By Elayne Clift

Is there any hope for college adjuncts?

It was never my intention to teach when I was in the throes of my career as a health communications and gender specialist. But when I was invited to be a lecturer at Yale University’s School of Public Health I discovered I loved teaching, and was pretty good at it. From there I went on to various teaching gigs at institutions as diverse as community colleges, Ivy League schools and Thai universities. Not having a Ph.D., I was relegated to the world of adjuncts, but never having aspired to the academic world of “publish or perish,” I was happy.

As time went on, however, I began to experience the drawbacks of being an adjunct. Frustrations began with being paid a pittance for extremely labor-intensive, high responsibility work. While private universities paid about $5,000 (plus expenses), state institutions were offering $2,000 or less a semester. Given today’s cost of living, that’s gas money, or if you are burdened with oversubscribed online courses, the bottle of hooch you need to get through the week.

Beyond pay scales there were other issues. For example, most adjuncts cannot collect unemployment if the semester they were promised falls through. If classes are undersubscribed they may have to accept pro-rated payment (make that half a tank of gas). They have no office space, no benefits or salary increases unless they’re unionized, no hope of professional development funds, and no job security.

And yet, adjuncts comprise a large percentage of faculty in institutions of higher education, sometimes approaching 50 percent of teachers at public institutions. We bring special expertise and often years of experience to the classroom. We could bring those skills to committees too if we were incentivized to do so. We are skilled professionals who spend hours planning and delivering courses, evaluating, mentoring and counseling students, and responding to administrative demands.

I thought things might be looking up for adjunct faculty when, a while back, I received a letter from the new president of a college where I was teaching. His letter was a call for better recognition of adjunct faculty.

“The need for an accessible, quality education has never been greater,” he wrote. “Your willingness to give your time and share your experience makes a tremendous difference in the lives of students we serve.” With that in mind, the president, a former adjunct himself, announced a “new model for part-time faculty that better recognizes the role (they play).”

But things don’t look so hopeful these days. Another college where I’ve taught — part of the same state system in which the new college president works — has begun a rigorous campaign to remove long-time, unionized adjuncts, replacing them with less qualified “newbies” burdened with ever larger classes.

A recent article posted on AlterNet questioned whether we are about to see an “Adjunct Spring.” It pointed out that over the last 30 years colleges have grown more reliant on adjunct faculty as a way to cut costs while simultaneously trying to stop them from organizing for better pay and benefits. But work conditions are often abysmal. For example, office space is small and shared and there is no clerical support.

There is some pushback in the face of lowering standards and unfair labor practices. One adjunct lecturer has started an online presence called the Adjunct Project. According to AlterNet, its documentation of adverse conditions has resonated with faculty around the country. After several weeks the database had more than 1600 entries about pay, working conditions and personal experiences. It’s the Angie’s List of Academia.

Education, as we know, is in crisis in this country. When we talk about that crisis, we emphasize K-12. But an invisible crisis exists in colleges and universities and it’s getting worse. Just compare where we are with higher education standards and practices in other industrialized nations. In the U.K., for example, students not only know how to write fluently in English, they also tend to speak another language.

They are taught how to argue logically based on research and empirical evidence. Our students prefer easier methods of learning, which overburdened teachers often yield to in the interest of their own sanity.

Respect for, rather than exploitation of, part-time faculty can go far to improve academic standards, provide quality learning environments, and guide students toward successful futures. Our kids deserve that. So do our teachers.

You don’t need a Ph.D. to know that much.

Originally published in the Keane Source-Sentinel. Reprinted here with permission.

By Jenny Ortiz

It’s no secret that as a society, we get our basic legal information from the television show “Law & Order.” When I interact with students, most cite this show along with “CSI,” “NCIS” and “House” as their favorites because they’re based on “real life.” I love television more than most, but I also know that not all my information about the United States legal system should come solely from actress Mariska Hargitay. I understand the need to read and research a variety of articles and primary sources in order to form and support my own opinions. Recently, however, I realized that the euphoric feeling I get from researching and proving my own points without falling back on cliches is not a thrill shared by my students. My students like cliches. For them, proving a point is pointless and unnecessary.

They’d rather fail the assignment than stop spouting their unsupported opinions or turn to a primary text for evidence.

At Adelphi University, I wanted my students to learn how to be persuasive in their academic writing, so we read “Adams” by George Saunders in class, then I proceeded to play devil’s advocate. The students disagreed with me, as I knew they would, but they couldn’t prove their points, as I knew they wouldn’t. Though I kept telling them to use the text, they continued to repeat their opinions. One student not only disagreed with me, but became so upset with the assignment that he caused a scene in class. He stated that not only did he not have to prove common sense, but that I was wrong and that he wasn’t paying attention to the discussion anymore. He didn’t give a…add your own colorful words. Rather than argue, I simply smiled and told him we could discuss it in class. I finished the lecture by showing the students how to prove the point they wanted to formulate using textual evidence.

