FALSE ECONOMIES: Students and the Part-time Community

College Faculty System

Daniel JacobyUniversity of Washington

Harry Bridges Endowed

Chair In Labor Studies

WORK CONDITIONS THAT MAY AFFECT PERFORMANCE

LOW PAY AND BENEFITS OFFICES, PHONES AND COMPUTERS MULTIPLE CAMPUSES MULTIPLE JOBS SECOND CLASS STATUS--MEETINGS LACK OF INTEGRATION LEAD-TIMES AND PLANNING

How can job conditions affect performance?

Time demands and availability Weak integration and curricular integrity

Just in time hiring and course planning

Job insecurity and Grade Inflation

Faculty Status and Grades in Different Classes

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

ProfessorAssociate ProfessorAssistant ProfessorInstructorTATenuredNon-Tenured

Source: Melanie Moore and Richard Trahan, Tenure Status and Grading Practices, Sociological Perspectives, 41(4) 1998 pp. 775-781

Includes data from 417 Introductory classes at a median size state supported university.

GRADES

Type of Instructor

GRADE INFLATION AT ONE SMALL BUSINESS COLLEGE OVER 20 YEARS 1983-2003

SOURCE: Is Grade Inflation Related to Faculty Status? Boualem Kezim, Susan E Pariseau, Frances Quinn. Journal of Education for Business Washington:Jul/Aug 2005. Vol. 80, Iss. 6,

Does Reliance upon PT Faculty reduce Graduation Rates

The Effects of Part-time Faculty Employment on Community College Graduate Rates. Published in Journal of Higher Education (2006) volume 77 issue 6

Data source: Integrated Post-secondary Education Database System (National Center for Educational Statistics). Mandatory self-reporting for all colleges.

Over 1,100 public community colleges

Summary Results 2001 Study

SOURCE: Original Calculations Using Ipeds Data for 2001

Community Colleges

Grouped by their Part-time Faculty Percent

THIRD

WORST

(77.1%)

MIDDLE THIRD

(67.1%)

BEST THIRD

(39.1%)

GRADUATION

RATES

22.1%

26.3%

28.9%

GRADUATION

PLUS TRANSFER PERCENTAGE

36.1%

41.6%

43.5%

N=1004

Faculty Student Ratios Also Matter

STATISTICS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT

PART-TIME FACULTY RATIO FACULTY STUDENT RATIO ETHNICITY AND RACE TUITION FINANCIAL AID % OF STUDENTS PART-TIME & NON-DEGREE

STATE ENROLLMENT PATTERNS

Preliminary Replication for 2003

Community Colleges

Grouped by their Part-time Faculty Ratio

THIRD

WORST

MIDDLE THIRD

BEST THIRD

GRADUATION

RATES

21.5%

25.5%

30.6%

GRADUATION + TRANSFER

PERCENTAGE

36%

25.5%

30.6%

Conclusion:

Colleges with lower percentages of part-time faculty have higher graduation rates.

In 2003 the difference between in the third of colleges with the lowest part-time ratios and the third having the highest part-time ratios was nearly 9 percentage points.