research report 2016.04 report to the ontario a survey of ... · a survey of sessional faculty in...

A Survey of Sessional Faculty in Ontario Publicly-Funded Universities

Cynthia C. Field & Glen A. Jones

Research Report 2016.04

Report to the Ontario Ministry of

Advanced Education and Skills Development

A project funded by the Ontario Human Capital Research and Innovation Fund (OHCRIF)

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Areportby:

OntarioInstituteforStudiesinEducation(OISE)UniversityofToronto252BloorSt.West,6thFloorToronto,OntarioM5S1V6Canadawww.oise.utoronto.ca/cihePleasecitethispublicationas:Field,C.C.&Jones,G.A.(2016).ASurveyofSessionalFacultyinOntarioPublicly-FundedUniversities.Toronto:CentrefortheStudyofCanadianandInternationalHigherEducation,OISE-UniversityofToronto.

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ExecutiveSummaryWithinthepastdecade,theunprecedentedgrowthinnon-tenure/tenuretrackfacultyhasledtospeculationastothelearningenvironmentandlearningoutcomesforstudents.Bothnationalmediaandresearchershaveraisedconcernsaboutthegrowthinshort-termcontractfaculty,yetthereislittleevidentiarydatatosupportpolicydevelopment.OurstudyofsessionalfacultyinOntario’spubliclyfundeduniversitiesprovidesmuchneededdataandinsightintothecurrentpressures,challenges,andadaptationsoftherapidlyrisingnumberofuniversityinstructorswhoworkonshort-termcontracts,alsoknownassessionalfaculty.From2015to2016,ourteamofresearchersreachedoutto17universitiesinOntarioandwereabletoconductthisstudyat12institutionsacrosstheprovince.Ourteamapproachedeachinstitutionorunion/facultyassociationrepresentingsessionalinstructorsandaskedthemtodistributethesurveyinstrumenttoallpart-time,non-full-time,non-tenure-trackinstructorsbyemail.Theresponseratesrangedfrom16%to48%byinstitution,thoughnotablyweweresometimesonlyabletoobtainestimatesofthetotalnumberofquestionnairesthatweredistributedbecauseofemaillistissues.Wereachedouttoroughly7814instructorsandachievedanoverallresponserateof21.5%.However,duetothelackofdemographicdataavailableonthewholepopulationweareunabletodeterminetherepresentativenessoftherespondentpopulation.Forexample,becausethissamplerepresentsonlythosewhohaveworkedwithinthepreviousfewyearsattheinstitutionandwherethereiscurrentcontactinformationavailabletotheinstitutionorunion/associationrepresentatives,ouremailinvitationmaynothavereachedthefullpopulationofcontractfacultyateachinstitution.Inordertoprovideclarityandcontext,qualitativedatawereobtainedthroughinterviewswith52instructorswhovolunteeredtoparticipateselectedfromsixinstitutions.Theinterviewdataisstillbeinganalyzedandwillbepresentedinasubsequentreportsandpublications.DemographicsWecanconcludethattherehavebeenseveralshiftsinthedemographicsofsessionalfacultycomparedwiththepopulationRajagopal(2002)surveyedin1991/92.Forexample,thetypicalsessionalinstructorisnowfemale(60.2%);38.5%ofthesampleidentifiedasmalewithanadditionalnon-binary1.4%.Theeducationalbackgroundofsessionalshasshiftedaswell,fromprimarilyafielddominatedbyprofessionals(i.e.teaching“on-the-side”)toonewhere66.4%reportedattainingaPhD.Theanalysisofdataledtotheidentificationoftwoprimarysubcategories:classicandprecarioussessionalinstructors.Classicsessionalsarethosewhoarecurrentorretiredprofessionals,forexamplelawyers,policyanalysts,orleadersintheprivatesectorwhohavereturnedto“giveback”or“teachforfun”whilemakingabitof“extracashon

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theside1.”MostclassicsessionalsdonothaveaPh.D.andhaveanothermajorsourceofincomesuchasafull-timejoboutsidetheuniversity.Precarioussessionalsaretypicallyreliantupontheincomefrominstructionalwork.Mostarefemale,withaPh.D.,whoreportworking4-5yearsonshort-termcontracts,andindicateanaspirationtofindafull-timepositionwithemployeebenefitsintheacademy.Thereareseveralsubcategories,however,includingthoseprecarioussessionalswhoareseekinganyfull-timepositionandhave“givenup”onacademia;inadditionthereisasubgroupofclassicinstructorswhohavetakenworkintheprivateorpublicsectorswhoare“inwaiting”forafull-timeacademicposition.Toourknowledge,thisisthefirststudythathasnotedthesesubcategoriesofsessionalinstructorsandthismayrequirefurtherstudyinthefutureTheLearningEnvironmentInresponsetoopen-endedquestionsonhowtoimprovethelearningenvironment,sessionalinstructorsofferedavarietyofsuggestionsthatprimarilyfallwithinfivecategories.Eachcategoryispresentedintheorderofthenumberofsuggestionsreceivedpercategory.First,sessionalfacultyindicatedthathiringfacultytomorestable,full-timepositionswouldreducestressandenableinstructorstobetterprepareforupcomingcourses.Second,manyfeltthatclasssize,notablyforundergraduatecourses,wasproblematicforprovidingcriticalthinkingopportunitiesandstudentengagement.Third,Sessionalfacultywouldlikemoreopportunitiestoparticipateinongoingprofessionaldevelopment,frequentlyrequestinggreateraccesstouniversityteachingandlearningcentrestoimprovetheirinstructionaltechniques&pedagogy.Inaddition,manyindicatedthatmorepedagogyandclassroommanagementtrainingintheirPh.D.andmaster’sprogramswouldhavebeenwelcome.Fourth,instructorswereconcernedwithwhattheyperceivedtobeanincreasingneedtoconductremedialworkinmanyfirstyearcourses,wherestudentsareunfamiliarwithessaystructureorbasicrequirementsforuniversity-levelclasses.Manyfeltthatofferingremedialorpreparatorycourses,orperhapsbetterhighschoolpreparationingeneral,wouldfreeupclassroomtimefromremedialworkandraiseexpectationsandthuslearningoutcomes.Fifth,whilemostinstructorsindicatedapositiveresponseoveralltoquestionsregardingavailableteachingresourcesatmostinstitutions,therewereconcernsthatgapscanaffectthelearningenvironment.Forexample,ill-fittedclassroomlayoutsandalackofprivatemeetingspacesforfacultywerethetwomostfrequentlyidentifiedissuesrelatedtoresources.

1Thesequotationsarecommentsselectedasrepresentativeoftheresponsesprovidedintheopen-endedcommentsectionsofoursurvey.

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TableofContentsExecutiveSummary..............................................................................................................................3

ListofFigures.......................................................................................................................................6

Introduction.........................................................................................................................................7

2.Methodology....................................................................................................................................8

3.Terminology.....................................................................................................................................93.1“Sessional”and“contingent”faculty.............................................................................................93.2“Classic”and“Precarious”Instructors........................................................................................10

4.LiteratureReview...........................................................................................................................11

5.DemographicsofSurveyRespondents............................................................................................13Introduction........................................................................................................................................13Demographics.....................................................................................................................................14Income................................................................................................................................................16ClassicandPrecariousSessionalInstructors......................................................................................17Age......................................................................................................................................................18Education............................................................................................................................................19Careeraspirations........................................................................................................................20

6.AcademicWork..............................................................................................................................22

7.AccesstoResources........................................................................................................................307.1Introduction..................................................................................................................................307.2Officespace..................................................................................................................................307.3SampleSyllabi...............................................................................................................................317.4Institutionalemailorphonenumber...........................................................................................337.5Copierorcopyingservices............................................................................................................347.6Onlineresources...........................................................................................................................357.7Parking..........................................................................................................................................367.8Teachingassistants.......................................................................................................................377.9Libraryresources..........................................................................................................................38

8.TheLearningEnvironment..............................................................................................................39ImprovingtheLearningEnvironment.................................................................................................421.Increasedstability..........................................................................................................................422.Reducedclasssizetoimprovecriticalthinkingandengagement..................................................433.TeachingandLearningCentres......................................................................................................444.Remedialsupport...........................................................................................................................455.Resources.......................................................................................................................................46Summary............................................................................................................................................46

9.ConclusionsandRecommendations................................................................................................479.1Summary.......................................................................................................................................479.2Recommendations........................................................................................................................489.3Conclusions...................................................................................................................................50

References.........................................................................................................................................51

A Survey of Sessional Faculty

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ListofFigures

Figure1:AgeofRespondents.................................................................................................................14Figure2:Yearsworkingasasessionalinstructor....................................................................................15Figure3:CurrentContractDurationasReportedbyParticipants..........................................................15Figure4:Estimatedincomefromworkasasessional,part-timeorcontractfacultymember..............16Figure5:Estimatedtotalafter-taxpersonalincome(includingsessionalandotherwork)....................17Figure6:AgeofRespondentsbyCategory(Classicv.Precarious)..........................................................19Figure7:GenderofRespondentsbyCategory(Classicv.Precarious)....................................................19Figure8:IbelieveIwillmoveintoafull-timepositioninacademiawithinthenexttwoyears.............20Figure9:Iwouldleavethispositionforanotherfieldifjobsecuritywereoffered................................21Figure10:Doyouhaveapreferenceforteachingorresearch?.............................................................22Figure11:Sessionalandcontractfacultyshouldbeconsideredforteachingawards............................22Figure12:Iteachcoursesthatareoutsidemyfieldofexpertise...........................................................23Figure13:Ihaveaccesstoprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities.....................................................24Figure14:Iampursuinganactiveprogramofresearch.........................................................................24Figure15:IamsatisfiedwiththelevelofremunerationIreceiveasasessionalinstructor..................25Figure16:Ihaveexperiencedconsiderablepersonalstrainduetoshort-termcontractual

employment(classic&precarious).......................................................................................26Figure17:Teachingasasessionalinstructorisasourceofpersonalpride............................................28Figure18:Ifeelinvisible.NoonecareswhatIdo...................................................................................28Figure19:Iunderstandthesystemofseniority/promotionforcontingentfacultyatmyuniversity.................................................................................................................................................29Figure20:Thisisagoodtimetobeginanacademiccareerinmyfield..................................................29Figure21:Whenwereyouofferedaccesstoofficespace......................................................................31Figure22:Whenwereyouprovidedwithsamplesyllabi?.....................................................................31Figure23:WhenwereyouprovidedwithSampleSyllabi?(Classicv.Precarious).................................32Figure24:Whenwereyouprovidedwithaninstitutionalemailorphonenumber?.............................33Figure25:Whendidyoureceiveaccesstoacopierorcopyingservices?..............................................34Figure26:Whenwereyouprovidedwithonlineaccessforclassforumsandmaterials.......................35Figure27:Parking....................................................................................................................................36Figure28:WhenwereyouassignedaTeachingAssistant?...................................................................37Figure29:Whenwereyouprovidedwithaccesstolibraryresources?..................................................38Figure30:Studentsprovidemewiththesamerespectasmytenure-streamcolleagues.....................39Figure31:Ifindstudentevaluationshelpfulforimprovingmyteachingmaterials...............................40Figure32:Iadjustmycoursecontenttoavoidnegativestudentfeedback...........................................40Figure33:Ihaveaninformedpedagogicalapproachtoteaching..........................................................41Figure34:Toreachmyfullpotential,Iwouldlikemorecollaborationwithpeers................................41Figure35:Thecontingentnatureofmyemploymentisasourceofconcern........................................43Figure36:IhaveadequatedentalcoverageasaSessionalinstructor....................................................43Figure37:AccesstoProfessionalDevelopmentActivities......................................................................45