After class, the student who made a scene tried to flee, but I caught him before he could run out. I explained to him that academia, like it or not, was about discussion. I also told him that I had taken the opposing view so that the students could think. He was bewildered that I could argue a point I didn’t agree with. As he began to feel better about our discussion, he (not yelling this time) explained that he didn’t understand why he had to prove his point using the text if he could make a strong argument using common sense to which I explained not all common sense is common sense.

In the end, he didn’t do the assignment, but realized his actions were rash. He apologized and we moved on with the week. However, this is only one example of students who are unwilling to compromise in their perspectives. Being strong-willed and opinionated is fantastic, but many of these students are not backing up their statements or opinions with solid proof. Academia is about being challenged every day and in every lecture. These students were willing to challenge their professors and their fellow students, but when asked to prove their own points they became defensive and turned to cliches.

In a society where we all have opinions, we are rarely asked to justify them. Likes and dislikes are created based on shallow and on the surface information as opposed to research and thought-provoking questions. There are the students who want to be challenged, the students who awaken to the process of learning, students who understand instinctively what it means to learn but then there are other students that refuse to be challenge and will cause a scene to avoid such challenges. Perhaps this event happened because I was working with a group of traditional freshmen and their world has yet to open…it is my hope that this is the case as I fear what it means if this isn’t the case.

What are your thoughts? What are your solutions to the unchallenged student?

About the Freeway Flyer: Jenny Ortiz is a quite serious 25 year old New Yorker, except when unicorns (specifically chubby unicorns) are involved. When she isn’t pleading with Kurt Sutter via Twitter to be her mentor, she is teaching at St. John’s University, Adelphi University, and LaGuardia Community College (see, quite serious). When she isn’t teaching, she’s hanging out with her friends showing off  earth and water bending skills (not serious, but super fun).  When she is alone and it’s raining, she likes to read Haruki Murakami, or listen to the Broken Bells and daydream.  If you want to be a fan, you can read Jenny’s work on fictionatwork.com, Blink-ink.com, Jersey Devil Press, dogeatcrow.com, Break Water Review,Stone Highway Review, Eighty Percent Magazine and InkSpill Magazine…or you can follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/jnylynn.

By Jenny Ortiz

Remember the high school locker and how convenient it was? Books and jackets were left behind and locked up tight. My locker, although messy, was notorious for having everything: an extra pair of sneakers, sweaters, blank notebooks, make up, and anything else a high school girl needs for the day.

Nowadays, I have three office areas and I haven’t even left a pencil behind. When I was teaching at one college, I not only left my teaching material in my desk, but I decorated my space. Pictures and posters were put up as a way to welcome my students into the little space I shared with five other adjuncts. I was always confident that there were notepads, chalk and an umbrella back in my office.

With three campuses, these things change. Being uncomfortable is a requirement for every Freeway Flyer. Either I’m traveling with three bags or one packed to max capacity. Leaving a textbook in the wrong office could mean a disastrous lecture.  My tote bag has become my high school locker. Heavy is an understatement. No matter how much I organize, my tote bag has become more of a burden than an ally in teaching.

Why can’t I leave anything in my office? Well, like I mentioned before everyday I’m somewhere different. I need my teaching materials not only for the class I”m teaching that day but I have to prep for the others too.

Another reason, is that as a Freeway Flyer offices often change and it’s a hassle to move from one space to the next. I, for one, hate having to pack up all my books and papers after every semester.

Also, I share my offices with more than ten other adjuncts. There is never filing cabinet space. Recently there were five us in a small cubicle room trying to prep for our classes.

With all this said, however, the seams of my bag are starting to bulge and my right arm has more muscle than my left. So I’ve come up with a survival kit that can be left at every campus; it’s not only small but convenient.

Can I borrow a pencil?

A pencil, a black pen (you can’t sign your time sheets in red, can you?), a piece of chalk, a legal pad and an dry eraser marker are essential but I can never find them in my bag as they fall to the bottom. I ended up carrying more than I need only because I’m too lazy to look for them.  Solution: I keep one of each tied in a rubber band in each of my kits. I no longer have to carry a notebook or writing material.

Can I get a copy of that?

Paper hurts! I love making copies and providing different readings to my students in order to explain my lecture. However, the original copies weigh down my bag. I’ve made three copies of all the readings I do in my classes and leave them in every campus, so I have them available to prep, regardless of which campus I’m on. Another great item to have is an inexpensive flash-drive that only has the readings for easy printing access, which can be left in the kit as well.

I’ve also learned that links are a lot lighter than paper. This semester I’ve started incorporating simple technology into my classes. Whether it’s a clip on you tube or news articles I throw up on the projector, I’ve cut the amount of items I carry. Another great reason for links is that I can send it to the students as soon as I finish the lesson, which means that I don’t have to lug thirty copies of a reading.

I’m Parched!

I carried my tea cup and assorted teas with me to every campus for the simple comfort of knowing I was prepared. Also, if I left my favorite mug in one campus, I couldn’t use it anywhere else. For a while, I lugged my thermos around, but now I leave a few teabags tucked into a few disposable coffee cups in my kit.

