The attitudes and opinions of a selected sample of adjunct instructors toward their academic standings in their profession along with their opinions of the efficacy of online instructional teaching as opposed to the traditional classroom environment were examined in this study. An email survey and recorded interviews were used to collect the data. The open-ended questions were analyzed using grounded theory and a three step approach to determine the resulting conclusions. The closed-ended questions were analyzed and presented in tabular form. The key findings, although not conclusive, revealed a tendency for part-time instructors to feel (a) they make important contributions to academia, and (b) online courses have an important role in higher education. The benefits to the educational institution and their faculty are a better comprehension of these relatively recent trends to use more part-time instructors and the online teaching mode. Understanding the perceptions of these phenomena is a critical element to leadership in these fields. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]