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IntroductionAsBrownlee(2015)argues,therearepersistentchallengesinquantifyingtheshifttowardtheuseofcontractlabourinCanadianuniversities.Duetothefactthatinformationoncontractinstructorsisnotrequiredforaccountabilitypurposes,manyinstitutionsdonotappeartohavegooddataonnon-tenure/tenure-trackfaculty“despiteaburgeoningliteratureontheprecariousnatureofcontractemploymentandthethreatitposestoteachingandlearning,academicfreedom,collegialgovernanceandtheintegrityofthepublicuniversity”(p.1).Whiletherehavebeenanumberofimportantstudiesofthisphenomenon,includingIndhuRajagopal’s(2002)HiddenAcademics,wehaveverylittledatatoinformourunderstandingofthiscomplexphenomenon.WithacombinationofgovernmentcutstoStatisticsCanadaandotheragenciesthatmayotherwisehavecollecteddataonpart-timefaculty,thechallengeiscompoundedbyareluctanceofinstitutionstocollectorreleasethesedata(Brownlee,2015).ThepersistentlackofdataonCanadiansessionalfacultyisproblematic,bothforunderstandingalargesegmentoftheacademicworkforceandtheimpactthattheincreasinguseofpart-timeuniversityteachersishavingonstudentsandthelearningenvironment.Part-timefacultyfrequentlyfalloutsideofthescopeoflarge-scalestudiesonfacultylifeand,atleastto-date,havenotbeenincludedinnationalandinternationalsurveys.2Yetthefiscalrealitiesofpublicfundingforthehighereducationsectorsuggeststhat,inmanyWesternnations,post-secondarylearningenvironmentsarebecomingincreasinglyreliantonpart-timeandsessionalfaculty.Withoutaninformedunderstandingoftheperspectivesofthisgrowingsegmentofacademiclabour,anyassessmentoftheeducationalservicedelivery,training,andacademicenvironmentintheseinstitutionswouldbeincomplete. Theobjectiveofthisstudywastoincreaseourunderstandingoftheperceptions,workingconditionsandwork-relatedexpectationsofsessionalandpart-timefacultyinOntario’spublicuniversities.Ourresearchquestionsfocusedon:1)whoaresessionalfaculty(demographics,educationalbackground,professionalexperience,aspirations,etc.),2)whataretheworkingconditionsofsessionalfacultyinOntariouniversities,and3)whataretheexperiencesofsessionalfacultyintermsofteaching,orientation,accesstoresources,participationincampuslife,andtheirperceivedroleinstudentsuccess.Asalargemulti-institutionalstudyofsessionalandpart-timefacultyinOntario,thisstudyusedamixed-methodsapproach,gatheringdatafromaselectedsampleoftwelvepublicuniversitiesinOntario.Dataweretriangulatedthrough1)institutionaldocumentanalyses,2)literaturereview,3)aweb-basedquestionnairesurveywithclosed-andopen-endedquestions,and4)semi-structuredinterviews.

2Forexample,theChangingAcademicProfessionssurvey(seeJonesetal.,2012;Jonesetal.,2013;Metcalfeetal.,2011).


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2.MethodologyStartingin2015,ourresearchteamrequestedparticipationfrom17publiclyfundedinstitutionsinOntario.Toprotectparticipantanonymity,smalleruniversitieswereexcludedduetothesmallpopulationofsessionalfacultyemployedbytheseinstitutions(suchasNipissing,withapublishedtotalof63part-timefacultyin2012/13).Fourinstitutionsagreedtoparticipateinitiallyinthewinterof2015,includingtheuniversitiesofLakehead,Ottawa,Toronto,andTrent,inalphabeticalorder.Uponre-examinationofourapproach,weattainedapprovalfromafurthereightuniversitiestoconductthestudyinthewinterof2016,foratotalof12universities.TheeightinstitutionsincludeBrock,Carleton,McMaster,UOIT,WilfridLaurier,Windsor,York,andoneotherinstitutionthatwouldprefernottobeidentified.ThissampleoffersthebenefitofrepresentingthediversityoftheOntariouniversitysystem,includingmajorresearchuniversities,abilingualuniversity,primarilyundergraduateuniversities,anduniversitieslocatedinruralregionsoftheprovince.Ourteamapproachedeachinstitutionorunion/associationrepresentingsessionalinstructorsandaskedthemtodistributethesurveyinstrumenttoallpart-time,non-full-time,non-tenure-trackinstructorsbyemail.Theresponseratesrangedfrom16%to48%byinstitution,thoughnotablywewere,attimes,onlyabletoobtainestimatesofthetotalnumberofquestionnairesthatweredistributedbecauseofemailandotherlist-serveissues.Overthespanoftwoyears,wereachedouttoroughly7814instructorsandachievedanoverallresponserateof21.5%.However,duetothelackofdemographicdataavailableonthewholepopulationweareunabletodeterminetherepresentativenessoftherespondentpopulation.Forexample,becausethissamplerepresentsonlythosewhohaveworkedwithinthepreviousfewyearsattheinstitution,andwhohavecurrentcontactinformationavailabletotheinstitutionorunion/associationrepresentatives,ouremailinvitationmaynothavereachedthefullpopulationofcontractfacultyateachinstitution.DefiningparticipantsThestudyfocusedonshort-termcontractualinstructors,limited-terminstructorsandpart-timeinstructors,underthecommonframeof‘sessionalfaculty.’Thisincludesinstructorsonlimited-termcontractsuptothreeyearsinlength,andthosepaidonacourse-by-coursebasis.AcrossOntario’s20publicuniversities,collectiveagreementsdefinethesegroupsindifferentways,andthereforeourteamnecessarilyhadtodefineparticipantsintermsofthebroadercategoryof“sessionalfaculty”ratherthanbyspecificemploymentcategoriesandterminologyusedateachinstitution.Theinvitationtoparticipateintheweb-basedquestionnairewassentoutthroughemaileitherbytheuniversityortheunion.Self-reportingItshouldbenotedthattheresultsderivedarebasedonself-reportsandthereforerepresentopinions,perceptions,beliefsandpersonalaccountsofactivities.Thisprovidesinsightintohowinstructorsperceivethelearningenvironmentsinwhichtheywork,whatmotivatesthem,andhowpoliciesandpracticesthatareputinplacearecarriedoutinpractice.


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3.Terminology3.1“Sessional”and“contingent”facultyItisworthnotingthattheterminologyusedtodescribevariousformsoffacultyappointmentsandcareertracksiscomplex,andthereisconsiderablevariationbycountry,byprovince,andbyinstitution3.“Sessional”isatermusedtoreferprimarilytothosewhoareworkingonacontractualbasisasinstructorswithintheuniversity,typicallyforthoseworkingonsemester-by-semestercontracts.“Contingentfaculty”isabroaderterm,includingsessionalfacultyandallnon-permanentfacultymemberswhoareworkingonpart-timeorlimitedtermcontractsoutsidethetenure-stream.Rajagopal(2002),whocontributedagreatdealtoourunderstandingofcontingentfacultyinCanadathroughherstudiesconductedinthe1990s,acknowledgedthechallengesofterminologyforthispopulation.Simplydefiningagroupasnon-full-timefacultyisproblematic,asthiscouldpotentiallycomprisearangeoflecturersincludingundergraduateandgraduatestudents,post-docs,laboratoryinstructors,andothers,dependingonthedefinition.Rajagopalultimatelyusedtheterm“part-timers”toindicate:“thosemembersofaninstitution’sinstructionalstaffwhoareemployedparttimeandwhodonotholdappointmentswithfull-timestatus”(p.261).WhileRajagopalfoundtheterm“part-timers4”tobeatermbestrecognizedbyrespondentsin1990-92,and“concludedthatrespondentuniversitieswouldbeablepreciselytorecognizethistermunambiguously,”ourteamfoundthistermlesshelpfulin2015/26,particularlygiventhecomplicationthatmanynon-full-timefacultyareworkingfull-timeequivalenthoursandcourseloads.Therefore,“part-time”appearstoexcludealargecomponentofthepopulationofnon-tenure-trackfaculty.Giventhecurrentcontext,wefoundtheterm‘part-timers’tobeinadequateintermsofcapturingthevarietyofsessionalfacultyworkinginvariouscontractualarrangements.

Thesamplepopulationforthisstudyisintendedtoincludethevarietyandrangeofnon-permanent,non-tenure-tracksole-course-instructorsateachinstitutioninOntario.Forexample,oursampleincludespart-timeappointeeswithteachingresponsibilities,full-timegraduatestudentsandpost-doc’swhohavesoleteachingresponsibilities,andfull-timelimited-termcontractinstructors(onnon-permanentcontractsupto36monthsinduration).Guestlecturers,teachingassistantswhodonothavesoleteachingresponsibilities,andothernon-remuneratedindividualsareexcluded.Toclarifyoursamplepopulation,wecanofferacomparisontoRajagopal’ssamplefrom1991-92.Whilethesamplesarelargelycomparable,forexample,relativelyfewlaboratoryinstructorsrespondedtoour

3Foramoredetaileddiscussionofdefinitionsofpart-time,sessionalandcontingentfacultyacrossuniversitiesinOntario,pleaseseeField,Jones,Karram-Stephenson,andKhoyestsyan(2014).4IncludedwithinthescopeofRajagopal’sterm“part-timers”are“thosepart-timeappointeeswithteachingresponsibilities,forinstance,ascoursedirector,tutorial/seminarleader,laboratorydemonstrator/supervisor)…excludedfivecategories:part-timeacademicstaffwhodonothaveteachingduties…orwhohaveonlyoccasionalduties(suchasguestlecturers);peopleholdingappointmentsasfull-timersbutteachingonlyparttimeorcarryingapartialload;full-timestudents(graduateorundergraduate)performingteachingduties;full-timersteachingoverload;additionalremuneration;andmedicalpart-timers”(p.10).


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survey,contrarytoRajagopal’ssample.Whileourteamaskedthatthequestionnairebedistributedto“sessionalinstructors,part-timeinstructors,andallinstructorsworkingonacontractualorpart-timebasisofuptothreeyearsinduration”itappearsthatthewordingofourrequestmayhaveledtothenon-deliberateexclusionoflaboratoryinstructors,perhapssimplybynotspecificallyrequestingthattheybeincluded.Giventheremarkablysmallnumberoflaboratoryinstructorswhorespondedtoourstudyandourinterestinfocusingoncourseinstructors,weexcludedthissmallgroupfromouranalysis.Therefore,whilelargelycomparable,wedonothaveanidenticalsampletotheRajagopalstudies.GiventhechallengesofdefiningtermswithintheOntariocontext,itshouldcomeasnosurprisethattherearedifferenttermsanddefinitionsfoundinotherjurisdictions.Forexample,intheUnitedStatesthepopularterminologyfornon-permanentinstructorsis“adjunct”,whileatsomeCanadianuniversitiesan“adjunct”denotesanindividualwhohasafull-timeteachingpositionatoneuniversitybutteachespart-timeatanother.ThepopulartermintheU.K.is“auxiliaryinstructors”,andnotablyinAustraliathetermsfrequentlyusedinclude“casualacademicstaff”(Mayetal,2013)and“casualstaff”(Lane&Hare,2014).However,“casualstaff”and“casualacademicstaff”weremistakenfornon-teachingbureaucraticstaffmemberswheninitialpilottestingwasdoneforthissample,andthereforeweconcludedthatthesetermswouldbeunreasonablyconfusingintheCanadiancontext.Inordertoreduceconfusion,wechosetheterm“sessional”duetogeneralrecognitionofthistermacrossinstitutionsinOntario.