These three items are truly essential in every Freeway Flyers’ day.  Free from these three little items, I’m left with a much lighter bag and at the end of semester bringing it home is easy, if I want to bring it home.

Are there things you can’t live without as a Freeway Flyer that should be included in my lightweight survival kit? We may not have lockers anymore, but that doesn’t mean we have to be uncomfortable all the time!

About the Freeway Flyer: Jenny Ortiz is a quite serious 23 year old New Yorker, except when unicorns (specifically chubby unicorns) are involved. When she isn’t pleading with Kurt Sutter via Twitter to be her mentor, she is teaching at St. John’s University, Adelphi University, and LaGuardia Community College (see, quite serious). When she isn’t teaching, she’s hanging out with her friends showing off  earth and water bending skills (not serious, but super fun).  When she is alone and it’s raining, she likes to read Haruki Murakami, or listen to the Broken Bells and daydream.  If you want to be a fan, you can read Jenny’s work on fictionatwork.com, Blink-ink.com, Jersey Devil Press, dogeatcrow.com, Eighty Percent Magazine and InkSpill Magazine…or you can follow her on Twitter: twitter.com/jnylynn.

By Bruce A. Johnson, Ph.D., MBA

Your work as an adjunct instructor – do you remember how it all began? What initially inspired you to teach? Do you still feel the same today? If you have been teaching for any length of time you probably have a familiar routine established. You understand what’s expected for your instructional duties and the importance of developing an effective time management plan. You also realize that there is a significant commitment of time required to be actively engaged in the class and create a meaningful learning experience for your students. But if you find that your work has become too routine feeling, perhaps this is a good time to review the source of your inspiration and how it can have a direct impact on your performance.

Many adjuncts describe teaching as something they are passionate about and it results from a desire to share their knowledge and experience with students. It is also an opportunity to help students develop academic skills, self-motivation, self-confidence, and an overall sense of self-empowerment. Another reason why adjuncts pursue teaching opportunities is that they love to learn. Schools encourage continued learning because they expect instructors to remain current in their field and participate in professional development to expand their knowledge and enhance their facilitation skills.

Students can pick up on how you feel about teaching or your general attitude – whether you teach in a classroom or online. It is evident in the tone of your communication and responsiveness to them. If you can remember why you chose this work, despite deadlines, expectations, frustrations, and a busy (often stressful) work schedule (that may seem unrealistic to you at times), you can stay focused on what is most important to you and your students.

Share Your Knowledge

A source of inspiration may be a desire to share knowledge and experience with students. Most adjuncts are working in a career that is related to the subject matter taught, along with advanced education. This adds depth to the class discussions because you understand the course concepts and can translate theory in a way that allows your students to view it in the context of the real world. In other words, you bring the course materials to life.

The knowledge you possess also strengthens the class assignments because you know if students are on the right track with their analyses, research, and projects. For example, undergraduate students often submit written assignments that address real world issues from a “should” or “needs to” perspective, without considering the potential implications or reality of their proposed solutions. Through the use of Socratic questioning and feedback, which challenges the premise of their statements, you are able to guide students and encourage them to explore alternative perspectives, ideas, and solutions.

Teach Skillset Development

Another source of inspiration may be the result of wanting to help students acquire more than content-specific knowledge. Adjuncts often see their students as individuals and take an interest in learning about their needs. As you know, there isn’t one set of characteristics or qualities that can be applied to all students because each possess an individualized approach to learning and have varying skills and abilities. The process of teaching involves being able to quickly assess and interpret where each student is at, from an academic skill set perspective, and knowing how to assist them.

Working with students requires patience, emotional intelligence, and strong communication skills – if you are going to connect with them and develop productive working relationships. Addressing skillset developmental needs such as writing and critical thinking can be very rewarding because you watch a shift in their perspective and approach to interacting with their environment. For example, as they discover a capacity to learn they become more self-confident and over time their self-motivation increases. This is the essence of self-empowerment – when students understand that their work and effort produces a positive result, including the accomplishment of their goals.

Encourage Lifelong Learning

Do you have a love of learning? Another reason why adjuncts choose to teach is that they are passionate about their career and enjoy reading about research, topics, and trends within that field. As an educator it is absolutely essential to stay up-to-date so your instructional approach is relevant to current issues and topics. Through your passion for learning will also teach your students how to become lifelong learners. Encourage them to do more with their discussion responses and written assignments than offer opinions – ask them to find scholarly sources and credible information. This will also promote the development of critical thinking and analysis skills.

As you reflect upon the reasons why you are inspired to teach you are likely to remember the sense of personal and professional fulfillment that results from helping students reach their academic goals. While the work of an adjunct often requires a substantial investment of time, it is a necessary part of the process of teaching that you accept and gladly perform for the benefit of your students. The opportunity to share knowledge and experience, while teaching self-developmental skills, can be transformative for you and your students.

