Community college teachers

The purpose of this study was to compare the teaching styles of full-time and part-time community college faculty. The Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) and a modification of the PALS for students were used to measure teaching style. The PALS identifies the extent to which an instructor prefers a learner-centered or a teacher-centered style. The sample was comprised of 31 full-time and 42 part-time randomly selected faculty from seven Florida community colleges and 925 students. Six hypotheses were tested. The findings are summarized here: (1) There was a significant difference between full-time and part-time faculty in teaching style as measured by faculty self-report. Full-time faculty have a more teacher-centered preference than part-time faculty. (2) There was a significant difference between full-time and part-time faculty in teaching style as measured by student perception. Students perceived full-time faculty as more teacher-centered than part-time faculty. (3) There was a significant difference between faculty and student perceptions of teaching style. Students perceived faculty as more teacher-centered than faculty perceived themselves. (4) Faculty characteristics accounted for 17.4% of the variance in mean faculty PALS scores. (5) Student characteristics accounted for 4.2% of the variance in mean faculty PALS scores. (6) Course variables accounted for 47.7% of the variance in mean faculty PALS scores. Additional findings included: (1) Both full-time and part-time community college faculty prefer a teacher-centered style. (2) Students are more satisfied with the overall teaching style of part-time faculty than the teaching style of full-time faculty. (3) In regard to teaching style, part-time faculty are less influenced by the expectations of colleagues than full-time faculty. (4) As the number and percentage of faculty employed part time at community colleges have increased, the reasons adjunct faculty accept part-time employment have changed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS) by adjunct faculty at 3 homogeneous Florida community colleges, 1 Vanguard and 2 non-Vanguard. A qualitative methodology, with a phenomenological approach, helped to describe the meaning that the experience of using CATS had for adjunct professors. Interviews with 18 participants, including adjunct faculty and faculty development administrators, were the primary means of data collection, supplemented by researcher field notes, demographic profile sheets, and analysis of actual CATS. The data synthesized into 3 levels of meaningful encounters, revealing the barriers that inhibited adjunct faculty use of CATS and how those obstacles were overcome, as well as facilitators that promoted use of CATS. A critical finding was that CATS did not motivate adjunct faculty to move from "private" investigation of student learning to "public dialogue" on teaching and learning that can add to the scholarship of teaching. The data showed that institutional commitment to CATS and a formal introduction to them as formative assessment, built upon a solid research base, were important steps toward encouraging their use. Also, "high touch" faculty development activities, which included CATS, effectively complemented those that were "high tech." The findings of the study indicated that the Vanguard and non-Vanguard colleges shared similar ideas. The Vanguard Learning College, however, distinguished itself by the actions taken to become more learning-centered; adjunct faculty participants assumed leadership roles as educational researchers who pursued independent projects to develop instructional materials to improve student learning as compared to adjunct professors at the non-Vanguard colleges. The following conclusions were reached: (a) Community college adjunct faculty use CATS to expand their own learning, often by designing probing questions in response to immediate classroom concerns. Therefore, the experience of using CATS is unique for each professor. (b) Deprivatizing adjunct faculty teaching is difficult, and sharing meets with resistance. At the Vanguard College, individual and communal learning are beginning to fuse. (c) CATs strengthen learning colleges as communication tools between instructors and individual students, but are not used to their fullest advantage to generate public dialogue on student learning.

The Curriculum and Instructional Development Center at Valencia Community College was established through funding under the Advanced Institutional Development Program-Title III from 1977 to 1981. This study measures the awareness and use of educational concepts, media materials, and testing strategies among the full-time faculty who were teaching at the college in 1977. Those faculty members who participated in the Curriculum and Instructional Development Center completed the Survey a second time at the beginning of the year's experience in January and again at the end of the year's experience in December. In January 1982, at the completion of the project, only those full-time faculty members who had been full-time faculty members in 1977, who were still at the college and who chose not to participate in this Curriculum and Instructional Development Center completed the questionnaire. The effects of the year's experience on those who chose to participate is compared with the growth and change among nonparticipants.