3.2“Classic”and“Precarious”InstructorsRajagopal(2002)identifiedtwocategoriesofpart-timeinstructorsinCanadianuniversities:“classic”and“contemporary”faculty.“Classic”indicatesthetraditionalsessionalfacultymember,whereaprofessionalfromhisorherrespectivefieldteachesoneortwocoursesperyearbutisnotdependentuponthepart-timeworkprovidedbyauniversity.Asnotedinthisstudy,classicfacultytendtoindicateteachingasapassion,withtheintentofpreparingstudentsforthe“realworld”or“leavingalegacy”andwithahesitancytoleavecurrentemploymentorcomeoutofretirementinordertoworkintheacademyfull-time.Weexpandthedefinitionof“classic”sessionalstoincluderetiredprofessorsandprofessionals,andfacultywhoareotherwisenotreliantontheirincomeasasessionalinstructor.Weusetheterm“precarious”throughoutthisstudyinlieuof“contemporary.”Rajagopalindicatesthat“contemporary”isabroadcategoryofpart-timeinstructorwhodoesnothaveanalternativecareer,butratherindicatesaninterestinworkingfull-timeintheacademy.Thoughhelpful,thisdefinitionissomewhatlimitingforoursample,therefore,weareusingtheterm“precarious”fortworeasons:first,manyareworkingfull-timeequivalentworkloads(whencoursesareavailable)onasemester-by-semesterbasis,withlittleornojobsecurity;andsecond,thesesessionalsarelikelytobeeitherhopefulordisillusionedwiththeideaofhavingafull-timepermanentcareerintheacademy.Therefore,“precarious”facultyareinmanywaysafurtherdelineationofthenotionofRajagopal’s“contemporary”faculty,astheyare“permanenttemps”(p.7),butweneedtounderscorethatthesearesimilar,notidentical,categorizations.Itisimportanttokeepinmindthatthetermprecariousisexplicitlyusedtoidentifythenatureofemployment


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4.LiteratureReview

Thefollowingsectionoffersabriefreviewofliteratureonsessionalinstructorsthatprovidedanimportantfoundationforthisstudy.ThissectionfocusesonliteraturethatprovidesanoverviewandcontextforthisstudyandtheOntariouniversitysector,focusingonthegrowingstudentenrolmentinuniversitiesandtheincreasingemploymentofnon-permanentfaculty.

ThenumberofstudentsenrolledinCanadianuniversitieshasincreasedsignificantlyoverthepastfewdecades.InOntario,akeygovernmentpriorityforthelastdecadewastoincreaseaccesstohighereducation.InouranalysisofdatafromtheCommonUniversityDataOntario(CUDO)system,undergraduate(full-timeequivalent,FTE)enrolmentrosefrom311,660in2002-2003to400,272in2012-2013,anincreaseof28%overthedecade.Atthesametime,graduateenrolmentincreased53%from36,654to56,118duringthesametimeperiod.Inthissameperiod,totalFTEenrolmentforbothundergraduateandgraduatestudentsincreasedby31%from348,314to456,460.WhencomparingtheincreaseinFTEenrolmentandtenure-streamfaculty,thereisanotablegap.From2000/01to2009/10,thenumberoffull-timeequivalentstudentsinOntariouniversitiesincreasedby52%,whereasthenumberoffull-timetenure-streamfacultyincreasedbyonly30%(StatisticsCanada,UCASSdata).Itisgenerallyassumedthatsessionalfacultyareplayinganincreasingroleinfillingthisgap,thoughdataonthenumberofsessionalfacultyarenotreadilyavailable.ThemostrecentCAUTAlmanac(2014/15)describesuniversityexpendituresonfull-timefacultyassignificantlydecreasingasanoverallpercentageofexpenditure.“Despitethesignificantincreaseinuniversityspendingoverthepast30years,spendingonacademicsalariesasaproportionoftotaluniversityexpenditureshasdeclinedsteadilyduringthisperiod.In2012,spendingonacademicranksalariesrepresentedonly20%ofuniversityexpenditures,downfrom30%in1981”(p.1).

Fromthe1980sonward,therehasbeenaconsistenttrendtowardamoreflexiblelabourmarketinCanada(Kainer,2002;LawCommissionofOntario,2015;Rajagopal,2002;Zeytinoglu&Muteshi,2000;Vosko,2006).Between1980and1990,therewasanincreasing‘casualization’ofwork,wheremarketforceshavebeeninclinedtowardthederegulatedpart-timenon-permanentsideofthelabourmarket,andincreasinglyawayfromtheregulationssurroundingfull-timeworkersinwhichtherearebenefits,socialprograms,unionizationandstricterlabourcodes.“Asaresult,thefull-time,continuouscontractjobswerereplacedwithpart-timeandcasualjobs…withnewcomers’startingatapayratemuchlessthantheirpreviouslyemployed(andfull-time)counterparts,andreceivedfewornobenefits”(Zeytinogluetal,2005,p.90).Manyinternationalpolicieschangedinthemid-1990swiththeneedforrecognitionofpart-timeworkersacrosstheindustrializedworld,suchastheInternationalLabourOrganization(ILO)Part-TimeWorkConvention(1994).Withthefocusonthecreationofcapitalratherthanformerpoliciesoffull-employmentorcreationoffull-timejobs,thecleartrendtowardderegulated,part-timeandcasualworkbecamepartandparcelofargumentsforeconomicgrowth(Vosko,2006).Currenttrendsaretoreplaceregularworkerswithtemporarylabourinordertoreducecostsofprovidingjobsecurity,protections,andbenefitsforworkersanddependents.Workersinthe


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academicmarketplacearenoexception,asRajagopal(2002)pointedout,intheCanadiancontext.AsconfirmedbytheworksofJonesandSkolnik(1992),Slaughter&Leslie(1997)andRajogopal(2002),“CanadahasatraditionoflessgovernmentinterventionforamostlypubliclyfundedhighereducationsystemthanisthecaseinAustralia,BritainortheUnitedStates…However,Canadianuniversitiesarefindingitincreasinglydifficulttoresisttheever-increasinggovernmentdemandforprofit-yieldingcost-benefitanalyses”(Rajagopal,p.10).ConcurrentforcesofjobscarcityanddemandforhighereducationcreatedwhatRajagopalreferstoas“professionalsinreserve,”whereanincreasingnumberofPhDsarepoisedtobecomepartoftheacademiclabourmarket,butseemunabletogainentryonafull-timebasis.Reducedfundingandtheincreasingcorporatizedleadershipofuniversitieshascontributedtoapreferenceforshort-termcontractsovertenure-trackpositions.Withmuchoftheliteratureonsessionalandpart-timefacultyfocusingonAmericanandUnitedKingdomperspectives,policymakersinCanadahavelittleevidenceastotheworkingconditionsandexperiencesofthe‘other’instructorsinouruniversities.Forexample,non-tenure/tenure-trackfacultyfalloutsideofthescopeoflarge-scalestudiesonfacultylifeandareseldomincludedinnationalandinternationalsurveys(forexample,theChangingAcademicProfessionssurvey,seeJonesetal,2012;Jonesetal.2013;Metcalfe,etal,2011).Rajagopaloffersinterestinginsights,yetthedatastemsfromsurveysandinterviewsconductedin1990-1992,andwhiletherearealimitednumberofstudiesforindividualinstitutions,therearefewreportsoverthepastdecadethatcrossinstitutionalboundaries.Brownlee’srecentstudy(2015)confirmsthedramaticriseintheemploymentofsessionalfacultyatseveralinstitutionsinOntario,includingseveralthatareincludedinthisstudy.Thestudyconfirms,asdidourinitialreportfrom2014(Fieldetal.),thatsessionalfacultynumbershavebeenrelativelystableatsomeinstitutions,andincreasingataremarkablerateatothers.Brownlee’sapproachwastocollectdatathroughFreedomofInformationActrequestsinresponsetotherealitythatthereissolittlepubliclyavailabledata.

Atsomeuniversities,suchasBrock,Nipissing,Queen’s,LakeheadandToronto,thenumber of full-time contract faculty did remain relatively stable. At mostinstitutions, however, the number and proportion of full-time contract hiresincreasedsignificantly.AtTrent, forexample, thefull-time intensityratio fell froman average of 5.6 between 2000 and 2005 to 3.4 between 2006 and 2010(Brownlee,n/p).

TheUniversityofOttawaisnotedashavingahighratiooffull-timesessionalstotenure-trackfacultyintheFacultyofArtsandtheFacultyofSocialSciences,where“thenumberoffull-timesessionalsincreasednearlysixfoldbetween2000and2008…muchhigherthanthe41%increaseintenurestreamhiring”(Brownlee,2015,p.11).Otherinstitutionsalsoexperiencedincreases,includingWilfridLaurierUniversitywhichhada“muchgreaterproportionalincreasecomparedwithtenurestreamhiring”(p.10).“Similarpatternswerealsonotedat“Western,wherethenumberoffull-timesessionalsintheFacultyofArtsandHumanitiesandtheFacultyofSocialScienceroseby229%between2001–02and2010–11”(p.10-11).Fromtheseandotherstudies,wecanconfirmatrendatmanyuniversitiesinCanadatowardanincreasinglypart-timenon-securecontractuallabourforce.


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5.DemographicsofSurveyRespondents

IntroductionInheranalysisofdatacollectedfrom1990to1992,Rajagopal(2002),foundthatthoseworkinginpart-timepositionstendedtobeprimarilymaleinallbutoneuniversityinhernationalsurvey;notablytherewasonlyoneuniversitywherewomencomprisedamajority(55%)ofpart-timers(seep.109).Our2015/2016studysuggests,however,thatthemajorityofsessionalfacultyarenowfemale.Theoverallsampleindicatesaratioof2womento1man;similartrendswereobservedwithineachinstitutioninthesamplewherethenumberofwomenrespondingfromeachinstitutiontypicallyoutnumberedthenumberofmen.Theexceptionwasoneinstitutionwherethemale-femaleratiowasrelativelyonpar,with43%maleand47%femalerespondents,and10%preferringnottoanswer.However,mostinstitutionsrangedfrom30-42%maleand56-67%female,withanon-binary0.1-2%ofthesample,andafurther3-11%preferringnottoanswer.Thismayindicateageneral“feminization”ofcontractualteachingpositionsintheacademy.ThehighestdegreereportedbysessionalfacultywasmostfrequentlyaPhD,with59.4%reportingaPhDand29.8%reportingaMaster’sdegree.Justover10%offacultydidnotrespondtothisquestion,someofwhomofferedwrite-instatementsregardingobtainingeitheraBachelors,aBachelorofEducation,oranotherprofessionalcertificationordesignation.Asnotedintheliteraturereview,Rajagopalidentifiedtwocategories,“Classic”and“Contemporary”todelineatebetweentwosubgroupingsofnon-full-timefaculty.Inthisstudy,weechothesecategorieswiththedesignationofclassicandprecarioussessionalinstructors.Classicsessionalsarethosewhohaveotherprimarywork,areretired,orareotherwisenotreliantontheincomefromshort-termteachingcontracts.Theytendtobecurrentorretiredprofessionals,forexamplelawyers,policyanalysts,orleadersintheprivatesectorwhohavereturnedto“giveback”or“teachforfun”whilemakingabitof“extracashontheside.5”Ingeneral,fewerclassicsessionalshadaPh.D.thanthoseintheprecariouscategory.Acaveatisthatasignificantnumberofclassicsessionalswhoareretireesover65reportedthattheyarereliantontheincomefromsessionalinstructionwhichmaybeareflectionofthechallengesforretireesfollowingthe2009crash,amongotherfactors,butnonethelesstheirmainobjectiveisnottofindfull-timeemploymentinacademia.However,thoseinthe“precarious”categoryarereliantupontheincomefrominstructionalwork.Mostprecarioussessionalsarefemale,haveaPh.D.,reportedworking4-5yearsonshort-termcontracts,andindicatedanaspirationtofindafull-timeacademicpositionwithemployeebenefits.