By Bruce A. Johnson, PhD, MBA

Dr. Bruce Johnson has had a life-long love of learning and throughout his entire career he has been involved in many forms of adult education; including teaching, training, human resource development, coaching, and mentoring. Dr. J has completed a master’s in Business Administration and a PhD in the field of adult education, with an emphasis in adult learning within an online classroom environment. Presently Dr. J works as an online adjunct instructor, faculty developmental workshop facilitator, and faculty mentor.  Follow Dr. J on Twitter at @DrBruceJ

Look for Dr. J’s new book Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Part-Time Faculty Who Teach Undergrad and Grad School Business Courses, published by Part-Time Press, Inc. – available summer 2012.

Official statistics can tell you how many workers were jobless last month, how many had college degrees and how many worked in construction. But they cannot tell you how many know Hadoop, a software for managing data that is much in demand these days.

LinkedIn, however, says it knows that, and much else gleaned from the profiles of its millions of members. The social-media website for professionals can tell you that one of the fastest-growing job titles in America is “adjunct professor” (an ill-paid, overworked species of academic). One of the fastest-shrinking is “sales associate” (see chart, below).

Researchers already mine the internet for hints about disease outbreaks, the national mood or inflation. LinkedIn thinks its data can do the same for the job market. It has more than 150m members worldwide, 60m of them in America. That should be enough to draw accurate inferences about the entire American labour force.

At the request of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, it calculated which industries and job titles were experiencing the biggest gains and losses. Scott Nicholson, a “data scientist” for the firm, says LinkedIn can potentially track such changes in real time, rather than the weeks or months government surveys take. It can also follow occupations and industries, such as e-learning, that don’t have their own category in government tallies. It can trace shifts between regions, sectors and occupations. Are people quitting law firms to become law professors, moving from Arizona to North Dakota, or what?

The firm hopes to be able to track the nation’s evolving skills base. Members routinely pick up new skills and add them to their profile. LinkedIn can see how often job-changers mention a particular skill, such as Hadoop. Jeff Weiner, the firm’s boss, imagines that eventually every job opening and its requisite skills will be digitally searchable by every potential candidate, reducing the friction that lets millions of vacancies co-exist with high unemployment.

Such granularity could revolutionise economic research, says Erik Brynjolfsson of MIT. But for consistency and longevity, you can’t beat the government. As Mr Brynjolfsson notes, “Web companies don’t tend to have the same lifespan as the US Census Bureau.”

by Robert Borger

It seems to me that the new buzzword in online education is “Critical Thinking.”  I just completed a Webinar about the topic last month, have plenty of messages about how to increase critical thinking with my students, and see it come up in grading templates and rubrics continually.  This is something that cannot be ignored!

I started with coming up with my own definition of critical thinking, and decided I want my students to be able to think on their feet when they complete my classes.  I think this is a big part of critical thinking. The challenge is how to bring this out in their assignments and discussion boards in the online format.

One example is a project management class that asks for professional examples or stories from the news that provides insight to the topic.  I found that the students did not try to grasp how many news stories were available in our subject.  I turned on the NBC Nightly News and saw a story about the new Boeing Dreamliner, which has a history of failed timelines and massive budget problems. I sent the class a message to review the news story online with a video link, and the conversation exploded with relevant information and analysis on the importance of everything from Union Negotiations to outsourcing labor.  It was an amazing difference in the discussion.

I am lucky enough to have a full-time position at a large corporation, and have seen successful employees make intelligent decisions and respond to complicated situations with clarity and speed.  I think there is a part of critical thinking that is based on street smarts and experience, which is sometimes difficult to bring to a classroom.  One thing that I have decided to do is share examples with my students, and scenarios, to show them the importance of critical thinking on their careers. I used my own personal interest in adult development, and applied for a Global Training Position in my organization. I was able to share my experience as an instructor, and the process experience in the company to enhance my chances at the job.  There are others in my class that have part-time jobs, but do not share their energy and passion for business with their current boss.  They need to bring all relevant experience to the table to get the most out of all opportunities in the job they have!

The students in our online programs need to take the initiative to build their critical thinking one assignment and discussion board at a time.  As an instructor, I am now looking to ensure there is critical thought in every post, and need to bring the probing questions to expand the discussion in a relevant manner.

Critical thinking is going to be necessary to challenge the complicated issues we have in society today, including the value of their education.  A November, 2011 article in the Wall Street Journal asked whether students recognize value from their educations once they graduate.

From the WSJ piece: “Anne Neal has been trying to help families answer that question for years. As president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, she believes students should leave college with a broad base of knowledge that will allow them “to compete successfully in our globalized economy and to make sense of the modern world.”

By that ACTA means universities should require a core curriculum with substantive courses in composition, literature, American history, economics, math, science and foreign language.” (McGurn, 2011).  This response from Anne Neal clearly sounds like the critical thinking mandate that I have been receiving for all my online classes.

I am in the process of finishing up another week of some classes, and looking to start my full-time week in the corporate world.  I will continue to focus on critical thinking for success for my students, and hopefully for myself, as well. I am lucky enough to be working on my career development plan for the next five years, and I am adding the development opportunity to bring critical thinking to my planning and analysis on the job. I have decided to request a path to become a people manager, and use planning and strategy to bring change into the organization.

