Browse Ideas with tag 'adjuncts':

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  Live Summit Discussion »

  Do these comments and ideas matter AT ALL?

  As I read through all these ideas (some of them are incredibly on-target) I am left wondering what is to happen to these ideas. Is this yet another forum where our concerns and suggestions to improve the status quo in the very places where the government purports to have such concern-- is this forum yet another void into which to cast ideas that nobody will ever read? Will they ever actually be considered, tabulated, ...more »

  As I read through all these ideas (some of them are incredibly on-target) I am left wondering what is to happen to these ideas. Is this yet another forum where our concerns and suggestions to improve the status quo in the very places where the government purports to have such concern-- is this forum yet another void into which to cast ideas that nobody will ever read? Will they ever actually be considered, tabulated, brought to a bigger discussion? What is the point? Teachers were not really invited to the summit. The organizers didn't care then, and they don't care now. Somebody please tell me that these ideas have a use- that they will go somewhere and be considered, discussed, HEARD.

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  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Student loan forgiveness for adjunct faculty

  People working full-time (defined as 30 hours or more per week) in education, government, or other non-profits can have their student loans forgiven after ten years of payments. Adjunct faculty are not eligible for this. We often work MORE (larger teaching load) and get paid way LESS (not to mention not getting any benefits) than full-time faculty. We got the same education -- we just haven't been lucky enough to get ...more »

  People working full-time (defined as 30 hours or more per week) in education, government, or other non-profits can have their student loans forgiven after ten years of payments. Adjunct faculty are not eligible for this. We often work MORE (larger teaching load) and get paid way LESS (not to mention not getting any benefits) than full-time faculty. We got the same education -- we just haven't been lucky enough to get full-time jobs. We should be able to have our student loans forgiven in the same manner as those doing the same work but with a different job title (not to mention a higher salary).

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  7 comments for Idea: Student loan forgiveness for adjunct faculty

  Submitted by eiwalch 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Academic Freedom

  I am concerned about trends in the community colleges where more and more classes are taught by adjuncts who do not have tenure and will not speak out because they often hope and strive to become full-time faculty and want to keep the favor of the administration. The burden of curriculum development, committee work, and self-governance (what little remains) falls on the shoulders of fewer and fewer full-time educators. ...more »

  I am concerned about trends in the community colleges where more and more classes are taught by adjuncts who do not have tenure and will not speak out because they often hope and strive to become full-time faculty and want to keep the favor of the administration. The burden of curriculum development, committee work, and self-governance (what little remains) falls on the shoulders of fewer and fewer full-time educators. The next step in this trend is to regulate and standardize what is taught - leading to a more corporate model of teaching which is more training than teaching. What we are losing is the foundation of a balanced general education where students are taught to think and write. More and more there is this idea that we are preparing students for jobs, jobs, jobs. Yes we have an economic crisis and yes it is important to be able to find a job - but the foundation of a solid education is not about job training - it is about developing a broader base to examine current trends, think critically and creatively and maybe see where new jobs are emerging.

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  3 comments for Idea: Academic Freedom

  Submitted by Joy Walker 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Status of adjunct instructors

  Adjuncts are grossly underpaid and asked to work without benefits or reliable scheduling (for example, a college may or may not schedule adjuncts, so there is absolutely no security). Yet, in many CC institutions, adjuncts make up more than 50% of the instructors. Perhaps worse, there is no human resource protection in most institutions and - therefore -no where for struggling ajuncts to turn when they are asked to ...more »

  Adjuncts are grossly underpaid and asked to work without benefits or reliable scheduling (for example, a college may or may not schedule adjuncts, so there is absolutely no security).

  Yet, in many CC institutions, adjuncts make up more than 50% of the instructors.

  Perhaps worse, there is no human resource protection in most institutions and - therefore -no where for struggling ajuncts to turn when they are asked to perform duties such as curriculum development or institution-credentialing tasks such as department-wide assessments --for which they do not receive compensation.

  Many adjuncts work at two, three, even four institutions at once because this is the only way to make enough money to survive -even as a single person without a family -and because they cannot count on receiving a course load -colleges make no promises about future semesters . . .

  Because both two- and four-year institutions are greatly downsizing their tenure-track systems and relying more and more on part-time professors, this problem seems likely to get worse.

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  4 comments for Idea: Status of adjunct instructors

  Submitted by staitano 2 years ago

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  Increasing Graduation Rates »

  Relationship of Faculty make-up on Sudent Support

  I teach PT at a community college, and like most PT instructors, am very poorly compensated for my time. My institution keeps replacing retiring FT instructors with PT instructors because this makes more 'financial sense' so there is little opportunity for me to become either a) a permanent PT employee who is integrated into the college or b) a FT professor. It is a labor caste system. While it may make good short-term ...more »

  I teach PT at a community college, and like most PT instructors, am very poorly compensated for my time. My institution keeps replacing retiring FT instructors with PT instructors because this makes more 'financial sense' so there is little opportunity for me to become either a) a permanent PT employee who is integrated into the college or b) a FT professor. It is a labor caste system.

  While it may make good short-term 'financial sense' to the college, there are severe consequences such as: PTers are very little motivated to be good teachers since there is little chance for promotion, we can't support students like they need in order to graduate b/c we have to work a second job to earn a living wage, we are not tenured so we do not have academic freedom, etc.

  This 'financial reasoning' is a short-term strategy that brings long-term negative consequences for students.

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  4 comments for Idea: Relationship of Faculty make-up on Sudent Support

  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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  Innovation: Community Colleges of the Future »

  Adjunct Faculty

  I hope you dedicate some time to the issue of adjunct faculty. Nearly 50% of the faculty at the community college I work at are adjunct faculty! I work a full-time job and I work as an adjunct. Adjuncts have no job security and are underpaid. As an adjunct, I know I am being exploited but I LOVE teaching and I hope that some day a full-time teaching position will open up. If community colleges are going to rely so ...more »

  I hope you dedicate some time to the issue of adjunct faculty. Nearly 50% of the faculty at the community college I work at are adjunct faculty! I work a full-time job and I work as an adjunct. Adjuncts have no job security and are underpaid. As an adjunct, I know I am being exploited but I LOVE teaching and I hope that some day a full-time teaching position will open up. If community colleges are going to rely so heavily on adjuncts, they should at the very least offer some element of job security. Most adjuncts teach because they love to teach and they should be rewarded for this - not exploited.

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  Submitted by ikkinh 2 years ago

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  Industry Partnerships »

  adjuncts

  Please be certain to include a fair representation at the event itself from the adjuncts who make up such a large percentage of the cc faculties. Adjuncts bring not only cheap labor (at our cc about half the hourly rate of ft faculty w/o any benefits) but more significantly a wealth of experience and diversity.

  4 comments for Idea: adjuncts

  Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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