect of costs and constraints on the optimum employment combination of full-time and part-time faculty at urban community colleges. The hypothesis examined is that colleges act in a rational way given costs, productivity, and other constraints. Linear programming was used to examine the problem, and results showed that community colleges do act in a rational way, and will minimize total cost or maximize output. Further examination simulated conditions that might affect the community college from internal or external sources. The purpose of the simulation analysis was to determine the optimum combination of full-time and part-time instructors and the effect on the output or costs to the college. Simulations included changes in constraints, total budget, and total output requirements, and adjustments of costs and productivity relationships between the two faculty groups. The results showed that the college would adjust its part-time faculty, which formed a relatively variable factor of production, rather than its full-time faculty.

The study was designed to determine how learner outcomes, one aspect of a comprehensive assessment plan at an urban community college in the Northwest, may have influenced professional practice. Research subjects were selected from a group of forty-four faculty who participated in a college sponsored professional development activity. The purpose of this activity was to provide resources for faculty to develop curriculum from a learner outcomes perspective. The researcher was interested in how the adoption of learner outcomes may have influenced pedagogical methods, instructional content, classroom assessment, or other aspects of professional practice. Research participants responded to open-ended interview questions administered by the researcher. The shared phenomenon being investigated was the experience of community college faculty who were directly involved with transforming instructional objectives to learner outcomes and/or assisting other faculty with the conversion. Data were analyzed following a five-step process based on phenomenological research methods. Five themes were evident in the data: 1) importance of the process (writing outcomes and designing curriculum); 2) changes in classroom instruction; 3) classroom assessment modifications; 4) the integrative nature of the experience; and 5) changes in the classroom experience for students. The data indicated that participants shared two common experiences--writing outcomes and changing the syllabi as a result of incorporating learner outcomes. The findings indicated that learner outcomes influenced professional practice. However, the degree of influence was not at the same level of intensity for all participants and the degree of influence was not related to the number of years a participant had been teaching. Experienced faculty with twenty or more years of experience were distributed among three subgroups which denoted the degree of influence on professional practice or the amount of change evident from lower to higher levels of intensity. / Graduation date: 2003

This dissertation study deems faculty development critical to meeting challenges associated with retirement, potential professor shortages, increasing adjunct populations, unprepared faculty, and accreditation standards in the community college. The study centers on seeking a current, in-depth understanding of faculty development at Metro Community College (a pseudonym). The participants in this qualitative study consisted of adjunct and full-time faculty members and administrators who communicated their perceptions of faculty development. The analysis discovered faculty member types (progressive and hobbyist adjunct and proactive, active, and reactive full-time faculty) who invest themselves in development differently depending on their position and inclination to participate. Faculty members generally indicated a desire for collegiality and collaboration, self-direction, and individualized approaches to development whereas administrators exhibited a greater interest in meeting accreditation standards and ensuring institutional recognition. The study also discovered a need to consider development initiatives for adjunct faculty members. The dissertation proposes an improved partnership between the adjunct and full-time faculty and the administration.

Although temporal issues affecting organizations and leaders have been researched, time orientation (preference for one or more of the present, past, and future time frames) and visioning ability of change agents within organizations remain open for additional investigation. This exploratory survey study compared self-reported time orientation (TO) and visioning ability ratings of administrators and faculty at a community college. The research added to the extant literature by contextualizing the measures of the key constructs and extending the research to a novel setting. Scores for all three time frames were assessed in contrast to studies that emphasize future orientation. In addition, TO measures were obtained using an instrument constructed specifically for organizations (Fortunato & Furey, 2009). An adapted version of a visioning ability by Thoms and Blasko (1999) was constructed to address a specified time depth (the distant future) and domains relevant to higher education. Administrators reported significantly higher ratings than faculty on Future TO and visioning ability measures. Future TO scores for faculty were lower in relation to scores on the other two TO scales, but no within-group TO differences were found for administrators. A multiple regression model indicated that Future TO was the best predictor of visioning ability. Faculty teaching in the Associate of Science areas had higher Present TO scores than those teaching in the Associate of Arts programs. TO and visioning ability did not change as a function of gender, age, culture, and years of experience in higher education. The interpretation of the findings was limited by the lack of benchmarks that allow for meaningful comparisons across organizations, and by a continued need to establish construct and predictive validity for the key measures. The research has implications for hiring decisions, for staff development, and for temporal profiling in organizations interested in envisioning the distant future. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Today's community colleges are challenged to respond to rapidly changing internal and external environments. Their responses must promote highly responsive and relevant programs and services, while keeping intact the strengths of community colleges--access, student success, and a focus on teaching and learning. Further, these responses must occur in the context of rising costs, decreasing revenues, and increased accountability. Accrediting agencies are requiring colleges to more effectively respond to change by implementing improved planning processes. The research literature on higher education planning suggests faculty are a key constituency to engage in planning efforts. However, little is written about actual faculty experiences in planning. This qualitative study was conducted to provide increased understanding of how faculty at a large, suburban California community college experienced developing discipline specific educational master plans (EMPs) in Spring 2001. Using interactive qualitative analysis methodology, a seven-member faculty focus group first identified the affinities (or themes) of their planning experience. These affinities were used to develop interview questions for another 14 faculty members. The 21 faculty participants were from a total of nine different instructional areas, and had been identified as lead EMP contacts for their disciplines. Following its collection, the data was analyzed to generate grounded theory about the faculty EMP experience. The "Faculty EMP Experience Systems Theory" revealed the primary driver of the faculty experience was their belief eligibility for future resources for their disciplines was tied directly to their EMPs. This was followed by secondary drivers of their past experiences with planning at the college, and the resources they were given, or accessed, to complete their plans. Together, these three drivers directly influenced how the planning work was done. The secondary outcomes of the faculty experience developing EMPs included interpersonal effects of engaging in the EMP process, and unanswered questions about what the administration would actually do with their EMP work. Finally, the primary outcomes of the faculty experience were their evaluation of the EMP processes and products (plans), and the frustrations, if any, they experienced. This new theory suggests implications for practice and further research. / Graduation date: 2003

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