By P.D. Lesko

In live in Michigan and at the moment, I wish that I didn’t. Presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are fighting it out for the state’s delegates and it’s, well, one of the most tedious, repetitive, breathy news cycle I have lived through in quite some time. There are panting press releases about the latest voter polls. One poll shows Santorum with a slim lead. The next poll has Romney ahead by the skin of his teeth. The Lansing State Journal, a practical publication, posted a piece that reported the two men were in a statistical dead heat. Thank you. We’ll all know who won by 10 p.m. on Tuesday, and I don’t really care to know anything other than it’s close. If Romney loses, there are Republican hand-wringers who claim the GOP presidential primary race will be thrust into chaos. Who cares? Daily Kos, a liberal blog, posted a headline that screamed, “10 Percent of Michigan Voters Insane.” Only 10 percent? Really? There were more Democrats than that who believed that Republican Rick Snyder would be a moderate and foolishly voted for him. As it turned out, some poll or other had 10 percent of Michigan voters telling pollsters that Santorum is “too liberal.”

Rick Santorum is now running around Michigan suggesting that not everyone should go to college. Ok. I taught college for 10 years. Chances are very good you’re teaching college at this very moment. We can all point to one student or another who simply should not have gone to college, either due to a lack of motivation or a lack of academic preparation. What’s the big secret? Students routinely drop out of college, and some never go back. Many do, but others simply decide that college is not how they want to spend their time and money. It’s as silly to judge them as it would be to discourage anyone who wanted to go back and give college another whirl. It’s a very personal choice.

What bothers me no end, however, is to hear a former U.S. Congressman who obtained an undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University, an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and a law degree degree from the Dickinson School of Law, ask with a straight face: “Why bother with college?” Seriously? Because people who attend and graduate from college earn significantly more over the course of their lifetimes than those who hold only high school diplomas. A guy who has an undergrad degree and two post-grad degrees has got to be kidding when he suggests college may not be worth the time, effort or money.

The New York Times blog today picked up on Santorum’s clever new campaign strategy in a piece titled, “The New Conservatism: Don’t Bother With College.” David Firestone writes: “Rick Santorum opened a new beachhead in the culture wars over the weekend with one of the stranger positions in what passes for conservatism in the Republican Party these days – arguing for a reduction in the number of people who seek higher education.”

Santorum (right) suggested that to make college attendance a national goal, “devalues the tremendous work that people who, frankly, don’t go to college and don’t want to go to college because they have a lot of other talents and skills that, frankly, college — you know, four-year colleges may not be able to assist them.”

Yes, that is Rick Satorum’s actual sentence construction, which makes Sarah Palin’s verbal flubs appear the work of a genius.

Then, over at the Wall Street Journal blog, Siobhan Hughes posted a piece titled, “Santorum Reaches Out to Voters Who Don’t Want College Degrees.” Hughes writes, “Mr. Santorum, who has said before that college isn’t for everyone, disputed the suggestion that his position made it seem like he thought there was something wrong with getting a college education.”

So what’s the real reason Santorum wants to cut down on the number of people who go to college?

Santorum explains that, “We have some real problems at our college campuses with political correctness, with an ideology that is forced upon people who, you know, who may not agree with the politically correct left doctrine.”

Ah. So the rich white guy with two post-graduate degrees is worried that college is “indoctrinating” young people. They shouldn’t be indoctrinated. They should be unemployed. Government statistics show that unemployment is higher among those without a college degree. In January, the jobless rate for those with less than a high school degree was 13.1%, according to the Labor Department. That compares with a 4.2% unemployment rate among people who have a bachelor’s degree or more education. The rate was 7.2% for those who have graduated from high school but have never gone to college.

I have a feeling his phobia of indoctrination gives college-going Americans rather less credit than they deserve for being able to determine what they believe and to sustain their beliefs in the face of disagreement.

George Stephanopoulos blogged on the subject at ABC News under a headline that would have made his old boss, President Bill Clinton, smirk. “Rick Santorum: ‘A Lot’ of People in US Have No Desire for College.” He writes:

I asked Santorum about recent comments he made to Glenn Beck about colleges, calling them “indoctrination mills.”

He defended those comments to me.

Santorium told Stephanopoulos: “I mean, you look at the colleges and universities, George.  This is not — this is not something that’s new for most Americans, is how liberal our colleges and universities are and how many children in fact are — look, I’ve gone through it.  I went through it at Penn State.  You talk to most kids who go to college who are conservatives, and you are singled out, you are ridiculed, you are — I can tell you personally, I know that, you know, we — I went through a process where I was docked for my conservative views. ”

If comedienne Tina Fey misses this opportunity to impersonate Rick Santorum and make sport of his inability to speak clearly, it will be a major loss for the nation. This is a guy with two post-grad degrees who can’t string together two sentences about why college is not for everyone.

