The "part timeness" of students and faculty members is one of the greatest challenges community colleges face in creating strong campus connections, according to this year's Community College Survey of Student Engagement.
The annual survey, known as Cessie, focused this year on the importance of connections online, in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community. Specifically, it examined how relationships among students, faculty members, and staff members evolve, the value they add, and the importance of nurturing them. Studies seem to indicate that a sense of engagement is important to improving retention among students. This is a challenge when students just come to school for a class or two and then leave.
In order to close the connection gap, colleges must also find ways to offer part-time faculty members the same kinds of instructional support and professional development that are available to their full-time colleagues, the survey recommends.
The above information was reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription).
Here's the link to the Cessie survey.
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