Final Report OFI

Final Report OFI’s

Opportunities for Improvement Report

December 2003

ADJUNCT FACULTY INTEGRATION TEAM

Facilitators: Cindy Boling and Chuck Cooper

Members: Karen Carter, Noreen Cochran, Nelda Fister, Tana Stufflebean, Kathy Terrell, Brent Wendling

Introduction

The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Peter Drucker

This document describes the Continuous Improvement Team’s (CIT) Adjunct Faculty The Integration Team’s assessment of the integration of adjunct faculty members into the University environment. It is the overall suggestion of the Action Team to create an environment that permeates all departments with the expectation that adjunct faculty members and full-time faculty members are interdependent and work to the primary goal of helping students learn.

Report Design

The present document is organized in two sections; the first provides an overview of the meeting process of the team. The second contains the resulting OFIs the group agreed were most critical to the success of integrating adjunct faculty.

The Process

…To succeed, we have to disturb the present. – Roberto Goizueta (Coca-Cola)

Participants

The participants of the action team were selected for their knowledge, interest and experience with adjunct faculty members. They all served as full and contributing members and their expertise, suggestions, and effort are sincerely and humbly recognized. We thank them for taking the time, expressing the interest, and being such positive contributing members.

. Dr. Karen Carter, College of Arts, Media, and Design

. Dr. Noreen Cochran, Modern Languages

. Dr. Nelda Fister, Nursing

. Dr. Tana Stufflebean, Human Environmental Sciences

. Dr. Kathy Terrell, Accounting

. Dr. Brent Wendling, Faculty Enhancement Center

The CIT asked Cindy Boling and Chuck Cooper to act as facilitators for the Adjunct Faculty Integration Action Team. At the first team meeting, the team utilized a Brainstorming session to generate ideas on “How do we integrate adjunct faculty?”. The next couple of meetings focused on the development of a Cause and Effect Fishbone Diagram, looking at a loosely-defined process of the adjunct faculty life cycle. During these meetings, the team also looked at several other adjunct faculty studies. The team conducted an Affinity Brainstorm and Grouping session on the question “What will UCO look like when adjunct faculty are fully integrated and how will we know when this occurs?”. As the exercises progressed, it became apparent that the ideas generated were clustered in several broad areas.

The team’s final two meetings were used to discuss and finalize recommendations to help integrate adjunct faculty members. A final report of these suggestions will be prepared and delivered to the CIT and to Dr. Betz for consideration.

Recommendations

Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better. – Richard Hooker

From the action team’s meetings, the following recommendations are offered in good faith as opportunities for improvement in the integration of adjunct faculty members.

Results, Discussion and Recommendations

The opportunities for improvement and suggested timelines are summarized in the table below.

Orientation of Adjunct Faculty Members	1. Develop a university level orientation for adjunct faculty members. OPPORTU N I T I ES FOR I M PROVEMENT Target Recommendati on	Conduct evening and/or weekend sessions of 3-4 hours for the university level and 1-2 hours at the department level. Target audience should be new adjunct faculty members. Develop mentoring relationships. Action	Fall 2004 Structure already exists for new faculty orientation, adaptation and implementation is necessary for adjunct faculty. Timeline	An honorarium pay of $25 could be given to adjunct faculty members attending the orientation; less than $1000 per year. Refreshments could also be offered for $200300. Budget
Adjunct Faculty Responsibilities	2. Develop a culture across all departments such that adjunct faculty members play a vital role in the life of the department.	Encourage adjunct faculty members to serve on committees, especially curricular committees; to participate in faculty meetings; and to attend social events. Explore best practices across UCO departments. Explore best practices across other universities.	Immediate and on-going Some departments are doing some or all these, but it should be campus-wide.	Nominal costs are associated with this recommendation.
	3. Create a position for an adjunct faculty representative on the Faculty Senate.	Amend the Faculty Senate Constitution and/or Operating Code.	Fall 2004	Nominal costs are associated with this recommendation.
Development and Research Opportunities	4. Provide at least one learning opportunity per semester for adjunct faculty members in the evening and/or weekend.	Provide learning opportunities: from Faculty Enhancement Day; from Teaching Techniques Seminars; and from 7 Principles training.	Fall 2004	Nominal costs are associated with this recommendation. Refreshments can be provided for less than $100 per session.
	5. Provide opportunities for adjunct faculty members to attend off-campus educational opportunities.	Provide funding or create a budget for adjunct faculty education and travel.	Fall 2005 (or beyond as budget situation improves)	Start with $2,000 per college, $10,000 total.
	6. Provide adjunct faculty members with the opportunity to engage themselves in university research.	Encourage established researchers to include adjunct faculty members as part of team research. Encourage adjunct faculty members to attend training on grants.	Fall 2004	Nominal costs are associated with this recommendation. Honorarium pay or faculty merit credit could be provided to researchers and adjunct faculty members.
Benefits	7. Provide adjunct faculty members with opportunity to buy into benefits.	Optional participation. Target audiences are those with a teaching load greater than ½ time.	Fall 2004 Faculty Senate is already working towards this proposal.	Nominal costs are associated with this recommendation.

Feasibility

With the one noted exception, the Action Team agrees most of its suggestions can be implemented initially at minimal cost to the university. The primary cost is in time to the individuals involved in the activities. For some of the recommendations, the structure already in place for full-time faculty can be modified for adjunct faculty.

Overall comments

Adjunct faculty compliment full-time faculty and help enhance the learning opportunities available to students. Integration of adjunct faculty into the university environment may help unite all faculty in their efforts to help students learn. The Adjunct Faculty Integration Action Team encourages the university to foster an environment that encourages integration. The team would like to have this issue revisited in two or three years and include the study of other adjunct faculty surveys, such as the HERI survey and the updated version of the in-house study by Institutional Research.