Look, I don’t have a horse in this Michigan primary race, but every U.S. president, including both Bush presidents, have called for universal access to higher education because it’s a path to increased economic success not only for individuals but for our society, as well. There will never be anything close to universal participation in higher education by those adults who would be eligible. Why? Because some people just don’t want to go; some people can’t afford to go to college; some people think college is a waste of time.

In essence, Rick Santorum isn’t saying anything new, shocking, cutting edge or even breaking new educational theory ground. The mainstream media pundits who are running around this story in small, concentric circles, hoping to draw in readers and page views, are reporting what all of us have known for as long as we’ve worked in higher education: A percentage of students should not be in college. They will drop out. They will fail. They will leave despite all of our best efforts to help them succeed.

If this is the best Rick Santorum has got to give to the American people in terms of education policy, he deserves to have the mainstream media make him look like a buffoon who can’t speak coherently.

No matter how many robo-calls I get, nothing will change my vote: higher education is one path to economic well-being in our country. Instead of fretting about access, as I have written many times before, we need to start fretting about success in higher education.

By Bruce A. Johnson, Ph.D., MBA

When students enroll in online classes, they often do not get to choose their instructors for and may not find out who the instructor for a particular class will be until the class starts. The question to consider is whether or not it would be of benefit for students to choose their instructors for online courses. Students have to rely upon the school to determine if the instructor has adequate experience, education, and knowledge to facilitate the class – and it is assumed the school has determined the best fit for the instructor and the course. It would be interesting to know how students would respond if they could review a list of instructors’ qualifications prior to the start of class – and would they be able to determine which instructor would best facilitate the course and help meet their academic needs.

The learning process involves the acquisition of information, including course materials and other sources that are designed to help students meet the learning objectives. The instructor is expected to implement activities that provide an opportunity for students to interact with the information in a way that results in knowledge creation and skill set development. An instructor’s expertise has a direct impact on class discussions, communication, working relationships with students, and feedback provided for class assignments. When an instructor has significant real-world experience they are able to enrich the learning experience by bringing the course materials to life. If an instructor has also had prior classroom facilitation experience they will be familiar with the process of developing meaningful feedback, effectively guide the learning process, and address students’ developmental needs.

If students were allowed to choose the instructor, the most likely source of information they would receive would be the instructor’s biography. For schools that allow students to choose their instructors, the school website typically provides the instructors’ backgrounds — often the same introduction that is posted in the class. An Instructors will either project an image of working with the students by sharing knowledge and expertise, or an instructor may establish him/herself as an expert or authority from whom students are expected to learn.

It is imperative that instructors consider the impact of their introductions and the images they are attempting to establish – whether an introduction is posted on the school website or in the classroom. Students may not have a choice when it comes to who will facilitate a class; however, they will make a determination about their involvement in the class based upon their interactions with the instructor and the relationship that they are able to develop with the instructor. The introduction can create a positive perception of working together if it uses a warm and inviting tone.

The most important question related to this topic is whether or not students would be able to accurately match the instructor’s written background to their learning needs and the course objectives if they were given a choice. This could pose several potential challenges for the school, especially if the institution does not have a wide variety of instructors to offer for the courses. There would be scheduling challenges, which would require schools to create a large pools of available instructors. Another possible challenge would be assisting students if they cannot make a choice and need further guidance when signing up for a class.

The idea of allowing online students have a choice certainly has merit.

Online programs could list instructors’ credentials, background, experience, and work in the subject field (including published work). The instructors’ quality scores and teaching measures could also be used, although this is certain to bring about some debate because these measurements are often based upon student surveys and it is understood that if a student has a disagreement about their final outcome they may intentionally provide a lower rating or score. What’s important to remember is that students ultimately do have choices – whether they learn about your background prior to or at the start of class and you can shape their decisions through your involvement in the class. Use the introduction you develop as a means to create a welcoming tone and set the stage for productive working relationships. Students are likely to choose to be open to your facilitation of the class and willing to follow your instructional lead.

By Bruce A. Johnson, PhD, MBA

Dr. Bruce Johnson has had a life-long love of learning and throughout his entire career he has been involved in many forms of adult education; including teaching, training, human resource development, coaching, and mentoring. Dr. J has completed a master’s in Business Administration and a PhD in the field of adult education, with an emphasis in adult learning within an online classroom environment. Presently Dr. J works as an online adjunct instructor, faculty developmental workshop facilitator, and faculty mentor.

By P.D. Lesko

Don’t get me wrong.

The New Faculty Majority is filled with dedicated, intelligent and passionate individuals committed to effecting lasting change within higher education. Some of them are the same dedicated, intelligent and passionate individuals who have been speaking out on behalf of faculty off the tenure-track for the past 20 years Adjunct Advocate/AdjunctNation.com have existed. In reading a piece about a recent national summit sponsored by the New Faculty Majority, I recognized the names of many of the 140 participants: Maria C. Maisto, president of the New Faculty Majority, Gary Rhoades, the former general secretary of the American Association of University Professors, Rich Moser, a senior staff representative for the Rutgers University council of AAUP and AFT chapters, and Joe Berry, a labor historian.