5Theseareanonymousquotestorepresentthe“classic”category;thesequotationsareselectedfromresponsestoopen-endedquestionsinthesurveyregardingtheprimaryreasonforteaching.


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DemographicsRespondentswereaskedtoprovidebasicdemographicinformationsuchastheirage,gender,yearsofshort-termcontractuallecturing,etc.Unsurprisingly,giventhenumberofyearsrequiredforaterminaldegreeorthedevelopmentofaprofessionalcareeroutsideofacademia,themajorityofsurveyrespondents(95.2%)werethirtyyearsofageorolder.Thefigurebelowshowsthatmorerespondentswereinthe30-34agegroupthantheotheragecategories,thoughoverallthereisarelativelyflatagedistribution.Figure1:AgeofRespondents

Oneofthemostsurprisingfindingsisthatsessionalfacultyarenotastransientagroupasonemighthaveanticipated.Infact,over15%ofoursamplehavebeenworkingformorethan15yearsasasessionalinstructor(Figure2,below).Only12.6%ofrespondentsreportedthattheyhadworkedoneyearorless,with26.12%havingbetween2and4yearsofexperience,and26.8%havingbetween5and8yearsofexperience.Thosewith9to14yearsofexperiencemakeupthefinal17.8%.Roughlyone-thirdofallrespondentshad9ormoreyearsofexperienceasasessionalinstructor.

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Figure2:Yearsworkingasasessionalinstructor

Themajorityofrespondentswerecurrentlyonshorttermcontractsoflessthan6months(53.9%),and,withtheadditionof17.7%ofrespondentsworkingoncontractsof7-9months,overtwo-thirdsofrespondentswereoncontractsof12monthsorless(seeFigure3).Only5.8%ofrespondentsheldcontractsof13monthsorlonger.Figure3:CurrentContractDurationasReportedbyParticipants

Mostrespondents(57.6%)felttheywouldberehiredtoteachthesamecourseifitwasofferednextyear,buttherewerealsoconcernsthatthecoursemightnotbeoffered,orthatatenuredfacultymembermightdecidetoteachthecourse.Therespondentsgenerallyreportedalowlevelofconfidenceconcerningtheprospectsofrehiring.

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IncomeRespondentswereaskedseveralquestionsregardingincomeandalternativeworkthroughoutthesurvey.Amajorityofrespondentsprovidedanestimatedafter-taxincomefromworkasasessionalinstructor,withaminorityindicatinganafter-taxpersonalincomeforallwork.Whiledataisself-reportedandanonymous,itshouldbenotedthatthedistributionappearstoindicateseveralworryingtrends.Formanyinstructors,incomelevelsfrompart-timesessionalcontractsaresignificantlylessthantheLIM-ATmeasureofthepovertyline.Thelowincomemeasureaftertax(LIM-AT)$19,930forasingleadultand$28,185forafamily(StatsCan,2013).Thequestionposedinoursurveywasto“estimateincomefromworkasasessional,part-timeorcontractfacultymember”withtheintentofexcludingincomefromotherwork.Roughly45%ofSessionalfacultyindicatedthattheydonotmakemorethan$19,930,theLowincomemeasureaftertax(LIM-AT)throughteachingonasessional,part-timeorcontractbasis,excludingincomefromotherwork.Notably,thereareasmallnumberofsessionalfaculty,someofwhomappeartobecapitalizingonmultiplecontractsthroughouteachsemester,with17.3%reportingamiddle-classincomeofbetween$40,000and$80,000.Thissuggeststhatamiddle-classincomeispossible,thoughbynomeanscommon,amongsessionalfacultyinOntario.Additionally,2.6%ofrespondentsindicatedanincomeofbetween$80,000to109,000,and0.2%indicatedthattheymakeover$130,000perannum.Itisremarkablethatcontractfacultyreportarangeofincomesfromunder$12,000peryeartoover$130,000,thoughnotablythetopendofthespectrumissparselypopulated.Figure4:Estimatedincomefromworkasasessional,part-timeorcontractfacultymember

*Note: the Low Income Measures were used as cut-off points for the 12,000-19,929 and 19,930-28,184 in order to provide measures that are useful specifically for the province of Ontario. **Note: no responses for either the 110-199,999 or 120,000-129,999

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Themajority(59.7%)ofsessionalsreportedthattheyhadalternativesourcesofincome.Evenwithroughly60percentofsessionalinstructorshavingadditionalsourcesofincome,30.4%remainbelowtheLIM-ATmeasureof$19,929(seeFigure5,below)whenincludingallsourcesofincome.Thisindicatesthatnearly1in3remainbelowtheafter-taxpovertyline,despitehavingtwoormoresourcesofincome.ThispromptedourteamtofurtherinquireastohowsessionalfacultyfitwithinRajagopal’scategorizationsof‘classic’and‘contemporary’instructors,asdiscussedinthefollowingsection.Figure5:Estimatedtotalafter-taxpersonalincome(includingsessionalandotherwork)

ClassicandPrecariousSessionalInstructorsInapreviousstudy,Rajagopal(2002)categorizedCanadiansessionalfacultyaseither“classic”and“contemporary”faculty.Theterm“classic”indicatesthemoretraditionalroleofaworkingprofessionalorretiredprofessionalwhoenterstheclassroomtosharehisorherexpertise;thisindividualisnotdependentuponthepart-timeincomeforthispositionasprovidedbyauniversity.Asnotedinthisstudy,classicfacultytendtoindicateteachingasapassion,withtheintentofpreparingstudentsforthe“realworld”or“leavingalegacy”andwithahesitancytoleavecurrentemploymentorcomeoutofretirementinordertoworkintheacademyfull-time.Whensurveyrespondentswereaskedtodescribethebenefitsofclassicsessionalfaculty,oneindicatedthat,“Thereisagreatvalueforbothteachersandstudentsinemployingsessionalswho(beingpart-time)areabletomaintaincareersintheirfield,bringingthemostup-to-datepracticesintotheclassroom.”Thedatasuggestthatthereareseveralsubcategoriestoconsiderwithinbothprecariousandclassicclassifications.Roughlyone-quarterofoursamplecanbeclassifiedas“classic,”with24.8%ofrespondentsmeetingthecriteria.Approximately50%ofclassicsessionals(12%ofallrespondents)areworkingfull-timeinotherfields,whiletheotherportionof‘classic’sessionalsareretirees.

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“Precarious”facultyareadelineationofthenotionofRajagopal’s“contemporary”faculty.“Contemporary”facultyrepresentabroadcategoryofpart-timeinstructorswhodonothaveanalternativecareer,butratherindicateaninterestinworkingintheacademyasafull-timecareer.Thisdefinitiondoesnotquitefitour“precarious”group,fortworeasons:first,manyareworkingfull-timeequivalentworkloads,whencoursesareavailable,onasemester-by-semesterbasis,withlittleornojobsecurity;andsecond,manyaredisillusionedwiththeideaofhavingafull-timepermanentcareerintheacademy(seeTable14,below).Therefore,theterm“Precarious”isusedtoindicatethenatureofemploymentandtherelianceontheincomestreamthatthesefacultyhave,wheretheymayworkatmultiplecampusesorhaveanotherpart-timenon-permanentjobinordertomakeendsmeet.Both“precarious”and“contemporary”facultymaybepositionedas“permanenttemps”(Rajagopal,2002,p.7),thoughoursamplesaresomewhatdifferent(pleaseseesection3,Terminology,formoredetails).Justoversixtypercent(61.3%)ofrespondentscouldbeclassifiedasPrecariousinstructors,specificallyidentifyingthosethatindicatethatpart-timenon-permanentworkistheirprimarysourceofincomeandemployment.Interestingly,63.1%ofprecariousinstructorsrespondedthattheyaverageatleasttwoormorecoursespersemesterinthewinter/fall.Somerespondentshaveheavycourseloadsandarestillseekingalternativeemployment,typicallyto“makeendsmeet.”Again,thesearenotprofessionalswithfull-timeworkinothersectorsbutratherthosewhoconsiderthemselvesprimarilytobecontractinstructors.Onequarterofprecariousinstructors(24.8%)taughtatleasttwoormorecoursesinboththefallandwintersemesterswithnoadditionalincomeorotherwork.Theremainingheldateachingloadaveraginguptooneclasspersemester.Thisgroupwasrelativelyevenlysplitbetweenthosewithandwithoutadditionalpart-time,non-permanentworkinanothersector.Thereappeartobeseveralsubcategoriestoconsiderhere,includingthoseprecarioussessionalswhoareseekinganyfull-timepositionandhave“givenup”onacademia;thereforetheyarecurrentlyreliantonincomefromlecturingcontractsbutareseekingafull-timecareeroutsideofacademia.Theseinstructorsarecurrentlytermed“precarious”butmaybebetterthoughtofas“exiting”academics.Itisimportanttonotethatoursurveywasdesignedtoallowparticipantstoskipquestionsthattheywouldprefernottoanswer,andthereforewedonothavesufficientdataon13.9%ofthesampletodetermineiftheyfallintoeithertheClassicorPrecariouscategories.Thissegmentofthepopulationisnotincludedintheassessmentsofthedifferencesbetweenclassicandprecarioussessionals.

AgeOverall,precariousinstructorstendedtobeyoungerthatclassicinstructors,with71%oftheformerbelowtheageof50,whiletwo-thirdsofclassicfaculty(67%)wereatorabovetheageof50(seeFigure6).Aswithourstudy,Rajagopalfound“ageandeducationinteractionissignificant”(p.136);however,ourfindingsarenotthesame.Rajagopal’ssurveyfrom1990-92indicatedthatthoseunder30weremorelikelytobeclassics,thoughthose50oraboveweremorelikelytofallintothecontemporarycategory(seep.134-135).Rajagopal’sstudyfoundthatiswas“trueoftheunder-30s,wherethosewithdoctoratesaremostlikelyofallage-relatededucationgroupstobeClassics”(p.136).Dueto“interactioneffects”ofageandeducation,“youngerpart-timers(under30)aremuchmorelikelytobeClassics,whiletheolder(over50)aremoreoftenContemporaries”(p.135).Unlikethefindings


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presentedinHiddenAcademics,where“Thoseintheagegroupsbetween–30sand40s–leaninneitherdirection”(p.134-135),wefindthatthoseintheir30sand40saremorelikelytobeclassifiedasprecariousthanclassic.Figure6:AgeofRespondentsbyCategory(Classicv.Precarious)

EducationRespondentswereaskedtoindicatetheirhighestdegree.Ofthosewhorespondedtothisquestion,overseventypercent(70.9%)ofprecarioussessionalsindicatedtheirhighestdegreetobeaPhD,with23.9%indicatingaMaster’sdegree.Classicswererelativelysplitwith45.1%indicatingtheirhighestdegreetobeaMaster’sand43.8%indicatingaPhD.Figure7:GenderofRespondentsbyCategory(Classicv.Precarious)

