Correction Appended
Freshmen who take larger introductory classes taught by part-time professors are more likely to drop out, according to a study presented March 26 during the American Educational Research Association's annual meeting.
Though the research was conducted at public schools, the study does not measure the type of school but the relationship between student performance and the amount of time professors devoted to their classes, according to the study.
Audrey Jaeger, an assistant professor of higher education at North Carolina State University, conducted a study between 2002 and 2005 of four public, four-year universities and found that part-time adjuncts, lecturers and post-doctoral fellows taught between 8 and 22 percent of all "gatekeeper" classes - the large introductory level classes students must take in order to take upper-level courses. Freshmen taking these classes consistently had a higher dropout rate going into their sophomore years.
Jaeger told The Chronicle of Higher Education that the issue partially stems from adjuncts maintaining more erratic schedules than full-time professors do. Freshmen suffer when they have fewer opportunities to talk with their professors. This is especially true because freshmen are already more vulnerable to dropping out, she said.
School of International Service Dean Louis Goodman said he believes there are benefits to having classes taught by adjunct professors. Adjuncts usually have outside jobs in addition to teaching, and students appreciate their experience.
Adjuncts teach 20 percent of AU classes, typically graduate classes or the smaller, advanced classes undergraduate juniors and seniors take. The full-time professors who teach freshmen general education courses must hold at least six office hours every week, he said.
"We want faculty to be available to students not only inside class but also outside," Goodman said.
During the 2007-2008 academic year, 68 adjuncts and 48 full-time professors taught in the School of Communication. Adjuncts taught 260 hours of classes, and full-time professors taught 590. Three adjuncts taught 100-level classes this year, according to SOC Dean Larry Kirkman.
Amy Chin, a freshman in SOC, said she took AU United Methodist Chaplain and College of Arts and Sciences adjunct professor Rev. Mark Schaefer's "Western Religious Heritage" class last semester. She was able to easily contact him because he has an office in the Kay Spiritual Center.
Chin said she also realizes the problems that adjuncts can create.
"There are some adjuncts that don't help students, that often are unavailable, don't get back to e-mails on a timely basis and really don't make their students a priority," she said.
Whiting Wicker, a CAS adjunct professor, said he believes students should take the classes adjuncts teach and the classes full-time professors teach.
"Adjuncts are a cornerstone of any academic institution," he said. "They bring in tons of experience from the so-called 'real world' to the university."
Amanda Ongirski, a sophomore in the School of Communication, said she had no trouble getting help from her professors.
"I think that's more of a problem at larger schools where most of your classes are in lecture halls," she said. "AU generally has smaller classes."
An AU adjunct generally teaches up to three courses per semester and must have a doctoral degree and hold office hours. While they teach less than full-time professors, the university also pays them proportionally less for the amount of time they teach, Wicker said.
Adjuncts also receive no health benefits, according to Wasima Rida, a CAS adjunct professor.
Correction: In "Study: Adjuncts, big classes may discourage freshmen," professor Whiting Wicker was paraphrased as saying "An AU adjunct teaches up to three courses per semester and must have a doctoral degree and hold office hours. While they teach less than full-time professors, the university also pays them proportionally less." In fact, Wicker later clarified, adjuncts teach three classes per year. Furthermore, Wicker said he was "most pleased" with his pay, even though it is, at times, proportionally than what full-time professors receive.
