Part-time instructors are detrimental to student success, according to a national study, but that appears not to be the case with Eastern.

In a Nov. 14 Chronicle of Higher Education article, Paul D. Umbach, professor of adult and higher education at North Carolina State University, found in his study that for each 10 percent of credits taken with part-time faculty members, a student’s success rate falls by 2 percent.

An average student loses an 8 percent chance of finishing a degree with an average of 40 percent of credits obtained through part-time instructors, according to the study. Umbach has stated he attempted to show the lack of support universities give to part-time instructors.

Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said this does not apply to Eastern.

“I do not think it would be appropriate for me to infer that the findings of the Umbach study would apply to Eastern,” Lord said. “Our departments, however, take great care to hire well qualified part-time faculty when such faculty are necessary to deliver the curriculum.”

According to the Common Data report for the 2008-09 school year, Eastern has 157 part-time instructors. That number accounts for 19.5 percent of total faculty members.

Economics professor Ahmed Abou-Zaid said it makes more economic sense for universities to hire part-time faculty members.

“From an economics side, it is to save money,” Abou-Zaid said. “You see the tight financial positions of the federal and state contributions to the state universities. That’s why part-time faculty is higher in years past.”

In 1970, there was 22 percent of part-time faculty in universities. That percentage has increased to 46 percent, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Abou-Zaid said if a part-time instructor does an exemplary job, he or she should receive incentives.

Lord said Eastern does not offer monetary incentives to part-timers. He added part-time faculty members working less than 50 percent of their time at Eastern are not covered by the collective bargaining agreement

“Hence, contractual incentives are not available to them,” Lord said. “The basic incentive is the desire to do a good job for the students as well as the desire to be re-employed in a subsequent semester. ?

Richard Wandling, political science department chair, worked 25 years ago as a part-time faculty member at Miami University of Ohio and Indiana University while finishing his doctorate.

“In my case, it was a positive experience,” Wandling said.

He added the opportunity allowed him to practice on his teaching skills and to interact with students he would not be able to interact in the traditional professor, student relationship.

Wandling said he, however, does not support an over-reliance on part-time instructors.

“There is a problem in creating a working area where you have people who are qualified to teach at four-year institutions, but the way they stay employed is cobbling together various other institutions,” Wandling said.

He added these instructors could not devote enough time to help students because they spend a significant time on the road traveling, which detracts time for class preparation and availability to students outside of class.

Abou-Zaid said he does not see any problems with student success and part-timers. He thinks teaching performance depends if the instructor wants to stay.

“Sometimes when they are in between jobs, they don’t care as much,” he said.

Lord said the full-time faculty and department chairs could assist part-time faculty, if they are feeling stressed or struggling to prepare for classes. He added other departments, like faculty development, are also available.

Bob Bajek can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].