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CareeraspirationsThree-quartersofrespondents(76.4%,n=1,599)indicatedthattheywouldprefertohaveapermanent,full-timepositioninacademia;however,confidenceinmovingintoafull-timepositionwaslow,andnearlyhalfwouldpreferafull-timeteachingpositionoverthetraditionaltenure-track(49.1%).Justover40%wouldexitacademiaiftheycouldfindsecureworkinanotherfield.Thewidelyheldaspiration(76.4%)toenteracademiaonafull-timebasiswasnotreflectedinaspirationsforthetenure-track.Lessthanoneinthree,29.6%,indicatedthattheyintendedtohaveacareerwithtenureandwereactivelyseekingthisgoal.Only27.1%(n=1602)feltconfidentthattheycouldachieveatenure-trackpositionifthey“workhardenough,”while50%feltthatthiswasanunachievablegoal.Further,only13.1%believedthattheywouldmoveintoafull-timepositioninacademiawithinthenexttwoyears(seeFigure8below),withthemajorityofbothclassicandprecarioussessionalsindicatingthattheydidnotbelievethatwouldbeabletofindfull-timeemploymentinthenear-term.However,asurprisingnumberofclassicsessionals,despitehavingafull-timepositioninanotherfield,feltthattheywouldmoveintoafull-timepositioninacademia,indicatingthattheyarewaitingforanopportunitytoexittheircurrentoccupationalfield.Someclassicsessionalswhorespondedwith“N/A”wereretirees,whiletheprecariousindividualswerethosewhowerealsopessimisticaboutjobprospectsinacademiaingeneral.Figure8:IbelieveIwillmoveintoafull-timepositioninacademiawithinthenexttwoyears

Seventeenpercent(17%)ofclassicfacultyindicatedthattheywereactivelyintendingtopursueatenure-streampositioninacademia,opposedto45%ofprecariousfaculty.Infollow-upinterviewsitwasindicatedthatprecarioussessionalslikelystartedteachingwiththeintentofenteringthetenure-trackeventually,buthad“givenup”onthatdreamafterseveralyearsinprecariousemployment.Precariousfacultywhohad“givenup”alsotendedtobethosewhofeltthatthere

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wouldbelittleimprovementintheirjobprospectsevenwithafulleconomicrecovery,aswellasthosewhofeltinvisibleasafacultymember.Classicfacultywhorespondedthattheyintendedtoenterafull-timepositioninacademiaweremostlikelytobethoseseekingtoexitcareersintheprivateorpublicsectors,thoughtherewereanumberwhointendedtocontinuewithothercareersonapart-timebasis.Whenaskedaboutalternativecareeraspirations,therewasarelativelyevensplitbetweenthoseacademicswhowouldleavethepositionifjobsecuritywereofferedinanotherfieldandthosewhowouldnot.Justoverfortypercent(40.6%)indicatedthattheywouldleave,thoughwerelesslikelytofeel“strongly”aboutthedecisionthanthe42.9%thatwouldnotbeinterestedinanotherfield.Figure9:Iwouldleavethispositionforanotherfieldifjobsecuritywereoffered

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6.AcademicWorkSessionalinstructorsprovidedresponsestoarangeofquestionsregardingpreferencesandperceptionsoftheirroleintheacademy.Whenasked,“doyouhaveapreferenceforteachingorresearch?”mostsessionalfacultyindicatedapreferenceforteaching.Atotalof78.5%ofclassicseitherpreferredteachingorleanedtowardteaching,alongwith69.5%ofprecarioussessionals.Moreclassicsessionalsreportedthattheypreferredonlyteaching(43.0%ofclassicvs.24.0%ofprecariousfaculty),whileprecariousfacultyindicatedstrongerpreferencesforresearchthanclassicfaculty(28.0%vs.18.8%,respectively).Thereareveryfewsessionalfaculty,whethercategorizedasclassicorprecarious,whopreferonlyresearch(2.2%and2.0%,respectively).Figure10:Doyouhaveapreferenceforteachingorresearch?

Figure11:Sessionalandcontractfacultyshouldbeconsideredforteachingawards

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Respondentswerepresentedwithaseriesofstatementsaboutthelearningenvironmentandaskedtoagreeordisagree.Overall,mostsessionalsindicatedagreementwiththeideathatsessionalfacultyshouldbeconsideredforteachingawards.Alargerpercentageofprecarioussessionals(89%)agreedorstronglyagreedwiththisstatementthandidclassics(73%).Oneofthequestionsconcerningthelearningenvironmentwasdesignedtogagewhethersessionalsareteachingwithintheirfieldsofexpertise,orwerebeingemployedtoteachinabroaderrangeofsubjectareas.AsillustratedinFigure29,themajorityoffaculty,bothprecariousandclassic,disagreedwiththestatement“Iteachcoursesthatareoutsidemyfieldofexpertise.”With66.5%ofprecariousand82.2%ofclassicfacultydisagreeing,thedataclearlyindicatesthatmostsessionalsareteachingcourseswithintheirfieldsofexpertise.However,33.5%ofprecariousand17.9%ofclassicsessionalsindicatethattheydoteachcoursesoutsidetheirfields.Whilethisisaminorityofrespondents,theseresponsessignalapossibleconcernwiththeappointmentofsessionallecturersoutsideoftheirareasofspecialization.Figure12:Iteachcoursesthatareoutsidemyfieldofexpertise

Rajagopalnotedthattherewasa“neglectofprofessionaldevelopment”(p.46)opportunitiesforsessionalfaculty,arguingthatthecareermobilityofpart-timersislimitedduetotheunderwhelmingsupportforsessionalfaculty.“Despiterhetoriconimprovingteachingqualityingeneral,universitieshavepaidlittleattentiontoprofessionaldevelopmentforpart-timers”(p.78).Approximatelyathird(35%)ofclassicsessionalsand28%ofprecarioussessionalsagreedorstronglyagreedthattheyhaveaccesstoprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesthoughalargerpercentagedisagreedwiththestatementsuggestingmajordifferencesinavailabilityorperceivedavailabilityofprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities.

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Figure13:Ihaveaccesstoprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities

Approximately37%ofprecarioussessionalsand32%ofclassicsagreedorstronglyagreedwiththestatementthattheyarepursuinganactiveprogramofresearch.Responsesprovidedbysomeclassicsessionalssuggestthattheirresearchmaybeforpersonalgrowth,studentbenefit,andgeneralinterest,andnotrelatedtothepursuitofacareerinacademia.Severalrespondentsindicatedthattheyfelttheirworkwouldnotberecognizedinacademia,forexampleoneindividualnotedthat“Practical,community-basedresearch,teachingandpublishingareundervalued,andrecognizedless,intheacademicsetting.Academiccredentialingandassessmentneedtoidentify,highlightandrewardsuchcommunity-basedworkthathasacademicrigour.”Figure14:Iampursuinganactiveprogramofresearch

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Figure15:IamsatisfiedwiththelevelofremunerationIreceiveasasessionalinstructor

Figure15illustratesthatthevastmajorityofsessionalfacultyaredissatisfiedwiththelevelofremunerationtheyreceivefromteachingcontracts.Approximately84%ofprecarioussessionalsindicatedsomedissatisfactionwiththelevelofremunerationthattheyreceived,withmostreportingthatthey“stronglydisagree.”Only16.4%ofprecariousinstructorsappearedtohavesomelevelofsatisfactionwithremuneration.Astheexamplebelowindicates,manyprecarioussessionalsofferedwrite-incomments,frequentlyindicatingdisappointmentattheircurrentincomelevelandatlivingclosetoorbelowthepoverty-line.

AsI'mleavingacademia,IreallydohopethatthesituationimprovesforSessionalfaculty.WeworkashardastheTT[tenure-track]faculty,butwe'relivingunderthepovertyline…Imakelessthan$11,000withaPhD.

Incontrast,45.1%ofclassicsessionalsindicatedsatisfactionwiththelevelofremuneration,whichseemstoaffirmthatthereisadistinctionbetweenthecategories.However,giventhatamajorityofclassicinstructions(54.9%)disagreedorstronglydisagreedwiththestatementdespitethefactthattheyarenotdependentontheincomefromthissourcemaybeworthfurtherdiscussion.Severalclassicrespondentsleftcommentsintheopen-endedsectionsuchas:“Iloveteaching,Iloveinspiringcriticalthinking,butthepayisterribleforthenumberofhoursIactuallyputin”and“Giventhelargenumbersofstudents(i.e.100-200)thatIoftenteachinanonlinecourseandgiventhelargeamountoftuitioneachstudentpaysforeachcourse(approx.$1500),realisticallyIamfarunderpaid.”Sinceclassicinstructorsareeitherretiredorhaveotherprimarysourcesofincome,thelevelofremunerationappearstobelessofanissue.Whilemanyfeelthatremunerationislowforthenumberofhoursexpectedoutsideoftheclassroom(curriculumdevelopment,grading,email,studentfeedback,post-coursehours,etc.)someindicatedthattheyweresatisfiedwithotheraspectsofthejobsuchas“seeinglight-bulbsgooffinastudents’mind”orotherlesstangibleaspectsofthejob.

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“Universityteachingisnotmymajorsourceofincome;IdoitbecauseIlovemysubjectmatterandwanttoinspirestudentstopursuegraduateworkandcareersinmyfield.It'sgenerallyapleasuretoworkwithstudents,especiallythosewhoreallywanttolearn.”

Respondentswereaskedwhethertheyhad“experiencedconsiderablepersonalstrainduetoshort-termcontractualemployment.”Asillustratedinthefigurebelow,40%ofrespondentsstronglyagreedandanadditional26%agreedwiththestatement.Inotherwords,thevastmajorityofrespondents(66%)reportedexperiencingconsiderablepersonalstrain.Figure16:Ihaveexperiencedconsiderablepersonalstrainduetoshort-termcontractualemployment(classic&precarious)

Responsestothisquestionilluminateimportantdifferencesbetweenclassicandprecarioussessionalfaculty.AsshowninFigure16,89%ofprecariousinstructorsagreedorstronglyagreedthatshort-termcontractualemploymentwasasourceofconsiderablepersonalstrain,comparedwithonly29%ofclassicfaculty.Thissuggeststhatshort-termcontractsarestressfulforthevastmajorityofprecariousfaculty(89%),butthisistrueforlessthanathirdofclassicsessionalswhoaregenerallylessreliantonincomefromteachingcontracts.Asoneindividualindicated,evenifoneisemployedfull-timeinanothersectoroftheeconomy,orretiredandteachingforpleasure,thestress“ofthehiringprocessisridiculous,IneverknowifI’mgoingtogetrehiredsoIcan’tmakeanylong-termplans.”Manyclassicsessionalsindicatedastrongpreferenceforlonger-termcontractsandmorejobsecuritytoreducestressassociatedwithshort-termcontracts,eveniftheyheldjobsintheprivateorpublicsectors.Onerespondentclearlyarticulatedthestressanddisillusionmentthatsomesessionalfacultyaspiringtoacademiccareersexperienceinthefollowingstatement:

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Ihavehadtomaintainbothafull-timejobinmyprofessionandteachingpart-time.Thismakesitchallengingtoalsopublishanddoresearchthatwouldenablemetoobtainatenure-trackposition…Iamleaningtogiveupteachingasasessionalinstructorduetopoorworkingconditions…andexploitationofsessionals.IfIcan'tworkasatenure-trackacademicthenIrefusetobeexploitedinthisway.

Follow-upinterviewsrevealedaninterestingcaveatforthesmallsubsetofthepopulation(9%)ofprecarioussessionalfacultywhowereneutral,disagreedorstronglydisagreedwiththisstatement.Severalrespondentsindicatedthat“thosewhohavetheresourcestoholdonassessionalinstructorshaveabettershotatafull-timeposition,sothosewhocanrelyonparentsorspousesmaybeatanadvantageinthemarket.”SomeaddedthatitwasnotworthbeingconcernedduetothelimitedjobopportunitiesinallsectorsoftheCanadianeconomy,andthereforetheycould“nolongerfeelthestressfromitall,it’sjustthewayitis”.Anotherrespondentsuggestedthat“therearealotofuswhobelieveitwillgetbetter,youjustholdonuntilthere’sanopportunity,soyoucan’tbestressedoutaboutitbecauseit’ssupposedtobeshort-term.”

