A Profile of the Community College Professorate, 1975-2000

The nation's 275,000 community college instructors teach over 5,500,000 students, or over one-third of all college students in the US. However, community colleges and their instructors have received little attention in either the academic or popular press. This book presents the results of an unprecedented national study of the community college professoriate. It offers insights into a wide variety of their attitudes and practices, and includes chapters on such crucial topics as instruction, satisfaction, professional involvement, and the use of reference groups. In addition, it provides a unique longitudinal perspective on community college faculty by updating a major study of the professoriate conducted in the 1970s. The book debunks some popular myths regarding community college faculty, such as notions that collaborative teaching and in-class technology have become more prevalent. In addition, it offers a portrait of the professoriate as increasingly diverse, as well as increasingly fragmented. The book concludes with practical recommendations for administrators and faculty interested in improving the quality of faculty lives, and faculty practice, at their institutions.