Introduction. Students and faculty agree that there is a great need to improve teaching at the community college. Although students learn in a variety of styles, many teachers rely on just a few teaching methods. This over-reliance on too few methods is a serious problem. Purpose of the Study. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between an instructor's educational preparation and experience and the choice of instructional methods employed in the classroom. Procedures. The data were collected by direct observation, and the instrument was administered by one observer. Both format and procedure were identical for all observations. The population observed was the entire teacing staff at Florida Institute of Technology, Jensen Beach Campus. Factors considered for correlation with method use included vocational or academic teaching area, part-time or full-time status, exposure to professional education courses, and exposure to methodology workshops. Findings of the Study. The research data indicated that the mean number of methods employed by vocational instructors was higher than the number employed by academic instructors, and part-time instructors had a higher mean number of methods than full-time, although neither gain was statistically significant. Exposure to professional education courses seemed to have no effect on the number of methods employed as both those with and those without such courses employed the same number of methods. The only factor which did yield a statistically significant difference in means was exposure to methodology workshops. The research data indicated that teachers believed training in method and student learning style had little influence on method choice. Factors which were found to be important were course content, preferred teaching style, and class size. Recommendations. It was recommended that further studies should be undertaken to clarify the importance of training in methodology as a determining factor in method choice; to establish what instructors know about student learning styles; to provide a knowledge base on actual behavior of part-time instructors; and to determine the precise nature of those workshops which have proven, by direct independent observation, to have a positive correlation with the number of methods employed.

The purpose of this study was to determine effectiveness of the recruitment
methods, programs available, and retention methods and procedures
used for the disadvantaged youth in Florida Public Community Junior
Colleges.
In order to identify and compare evidence related to this purpose
a survey questionnaire was sent to the counseling department in each college.
The questionnaire was constructed to obtain data from these areas:
(1) methods of recruitment, (2) identification of ethnic and economic
categories included in disadvantagement, (3) methods of selection of students,
(4) material aid given by college to disadvantaged students, (4)
extent and effectiveness of vocational and occupational programs, (6) the
present status of student retention, and (7) follow up programs on dropouts.
The questionnaire was sent to five Florida Community Junior Colleges
for their reaction and response. Three of the five respondents
mentioned an imbalance in emphasis between recruitment and programs and
between programs and retention. After consultation with an advisor,
several more questions on programs were added to correct imbalance and
add other pertinent information to the study.
The questionnaire was sent to the 28 Florida Community Colleges
and seven of their satellite campuses. Community Junior Colleges surveyed
were identified by the 1971-72 edition of the American Association
of Community Junior College's Directory. Of the 23 out of 35 questionnaires
which were filled out by the community junior colleges, 18 were
reported by major campuses and 5 were from satellite campuses, representing
64.3% of the total surveyed. Every questionnaire that was returned
was utilized in the statistical analysis, and is reflected in the above
percentage of those surveyed.
Chapter II shows an analysis of data for the entire study and a
preliminary discussion of recruitment and retention. The statistical
treatment of the findings for recruitment and retention is given in
detail.
Chapter III reflects a preliminary discussion of programs, and the
analysis of results of the programs now in operation for disadvantaged
students.
Chapter IV records final findings and implications.
Major Conclusions and Implications: The Florida community colleges in fact have both diverse offerings
and student populations. Documentation of the commitment to serve in
general is more evident than research to determine specific opportunity
for the disadvantaged. Special training programs are geared to the
academic offering of the college with conservative emphasis on remediation.
There seems to be an unwillingness to admit a need for institutional
change, especially as programs relate to retention.

This case study analyzed the perceptions of professionalism among an emerging and distinct occupational sector of community college faculty: community college faculty who teach in baccalaureate programs. The research was designed to address three questions as to the experiences of Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) faculty. First, what are the perceptions of professionalism among the community college faculty who teach in the baccalaureate programs at a multi-campus community college in the state of Florida (herein referred to as Seaside College)? Specifically, what patterns emerged when faculty perceptions of professional identity were examined, first, under the lens of professionalism as established by Larson (1977) and, second, through Boyer's (1990) four domains of scholarship? Second, are these faculty perceptions different from their previously held perceptions prior to the college's expansion into baccalaureate instruction? Third, were there any noticeable differences in faculty perceptions about the individual baccalaureate areas across this college?