Iwasofferedapositiontoteachmycourseforthethirdyear,butIhadtodeclinebecausemycurrentjobwouldnotallowmethetimeoffeachweek.HadIbeenabletoteachanothercourseIwouldhavegladlyleftmycurrentjobtoteachfulltime. It is sad that the universities are losing valuable teachers because offinancialissues.

Forthemajority(89%)ofprecarioussessionals,theshort-termcontractualnatureoftheiremploymentwasthesourceofaconsiderablepersonalstress,andthispointwasreaffirmedbyanumberofthecommentsprovidedbyrespondents:“ContractlecturersareconsideredtheMcJob'softheacademicworld.Therearenobenefits,thereisnostability,thereislittlechanceofadvancement”and“Ihavetaughtassessionalsince[the1980s]…greatstudentEvals,singlewageearner…verylittlepension,wouldliketoretiresometimebutcannot.”Whileseriousconcernswereexpressedregardingtheshort-term,contractualnatureofthesepositionsandthelevelofremuneration,manyrespondentsindicatedthatteachingasasessionalinstructorisasourceofpersonalpride.Themajorityofbothprecarious(53%)andclassic(71%)sessionalsrespondedthattheyagreedorstronglyagreedwiththestatement.


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Figure17:Teachingasasessionalinstructorisasourceofpersonalpride.

Respondentswereposedaseriesofstatementsconcerningtheworkingenvironmentofsessionallecturersandaskedwhethertheyagreeordisagree.Over82%ofsessionalsindicatedthat“thereneedstobemorepublicdiscussionontheworkingconditionsofsessional,part-timeandothercontractfaculty”inouruniversities,withlessthan4%disagreeingwiththisstatement.Oneofthesequestionswas“Ifeelinvisible.NoonecareswhatIdo.”Approximately26%ofclassicsessionalsand44%ofprecarioussessionalsstronglyagreedoragreedwiththestatement,while45%ofclassicand31%ofprecarioussessionalsindicatedthattheydisagreedorstronglydisagreedwiththestatement(Figure18).Figure18:Ifeelinvisible.NoonecareswhatIdo.

Unfortunately,wefoundthatmanysessionalfacultydonothaveaclearunderstandingofthe“systemofseniority/promotionforcontingentfacultyatmyuniversity.”While34%ofclassicand39%ofprecarioussessionalsstronglyagreedoragreedthattheyunderstandthesesystems,anadditional46%ofclassicand46%ofprecariousdisagreedwiththestatement(Figure19).

37%34%

14%

4%9%

17%

36%

21%

14%11%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%


Classic

Precarious

9%

17%

26%31%

14%18%

26%

21%23%

9%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%

StronglyAgree


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Figure19:Iunderstandthesystemofseniority/promotionforcontingentfacultyatmyuniversity

Respondentswereaskedwhethertheyagreedordisagreedwiththestatementthat“thisisagoodtimetobeginanacademiccareerinmyfield.”Whileclassicsweremorelikelythanprecarioussessionalstoagreethat“thisisagoodtimetobeginanacademiccareerinmyfield,”aminorityofallrespondentsagreed/stronglyagreedwiththestatement.Onceagain,theresponsesilluminateimportantdifferencesinhowthecurrentstateoftheacademicprofessionisperceivedbythetwocategoriesofsessionalfaculty(seeFigure20).Themajority(67%)ofprecariousfacultystronglydisagreedordisagreedwiththestatement,comparedto38%ofclassicsessionals.Only10%ofprecariousfacultyagreedoragreedstronglywiththestatement,comparedto21%ofclassicsessionals.

Figure20:Thisisagoodtimetobeginanacademiccareerinmyfield

8%

26%

10%

32%

14%

7%

32%

11%

27%

19%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

StronglyAgree


Classic

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10% 11%

23% 21% 17%

3% 7%15% 17%

50%

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StronglyAgree


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7.AccesstoResources

7.1IntroductionInordertofacilitateclassroominstruction,facultyfrequentlyrequireaccesstoavarietyofresourcessuchasaninstitutionalemailaddress,libraryprivileges,copyingservices,ITsupport,andaccesstoonlinelearningplatforms.Inthefollowingsection,theseresourcesarediscussedintermsofthequestionposedinthesurvey:“Foryourcurrentposition,whenwereyouprovidedwiththefollowingresources?”Whilewedonotofferacomparablechartforfull-timefaculty,weofferthefollowingsectionasareferenceforunderstandingtheprovisionsavailabletosessionalfaculty.Partofthisdiscussionistocontributetoanunderstandingofwhethertherecouldbequalityissuesassociatedwithresourceallocationandaccess.Therearevaryingdegreesofrequirementforeachresource,andmuchasacarpenterisstillacarpenterwithoutameasuringtape,therearecertaintoolsthatallowforahigherqualityoutcome.Whilemanyprofessionsrequirethatanindividualpossesshisorherowntools,therearecertainresourcesthatcanonlybeprovidedbytheuniversity.Assuch,ourdiscussionofferssomeindicationofwhethersessionalfacultyhavetheresourcestospecificresourcesthatonemightassumeareavailabletotheirtenurestreampeers,suchasofficespace,thelibrary,onlinesupport,aninstitutionalphonenumberandanemailaccount,parking,etc.Whileweacknowledgethattenure/tenure-trackfacultymaycertainlyhavecomplaintsabouttheseresourcesaswell,thereisgeneralanecdotalevidencethatsessionalfacultyhavelessaccesstokeyeducationalresources.Weoffersomeindicationofsessionalfacultyperceptionsoftheavailabilityandaccesstoresources.

7.2OfficespaceBothclassicandprecariousfacultyhadconcernsaboutprivacyandsharedofficespace.Thetimelineofwhenanofficecouldbeallocatedvaried(seeFigure16),rangingfromatleastfourweekspriortothestartofclasstonoallocationatall.Aswereviewtheresponsestoquestionsaboutspecificresourcesinthefollowingsections,itisvaluabletokeepinmindthatthereseemtobetwoextremes,thosethathadaccesstoresourcesatleastfourweekspriortothestartofclass,andthosethatnevergainedaccesstoresources.Forexample,inFigure16,whileamajority(56%)receivedaccesstoofficespaceatleastoneweekpriortothestartofclass,17%ofrespondentsnevergainedaccesstoanoffice,and10%feltitunnecessaryornon-applicable.


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Figure21:Whenwereyouofferedaccesstoofficespace

Concernsexpressedbyfacultyrelatedtoofficespaceinresponsetoopen-endedquestionscanbesummedupasfollows:1)lackofprivacywhentalkingwithstudentsinasharedofficespace;2)challengesincoordinatingandschedulingofficehourswiththeadministrationandcolleagues;3)difficultiesinconnectingandmeetingwithstudentsduetolimitationsontheuseofsharedofficespace;4)noiseanddistractionscausedchallengesinopenorsharedofficespaces;and5)frustrationatthelackofsecurityforbelongingsandhavingtocarrypropsandclassmaterialstoandfromclasseachweek.Eachofthesefrustrationswasexpressedwithbothunderstandingofthelimitationsoftheuniversitytoprovideofficespace,andageneralneed,asoneintervieweenoted,for“somethingtobedone,whereevenlockersforourlaptopsandbookswouldhelp,butforprivacywithastudent,Ithinkemailmaybetheonlyoption,there’sjustnotenoughspaceoncampus.”

7.3SampleSyllabi Figure22:Whenwereyouprovidedwithsamplesyllabi?

28%

16%12% 14%

0%

10%

17%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

4+weeksprior

2-3weeksprior

1weekprior 1stweekofclass

2nd(+)weekofclass

N/A Never

39%

15%

6%2%

14%23%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

4+weeksprior

2-3weeksprior

1weekprior

1stweekofclass

2nd(+)weekofclass

N/A Never


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Samplesyllabicanbehelpfulinplanningcoursematerials,identifyingthenormativedistributionofassignmentsandweightingofgrades,aswellasprovideageneraloverviewofhowanypreviousorsimilarcourseshavebeenorganized.Forthosewhoarehiredrelativelyclosetothestartofacourse,thesecanbeinvaluable.AsFigure22,above,indicatesthat60%ofsessionalfacultyreceivedsamplesyllabipriortothestartofclass,while14%foundthistobenot-applicablefortheircircumstances,and23%indicatedthattheywereneverprovidedwithasample.Figure23:WhenwereyouprovidedwithSampleSyllabi?(Classicv.Precarious)

Figure23,aboveindicatesthedifferenceinresponsesfromprecariousandclassicsessionalfaculty.Precariousfacultyseemedtohaveslightlylessaccessoveralltosamplesyllabithanclassicsessionalinstructors,with57%abletoobtainasamplesyllabicomparedwith68%amongclassicsessionals.Thefollowingcommentfromoneprecarioussessionalmaywellillustratesomeofthechallenges:

Not knowingwhat I amgoing to teachuntil at least amonthbefore class startsmeansthat Icannotputtoomucheffort intodesigning innovativesyllabi-- I justhavetoget itdone, and get it done quickly because I am required to submit syllabi to the Chair inadvanceofthestartofterm.TheonlysamplesyllabiarethosethatIhavereceivedafteraskingcolleaguesfortheirinputandadvice;theyarenot(asfarasIknow)availableonadepartmentallevel.

Therewereafewsessionalswhoexpressedconcernthatsamplesyllabicouldpotentiallybeusedtoreducetheautonomyandprofessionaldecision-makingofinstructorsifthesystemisstandardized.Therefore,theywouldliketoreducethestressofdesigningacourseinarelativelyshortperiodoftimebyhavingsyllabiavailable,butnotastandardizedmechanismthatwouldlimittheautonomyofthefacultymember.

50%

12%6%

0%

14%

34%

16%

6%1%

27%

0%

10%

20%

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40%

50%

60%

4+weeksprior 2-3weeksprior


Never

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Precarious


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7.4InstitutionalemailorphonenumberAsonemayexpect,questionsaboutaninstitutionalphonenumberoremaileliciteddifferentresponses.Aninstitutionalemailprovidesthefacultymemberwithasenseofbelongingtotheinstitution,someperceivedauthoritywithintheuniversitycommunity,asopposedtousingaYahooorGmailaccount.Phonenumbers,ontheotherhand,maybelessimportantgiventheincreasingprevalenceofelectroniccommunication.Figure24:Whenwereyouprovidedwithaninstitutionalemailorphonenumber?

Severalprecariousinstructorsindicatedapreferenceforaninstitutionalemail,butthattheyusedapersonalphonenumberonsyllabi.Therewerespecificproblemsmentionedwithregardtoinstitutionalphonenumbers.Forexample,accesstoatelephoneattheinstitutionmaybeproblematicwithsharedofficesandlimitedhours.

Idon’tknowhowtheywouldgivemeaphonenumber,Ihaveanhouraweekinasharedofficewithelevenortwelveotherpeople,soifastudentweretocallmeonthephoneinthe office, I don’t even know the number, but I’m not sure how I would even get themessage,andit’snotlikeitwouldbeconfidentialinanyway.