Leaders of the New Faculty Majority presented a draft document laying out the goals and principles of a higher education-wide push to improve adjuncts’ working conditions. The document’s main goals are to secure better pay and benefits, job security, a role in college governance, and guarantees of academic freedom for faculty off the tenure-track. The New Faculty Majority document calls on colleges to launch efforts to improve adjuncts’ working conditions, and for the adjuncts to shapes the proposed changes.

According to the piece I read: “Maria C. Maisto, president of the New Faculty Majority, described the document as modeled after the framework of another bold effort to bring sweeping change in higher education: the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which asks college leaders to agree to take major steps on their campuses to promote environmental sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.”

It’s a bold idea that has a fatal flaw. Colleges that promote sustainability and go green ultimately save money and can trade on their green cred when recruiting Gen Y students who may find such cred important.

Colleges have no reason to commit to spending additional billions of dollars so adjunct faculty can be better paid and have benefits. Better still, there is an entrenched class of college administrators that has ballooned over the past decade, and who are costing hundreds of millions of dollars to state colleges and universities. This administrative bloat is one of the reasons college costs have risen so sharply, and it’s unlikely these administrators would sign on to see the funds used to pay them reallocated to pay non-tenured faculty.

I hate writing this almost as much as I dreaded reading that the New Faculty Majority had produced a “draft document.” How many “draft documents” have been produced over the past two decades, all of which were intended to redress the exploitation of temporary labor in Academe? Remember the 1987 Wyoming Resolution passed at the CCCCs?  It was about the teaching of writing, of course, but it included a frank discussion on the treatment of faculty off the tenure-track.

In 1992, there was a somewhat sickening riff on the Wyoming Resolution with the Council of Writing Program Administrators’ (the people paid to exploit adjunct writing instructors) passage of the “Portland Resolution.” It was a document that set out guidelines for the employment of writing program administrators, full-time faculty who, it was suggested, needed “protection.” The Portland Resolution says absolutely nothing about the ethical treatment of one’s non-tenured writing instructors.

In 1993, Judith Gappa and David Leslie (two tenured faculty) published The Invisible Faculty. It was the beginning of tenure-line faculty studies on how to improve the treatment and status of part-time faculty in higher education. That Gappa and Leslie had no help from a non-tenured faculty member in the writing of their book speaks volumes. The book sets forth “best practices,” for the treatment of part-time faculty. Their research was based on surveys of over 900 part-time faculty, and the does offer a long list of suggested improvements.

At the New Faculty Majority summit, the unions were well-represented, arguing that unionization has improved the lot of adjunct faculty.

Sigh.

No, unionization has not improved the lot of the nation’s adjunct faculty, nor have the AFT, NEA or AAUP managed to stem the tide of colleges and universities hiring more and more part-time faculty. In 1993, when Gappa and Leslie published their book, there were 350,000 part-time faculty, and about 35 percent of the nation’s college faculty were off the tenure-track. Today, there are more than 1,000,000 faculty off the tenure-track—80 percent of the total college faculty employed in the United States. The numbers present damning evidence against a higher education union mafia that has collected dues from part-timers, while telling the gullible mainstream media that part-time faculty members need to be gotten rid of for the betterment of higher education.

Jack Longmate was at the New Faculty Majority Summit. If you’ve been reading AdjunctNation, you’ll remember Jack as the part-time faculty union member who was forced out of his Washington State faculty union local leadership position after he spoke (as an individual) before legislators about ways in which his unified local was representing the interests of the full-time faculty over those of the part-time faculty. Longmate wrote to the president of the NEA and received a form letter in reply. It was a display of bullying that would have gotten most fourth graders suspended, but instead the NEA allowed its Washington State affiliate to bully a member for exercising his right to free speech.

A week ago, Michael Bérubé, who is the Paterno Family Professor of Literature at Penn State University, wrote about the New Faculty Majority summit, as well. In that piece he writes what I have been writing for 20 years: “First, it is going to be very hard to tell people that many college faculty members are exploitatively underpaid. It’s going to be a particularly tough sell in communities already devastated by prolonged economic hardship….Second, it is going to be even harder to tell people that non-tenure-track faculty members need a measure of job security and academic freedom if they are going to be able to do their jobs.”

Yes, thank you.

Joe Berry (see above) criticized me for saying this to a reporter from The Chronicle of Higher Education during interviews for a 2006 profile piece the newspaper did on me. The American Federation of Teachers followed suit in 2007, when I told the Michigan Messenger that, “Only 8 percent of the population have master’s degrees. It is hard for me to look at someone with a graduate degree in the job market and say you are at a disadvantage. You are not. It is a fallacy, a fantasy and an insult to the people who work at Wal-Mart stocking shelves with only a high school diploma. Those people don’t have options.” Craig Smith, the man who tried to suggest I was no “advocate” for adjunct faculty, earns $150,000 per year as an employee at the AFT, 10 times what the part-time faculty members of his own union earn per year, on average.

