An important consideration in examining faculty issues facing rural community colleges is the number of full-time faculty employed by these institutions and the number of students they serve. Using the measure of annual unduplicated head count enrollment, rural institutions served 36 percent of all community college enrollments in academic year…

This chapter reviews the literature on the status of distance education in rural community colleges, and addresses issues rural community colleges face in implementing distance education. (Contains 1 table.)

This chapter analyzes data from the 1999 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty to suggest that community college part-time faculty can be understood as temporary labor in the new economy.

This chapter describes the dramatically changed external landscape in which community college leaders pursue state dollars and details how other spending priorities in health care, K-12 education, and corrections negatively affect the states' ability to fund community colleges.

This chapter reviews recent literature on the external fiscal environment in which community colleges operate and on the ways community colleges adapt to changes in that environment.

While the assessment movement has spanned more than two decades, there is great variation in its degree of implementation among community colleges throughout the country. Building on literature in the field, this chapter discusses and gives examples of concepts and major areas involved in the assessment of student learning at the institutional…

This chapter uses data from the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students project to provide evidence of success among racially diverse students in the Los Angeles Community College District. Through interviews with student services personnel, it also describes the specific efforts that may be responsible for this success. In…

Examines the current role of community colleges in pre-service and in-service teacher education, including the development of the associate of arts degree in teacher education, the community college baccalaureate in teacher education, and alternative certification programs. Discusses factors influencing future trends and predictions about the…

Describes resources related to teacher education at community colleges, including national perspectives, issue papers, examinations of student experiences, and literature summaries. States that much of the literature focuses on the experiences of specific institutions and programs or attempts to provide an issue or policy perspective, typically…

Reexamines the extent to which the university serves as an important source of identification for community college faculty. States that although recent studies indicate that the university remains an influential reference group for two-year college faculty, perceptions have changed over the past 25 years. Reports, for instance, that part-time…

Explores the idea of critically reflective teaching in general, and in particular, teacher decision-making and classroom assessment. Asserts that in community college settings-the ultimate in diverse, open-entry, mixed-ability classrooms-critical reflection on core assumptions can ground teachers in a moral, intellectual, and political vision of…

Provides a literature review and national dataset analyses regarding the perceived conditions of women community college faculty members. Reports that the climate at the average community college may be friendlier than at four-year institutions; however, women faculty at community colleges are not free from the confines of glass ceilings, academic…

Presents community college minority faculty views on a number of issues, including professional development, teaching and curriculum, job satisfaction, and student quality. Reports that discrimination and declining student quality are significant concerns for minority faculty, yet these instructors expressed general satisfaction with their…

Provides a brief overview of the history of faculty development efforts at community colleges and a summary of the research. States that successful faculty development programs must have administrative support, be formalized, have structure, be goal-directed, have faculty ownership, and be valued by administrators. (Contains 21 references.)…

Discusses five factors affecting college faculty members' sense of belonging-academic hierarchy, satisfaction with interpersonal relations, degree of autonomy, orientation to the institution, and opportunities for professional development. Recommends strategies in each category that help build community among instructors. (Contains 20 references.)…