Overall,mostrespondents(81%)wereprovidedwitheitheranemailaddressoraphonenumber(seeFigure19).Interactingwithstudentsispartofthejobofasessionalinstructor,andwhilethemajorityofinstructorshadeitheranemailaddressorphonenumber,theissueismorenuancedthanitfirstappears.Manysessionalfacultyindicatedthattheirassignedemailaddressesmaybecut-offimmediatelyafterfinalgradesweresubmittedforclasses,meaningthatstudentswouldhavenoaccesstofollow-upwiththeinstructor.Otherinstructorsindicatedsignificantdisagreementwiththeideaoflosingaccesstoemailiftheyareexpectedtoberehiredinthefollowingsemester.Oneprecarioussessionalcommented,“Thisyeartheofferfromtheuniversityadminduringbargainingwasthatwewouldloselibraryandemailaccesswhennotteaching-howdoweprepareforcourses?”

55%

14%6% 4% 2%

11%5%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%

4+weeksprior

2-3weeksprior

1weekprior

1stweekofclass

2nd(+)weekofclass

N/A Never


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7.5CopierorcopyingservicesFigure25:Whendidyoureceiveaccesstoacopierorcopyingservices?

Accesstoacopyingmachine(orcopyingservices)isoneofthemostproblematicareasforinstructors,whoindicatedthatsimplyhavingaccesstoacopierdoesnotprovidethefullscopeoftheissue.Theissueappearstobelimitationsimposedonthenumberofcopiesperinstructor.Althoughoursurveyresultsshowedthatmostrespondents(62%)hadaccesstotheseservicespriortothefirstweekofclass(seeFigure25),with77%havingaccessbythesecondweek,follow-upinterviewssuggestedthatthereisgreatvariationintheaccessgranted.Infact,facultymemberswithinthesamedepartmentatagivenuniversitymayhavesignificantlydifferentaccess,andseveralindicatedthatthelimitationsoncopyingservicesseemstoshiftfromyeartoyearinsomedepartments.Respondentsindicatedthatbudgetcut-backswereusuallytoblameforreducedaccess:onerespondentindicated,“wehaveonly250pagesthroughoutthesemester,butI’msurethatwillbegonebynextduetobudgetcuts.”Decision-makingappearstobeonadepartment-by-departmentbasis,forexample,somehadtomakeallthecopiesbytheirownmeansandattheirowncost,othershadveryhelpfulstaffinthedepartmentpreparingthecopiesforthem,andstillothershadtousethecopiersparinglybecausetheywerenotallowedtoexceedthelimitofpagesallocatedbythedepartment.Onerespondentremarked,“NothavingaccesstocopyingservicesmeansthatIhavetoprintoffenoughcopiesforallstudentsathome,andsometimesIdon'thaveenough,orit'stooexpensivetoprintoffenoughcopies,sothestudentshavetoshare.”Whileafewsessionalsfeltthatmostmaterialscouldbedistributedonline,manymorestillfeltobligatedtoprintoffimportantmaterials,oftenbecausetheyfeltthatstudentsshouldnothavetopaytoprinttheirowncopies.Duetoimportanceofthecoursesyllabus,facultyfeltthatusingonlyBlackboardorotheronlineplatformswouldbeinsufficient;manyfeltthateachstudentneededahard-copyofthesyllabusand/orcurriculumguidelinesinordertoensurethattheyweremeetingtherequirementofinformingthestudentsoftheirassignments,rightsandresponsibilities.Forthesereasons,somefacultyfeltthattheywereburdenedwiththecostsofcopyingcoursematerials,syllabi,andcurriculumguidelines.

32%

16%14% 13%

2%

8%

14%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

4+weeksprior

2-3weeksprior


2nd(+)weekofclass

N/A Never


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7.6OnlineresourcesInordertofacilitateclassroominstruction,facultyfrequentlyrequireaccesstoavarietyofresourcessuchasaninstitutionalemailaddress,libraryprivileges,copyingservices,ITsupport,andaccesstolearningmanagementsystemsoronlinelearningplatformssuchasBlackboard,Pepper,Moodle,and/orDesire2Learn.Onlineresourcesareincreasinglyimportantinuniversityteaching.Variousprograms,includingforexampleBlackboard,PepperandDesire2Learn,allowfacultytouploadsyllabi,guidelines,papers,references,andothermaterialsforstudentstouse.Studentsmaybeabletouseonlineforumstopostdiscussionsofclassmaterials,andincreasinglyparticipationinonlineforumscanbeincludedincourserequirements.Thefollowingsectionreviewstheresponsesprovidedforourquestion:“whenwereyouprovidedwithonlineaccessforclassforumsandmaterials?”Figure26:Whenwereyouprovidedwithonlineaccessforclassforumsandmaterials

*ExamplesincludeBlackboard,Pepper,Desire2Learn,etc.Overeighty-percentofrespondents(80.5%classic,85.8%precarious)hadaccesstoonlineforumsbythetimeclassstarted(seeFigure26).However,afewindicatedthattheyfacedsomechallengesmerelytofindinformationonhowtoactivatetheseprograms.Severalrespondentsindicatedthatthelackofinformationandsupportcauseddelaysandconfusionforstudentsintermsofaccessingandreadingthematerials.Manyofthecommentsintheopen-endedsectionofthissurveyspecificallyregardingresourcesnotedthatutilizingthesesystemscouldcausesignificantstressforfacultymembers.Severaloftheinterviewrespondentsindicatedthatwhetherduetothecomplexityofsomeofthesystems,alackoforientationtothesesystems,simplynotbeingtoldsuchasystemexists,orbeinghiredatthelastmoment,informationcouldbedelayedforstudents.Onerespondentpointedoutthatsuchcomplicationscouldpotentiallypresentanunfavorableimageoftheteacherasadisorganizedpersonintheeyesofthestudents.Inaddition,therewerefewopportunitiesforsessionalfacultytolearntousetheseresources.

45.9%

21.6%

13.0%

4.3%1.1%

35.2%30.0%

20.6%

6.1% 2.4%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

4+weeksprior

2-3weeksprior

1weekprior 1stweek 2ndweek

Classic

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Basedonthenumberofcommentsfromthequestionnaireresponsesandinterviews,thereappearstobesomegeneralissuesregardingprogramssuchasBlackboardandothers.Manyparticipantsfeltthattherewasbothalackoforientationtotheseprogramsandalackofavailablesupport,especiallyatthebeginningofabusysemester.Forsomeinstructorsatsomeuniversities,accesstotheonlinegradingsystemwasdeniedupontheexpiryoftheircontract,however,theywerestillrequiredtosubmitgradesonline,whichcausedaremarkableamountoffrustrationforseveralinstructors.

Another thing that isdemoralizing… iswhenmy teachingcontract - and thereforemyaccess to studentmarksmanagement and online forms - ends on April 30 and I amexpected tomark lateexams/assignmentandchangemarksbutdon'thaveelectronicaccesstothesystem.Thishashappenedtomemorethanonce,andthesystemdeliversamessagesayingthatIamnotemployedbytheuniversity.Right.Iamworking,butnotbeingpaid.BeingtoldthroughanautomatizedmessagethatIdon'tworkthereisaslapintheface.

7.7ParkingFigure27:Parking

Questionsonparkingelicitedafairlynegativeresponseoverall(seeFigure27),withsessionalsindicatingthattheywereratherunhappywiththehighcostofparking,orfindingthattheonlyspacesavailablerequiredthemtomovetheirvehicleeveryhourtoavoidaticket.Onerespondentwrote,“ParkingeatsupmymeagerwagesoIpark20minutesawayandwalkin.”Thatbeingsaid,sessionalsalsoseemedtoconsidertheissueofparkingnotjustspecifictothem,butproblematicforfull-timefacultyaswell.Forexample,“Itwouldhavebeennicetohaveparking,butintheirdefense,everyonepaysforparking.”Therewasastrongsensethatfacultyparkinglotscouldbemadeavailableforsessionalfacultyatthoseinstitutionswherethisiscurrentlynotthepractice.Notably,parkingforsessionalfacultywithdisabilitieswasraisedasanissuewheresessionalfacultywerenotallowedtoparkinthefacultylotthatwassignificantlyclosertoaspecificbuildingthangeneral

14%

3% 4% 4%0%

30%

44%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

4+weeksprior

2-3weeksprior


2nd(+)weekofclass

N/A Never


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parkingareas.Anotherissueraisedwasthatofloadingzones,wheresessionalfacultywhodonothavesecureofficesareforcedtocarryequipment,props,orothermaterialssignificantlyfurthertothegeneralparkinglots.Therewasnosignificantdifferencebetweentheresponsesofclassicandprecariousfacultyintermsofaccesstoparking,thoughnotably,classicfacultywithotherfull-orpart-timepositionswerelesslikelytoindicateconcernsaboutthecostsassociatedwithparking.Precariousfacultymembersweremorelikelytomentionthattheyusedpublictransportationoptions,thoughthiswasrelatedtourbanareaswherepublictransportationwasmoreavailablethanatruralcampuses.Severalprecariousfacultymentionedthattheyfrequentlyparkedoutsideoftheuniversityincheaperparkingareas,whichbecamemoredifficultinthewinter.

7.8TeachingassistantsFigure28:WhenwereyouassignedaTeachingAssistant?

Approximately44%ofallrespondentsindicatedthattheyhadbeenassignedateachingassistant(TA)betweenfour-weekspriortothestartofthecourseandtwo-weeksafterthecoursehadstarted.Approximately27%ofrespondentsindicatedthattheywere“never”assignedaTAand27%indicatedthatthequestionwas“non-applicable”(27%)(seeFigure28).WrittenresponsesindicatedthatthereweresometimeschallengesassociatedwithTAassignments,sometimesrelatedtoinsufficientTAhours,sometimesbeingcomplicatedbyunionpolicies,andstillothertimesinvolvingdifficultyincoordinatingTAactivitiesduetothepart-timenatureofworkingasasessionalinstructor.Onerespondentwrote,“AccesstoteachingassistantsisanongoingissueforCUPEinstructors.Ittakesaverylongtimetobeapprovedandsometimesnotuntilmidsemester.CUPEinstructorsarealsonottoldinadvancewhentheyareeligibletoapplyforTA'sormarkingassistance.”Follow-upinterviewssuggestedthattheassignmentofTAstosessionalsatsomeuniversitiestendedtobeonadepartment-to-departmentbasis,wheredifferentdepartmentswithinthesameinstitutioncouldhaveverydifferentpoliciesandpractices.

8%

15%

8% 7% 6%

27% 27%

0%5%10%15%20%25%30%

4+weeksprior

2-3weeksprior


2nd(+)weekofclass

N/A Never


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SeveralsessionalsindicatedthattheyweretakingonextraworkwhentheywereassignedTAswhodidnothaveanyexperiencewiththecoursematerial.ThiswasmarkedlyproblematicastheinstructorwouldhavetobringtheTAuptospeedwiththecoursematerialatarapidpace,andmonitorallofthemarkingthattheTAwouldcomplete,therebyreducingoreliminatingthebenefitsofhavingaTAinsomecases.ThereweresomeissuesnotedwithalackofinputastopreferenceforTAassignments,andfurtherchallengeswithadministrativesupportforsessionalswhowereexperiencingchallengeswiththeirassignedTAs.OnesessionalwassofrustratedwiththesystemthattheindividualdecidedtoturndownallTAassignments.Anotherrespondentsummeduphisorherexperienceinthefollowingcommentprovidedinthesurvey.

ThoughIbelievetheamountIampaidisfair,Ihavecertainminorissuesinprinciple.Ihavechosen,formanyyearsnow,nottoutilizetheoptionofhavingaTA.UltimatelyIbelieve the students are better served byme taking on all of those responsibilities,includingthemarkingoffull-answermidterms,finalsandassignments.