Has anything changed? Yes. More people work in service industry jobs. Unemployment in some American communities is 30 percent, and now 11 percent of the population have master’s degrees.

So what’s the answer to the exploitation of part-time faculty?

1.  The only American national education union that will ever bargain aggressively on behalf of faculty off the tenure-track is one that doesn’t yet exist: a national union that only represents faculty off the tenure-track.

2.  Non-tenured faculty themselves must limit their employment off the tenure-track within Academe to no more than 3 or 4 years. If no tenure-line job materializes, adjuncts must leave Academe for work elsewhere. If the majority of faculty off the tenure-track were there by choice, it would change the face of employment for those who might choose to teach part-time. It’s the myth college administrators present to the public when discussing part-time faculty use; it needs to be a reality.

3.  Non-tenured faculty must run for and take over the governing boards of their own professional associations and scholarly groups. Professional associations play a critical role in the lives of colleges and tenured faculty that could be leveraged to effect sweeping changes in the treatment of faculty off the tenure-track. I explain how in a 1996 op-ed piece published in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

4.  Non-tenured scholars need to take over the national discussion of their own issues. While Michael Bérubé and other tenured and tenure-line faculty who have assumed the role of scholars and spokesmen for the nation’s non-tenured faculty are to be thanked, it’s time for them to be replaced by folks with actual skin in the game, such as Keith Hoeller and others who’ve yet to step forward.

5.  Adjunct faculty, contingent faculty, non-tenured faculty, part-time faculty, whatever these individuals choose to call themselves, really makes no difference in how the general public perceive them. College faculty are “professors” to the general public.Use that perception to become experts whom the mainstream media turn to when asking questions about higher education. It’s time for some different perspectives.

This is by means an exhaustive list. It’s a list that I’ve had since 1992, when I launched Adjunct Advocate magazine. The New Faculty Majority is made up of dedicated people who are spinning their wheels. The higher education media is made up of dedicated reporters who will to report on those wheels spinning.

In another decade, I will retire. I am hoping that before I do I will witness some of these changes I’ve championed since 1992 take root. I’m hopeful, as always, and ready to lend a helping hand, as usual.

By Melissa Miller, Ed.D., M.Ed.

True headline: “Campus Shock: Michigan Professor Actually Takes Nude Pictures…With Student.”

Wow. Just wow. Seriously? Where do I begin? When you first read that headline, since you are most likely an educator, don’t you say to yourself, “Ugh, I would never do that!”? I think of myself in this situation and cringe. Are you kidding me? I don’t want my students to see me without makeup and a brush through my hair, let alone naked! And, no offense to the beautiful form that is the human body, I don’t want to see my students naked either. Do you? I’m not a prude or squeamish about the naked body. But this doesn’t freak me out because of the nudity, but the fact that it is a professor and (former) student!

I was not an art major, so my appreciation of what is good art is limited to instinct and common sense, not scholarly study. I know art and beauty are in the eye of the beholder, and people have a wide variety of tastes. My art history knowledge is limited to undergraduate humanities courses, and I get, in the broad sense, that this is art to the professor (and the models), and he is pushing boundaries, expectations, definitions, preconceived notions, blah, blah, blah. Okay. But even I, with my limited knowledge but lots of common sense, know this is odd. But I guess that is the point. However, just because it is different doesn’t mean it is good. Even if I just saw these pictures and didn’t know it was the professor and a former student/colleague/etc., they strike me as awkward.

These photos seem to blur the line of professional standards and self-promotion. When you were in college, did you want to take nude or semi-nude pictures with your professor? I’m sure some view the experience as a learning tool, self-discovery, etc… — but I think it lowers our standards as professionals. When dealing with students, I often informally apply a rule to myself – would I want someone talking to/dealing with/treating my daughter this way? We are in a position of authority that should not be squandered or taken advantage of. If this were my daughter, I would be livid. I know, they are of age and consenting adults. Seriously, though? What is the professional standard, here? If we say it is in the name of art, does anything go?

Aside from the pictures themselves, this article led me to really think about the relationship between student and professor, even former students. As a New Adjunct, can you imagine making a name for yourself on campus with this photo shoot? What about the fact that this is a male professor? If I did this (as a female), there may be a different response from the general public, but professionally, I might have more to lose. Aren’t we responsible to set a high standard for our professional relationships? It seems the line is very blurred here. We are in a position of trust, and New Adjuncts particularly have a vulnerability as well. How would you feel about your doctor or medical resident posing nude and semi-nude (or even fully-clothed!) with patients and former patients? Yes, they are of age, but is it right? What about the professional standards? It seems to be taking advantage of the position of authority, mentor, and teacher.

What are your thoughts? “Say cheese!”

About the New Adjunct: Dr. Melissa Miller completed her Ed.D. with an emphasis in Teacher Leadership from Walden University. She holds a M.Ed. from Mary Washington University and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Virginia Tech. Dr. Miller’s professional and research interests include adult and online learning, professional development, and literacy. Presently, Dr. Miller works as an adjunct instructor and an evaluator, while also enjoying her roles as a wife and mother.