7.9LibraryresourcesFigure29:Whenwereyouprovidedwithaccesstolibraryresources?

Amajorityofsurveyrespondents(73.5%classic;68.0%precarious)(seeFigure29,above)indicatedthattheywereabletogainaccesstolibraryresourcespriortothestartofthesemester.Nearlyoneintenclassicsessionals(11.4%),and15%ofprecarioussessionals,indicatedthatthisquestionwasnotapplicable,withseveralrespondentsindicatingthattheydidnotrequirelibraryresourcesduetotheuseoftextbooksorotherclassmaterialsnotsourcedfromthelibrary.Justoverone-in-ten,or10.3%reportedthatthey“never”hadaccesstolibraryresources.

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

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60.0%

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Never

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8.TheLearningEnvironmentPartoftheintentofthisstudyistounderstandthecontributionofsessionalfacultytothelearningenvironmentaswellastogainadeeperunderstandingofthelearningenvironmentfromtheperspectiveofsessionalfaculty.Ourfindings,basedonbothquestionnairedataaswellasapreliminaryanalysisofinterviews,suggestthatmostsessionalfacultyarehighlydedicatedinstructorswhoareproudoftheirincontributionstothelearningenvironment.Followingover50interviewswithinstructors,ourteamfoundtheretobemanyhighlydedicatedinstructorsworkinginoursampleofOntariouniversities.Thequestionnaireincludedaquestiononwhethersessionalsbelievedthatstudentsprovidedthemwiththesamerespectastenure-streamfaculty(Figure30).Themajorityofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedwiththestatement,thoughthereweresomedifferencesinresponsebetweenclassicsessionals(64%)andprecarioussessionals(53%).Figure30:Studentsprovidemewiththesamerespectasmytenure-streamcolleagues

Amajorityofsessionalfacultyindicatedthattheyfound“studentevaluationshelpfulforimprovingmyteachingmaterials.”Amongbothprecariousandclassicsessionals,studentevaluationsappeartobeviewedashelpful,with60%ofprecarioussessionalsand54%ofclassicsstronglyagreeingoragreeingwiththestatement(Figure31).

21%

43%

15%8% 7%

19%

34%

27%

10%6%

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10%

20%

30%

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StronglyAgree


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Figure31:Ifindstudentevaluationshelpfulforimprovingmyteachingmaterials

Studentfeedbackandevaluationsarenotusedsolelyforimprovingteachingmaterials,theyarealsooftenconsideredindeterminingcontractrenewalandotherhiringprospects.Duetoconcernsraisedintheliterature,wefeltitprudenttoaskifsessionalswerelikelytomakecourseadjustmentstoavoidnegativestudentfeedback.Theresultssuggestthatsessionalfacultymaybewaryoftheimpactofnegativestudentfeedback,thoughonlyaminorityindicatedthattheyadjustcoursecontent.Futureresearchisneededtoclarifytheseresults,however,butwith42%ofthosedependentuponincomefrompart-timeteachingcontracts(i.e.precariousmembers)indicatingsomeadjustmenttotheircoursecontent.Thisisanareaforfuturestudy,especiallywhetheradjustingcoursecontenttoavoidnegativestudentfeedbackisalwaysornecessarilyanegativeoutcome,asnegativefeedbackmayalsomeanthatthematerialsneedtobeimproved.Moredetaileddataisrequiredtodrawfurtherinsightsintothismatter.Figure32:Iadjustmycoursecontenttoavoidnegativestudentfeedback

Overall,oursurveyindicatesthatthevastmajority(87.5%)ofsessionalfacultystronglyagree(45.2%)oragree(42.1%)thattheyhavean“informedpedagogicalapproachtoteaching”Therewerenonotabledifferencesinresponsesbetweenclassicandprecarioussessionals.

17%

37%

13% 15% 14%14%

46%

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10%

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30%

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50%

StronglyAgree


Classic

Precarious

9%

27%

19%

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12%6%

36%

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10%

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30%

40%

StronglyAgree


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Figure33:Ihaveaninformedpedagogicalapproachtoteaching

Finally,respondentswereaskedwhethertheywouldlikemorecollaborationwithpeers,includingfaculty.Themajority,approximately76%ofprecariousand62%ofclassicsessionals,agreedorstronglyagreedwiththestatement.Thisisastrongindicationthatsessionalfacultymembersareseekingmoretieswiththeinstitutionandnetworkingopportunitieswiththeirpeers.Whencombinedwiththeideathatmanysessionalfacultyfeelinvisibleoncampus,thiscouldbeamethodofimprovingjobsatisfaction.Moreresearchinthisareaisrecommended.Figure34:Toreachmyfullpotential,Iwouldlikemorecollaborationwithpeers

45.4%42.1%

6.7%3.1% 0.7% 2.0%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

StronglyAgree


N/A

19%

43%

20%

7% 4%

26%

50%

13%4% 2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%


Classic

Precarious


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ImprovingtheLearningEnvironmentInrespondingtoanumberofopen-endedquestions,sessionalinstructorsofferedavarietyofsuggestionsonhowtoimprovethelearningenvironmentinOntario’suniversities.Thesesuggestionsprimarilyfallwithinfivecategories.Eachcategoryispresentedintheorderofthenumberofsuggestionsreceivedpercategory.First,sessionalfacultyindicatedthathiringfacultytomorestable,full-timepositionswouldreducestressandenableinstructorstobetterprepareforupcomingcourses.Second,manyfeltthatclasssize,notablyforundergraduatecourses,wasproblematicforprovidingcriticalthinkingopportunitiesandstudentengagement.Third,sessionalfacultywouldlikemoreopportunitiestoparticipateinongoingprofessionaldevelopment,frequentlyspecificallyrequestingaccesstoteachingandlearningcentrestoimprovetheirinstructionaltechniquesandpedagogy.Inaddition,manyindicatedthatmorepedagogyandclassroommanagementtrainingintheirPhDandMaster’sprogramswouldhavebeenwelcome.Fourth,instructorswereconcernedwithwhatwereperceivedtobeanincreasingneedtoconductremedialworkinmanyfirstyearcourses,wherestudentsareunfamiliarwithessaystructureorbasicrequirementsforuniversity-levelclasses.Manyfeltthatofferingremedialorpreparatorycourses,orperhapsbetterhighschoolpreparationingeneral,wouldfreeupclassroomtimefromremedialworkandraiseexpectationsandthuslearningoutcomes.Fifth,whilemostinstructorsindicatedapositiveresponseoveralltoquestionsregardingavailableteachingresourcesatmostinstitutions,therewereconcernsthatgapscanaffectthelearningenvironment.Forexample,ill-fittedclassroomlayoutsandalackofprivatemeetingspacesforfacultywerethetwomostfrequentlyidentifiedissuesrelatedtoresources.Theanalysisofqualitativedatathatfollowsprovidesinsightintohowinstructorsperceivethelearningenvironmentsinwhichtheywork,whatmotivatesthem,andhowpoliciesandpracticesthatareputinplacearecarriedoutinpractice.

1.IncreasedstabilitySessionalfacultyindicatedthathiringfacultytomorestable,full-timepositionswouldreducestressandenableinstructorstobetterprepareforupcomingcourses.Whenaskedaboutwhethertheywereconcernedaboutthecontingentnatureoftheiremployment,72.3%ofrespondentsstronglyagreedoragreed.Thoseindicatingthatthiswasnotasourceofconcern(13.2%)wereprimarilyretireesorotherclassicsessionalswhohadalternativesourcesofemployment.Respondentswereaskedwhethertheyfeltcomfortablemakinglargefinancialcommitmentssuchaspurchasingacarorahomeandnearlytwo-thirds(65.8%)couldnotmakethesecommitmentsduetoeitherjobinstability,levelofremuneration,oracombinationofthetwoissues;16.3%feltcomfortablemakingmajorfinancialcommitments,thoughthiswasprimarilyclassicsessionalswhohadalternativesourcesofincome.


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Figure35:Thecontingentnatureofmyemploymentisasourceofconcern

Ahealthyworkforceisimportantforthegenerallearningenvironment.Unsurprisingly,manyrespondentsindicatedthatinstabilityandremunerationwerenottheonlyissuesthatimpactedtheirhealth.Forexample,respondentswereaskedabouthealthanddentalcoverage,andthereislittlesurprisethatthemajority(59.12%)indicatedthattheydidnothaveadequatedentalcoverage,thoughnearly20%(19.5%)indicatedadequatecoverage.Thereweresimilarresponsestothequestiononhealthcoverage,with56.96%indicatinginadequatehealthcoverageand19.9%indicatingadequatecoverage.Figure36:IhaveadequatedentalcoverageasaSessionalinstructor

2.ReducedclasssizetoimprovecriticalthinkingandengagementSessionalfacultyindicatedthattherearechallengesassociatedwithlargeclasssizes.Classsize,notablyforupper-levelundergraduatecourses,wasviewedasproblematicforprovidingcriticalthinkingopportunitiesandstudentengagement.Thefollowingareasampleofrespondentsuggestionsandconcernsregardingclasssize.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

StronglyAgree


N/A

0%10%20%30%40%50%

StronglyAgree


N/A


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Classsizeisprobablyoneoftheeasiestchangestomakethatwouldmakeasignificantimpact.Ihavetaughtthreedifferentcourses-onewith~200studentsandnotutorials,whiletheothertwotypicallyhave~60students.Thelackoftutorials/labs/discussionsectionsmeansthatstudentsarelecturedtotwiceaweekandonlyhaveachancetocontributeinalargeclassenvironment.Itrytousedifferentmethodstoencourageparticipationandhaveevenusedsmallgroupexercisesinlargelecturehalls-butthatdoesnotreplacetheimportanceofsmallclasssizeswheremeaningfuldialoguecanbeencouragedamongprofessorsandstudents.Classsizeshavedoubledtwiceinthelasttwoyearsinourprogram.Classesaremovingfromsmall-groups(intensivediscussiongroupsforthedevelopmentofcriticalthinkingskills)toeverlargergroupsinordertosavemoney.Theresultislessinteraction,lessfeedbackforstudents,feweressays,moremultiple-choicetests,andfarlessopportunitytopromotethestudents'personal/professional/moral/intellectualreflectionanddevelopment.Thestudents'motivationandenthusiasmforlearningispalpablyslippingduetotheincreaseinclasssizes.

3.TeachingandLearningCentresAswithmanycountries,theroleandfunctioningofuniversitieshaveshiftedfromservingatraditionalelitetoasignificantlybroaderideaofaccessforall,thustheroleoftheinstructorhasalsoshifted.Whenaskedaboutwhatischangingandwhatisexpectedofinstructors,manyindicatedthattherearegapsinthehighschoolcurriculumintermsofpreparationforbasicuniversityskills,suchasessaywriting,notetaking,amongotherimportantareas.Sessionalsfurtherreportedthattheywouldliketoenhancetheirinstructionalskillsinordertoaccommodateawiderangeofstudentneeds.Sessionalsareaskedtoworkinlarge,increasinglymulticulturalclassrooms;toplacegreateremphasisonaccommodatingandintegratingstudentswithspeciallearningneedsintheirclassrooms;tousemoreinformationandcommunicationtechnologiesintheirclassrooms;tomeetmorestringentcriteriaintermsofcurriculumdevelopmentwithinevaluativeandaccountabilityframeworks;andoftentoworkwithoutprivateofficespaceorotherresources.Alargenumberofsessionalsidentifiedgapsintheirprofessionaldevelopmentasteachersandrequestedaccesstoteachingandlearningcentres,somefurtherindicatingthatgraduateschoolsshouldprovidemoreclassroommanagementandpedagogicalpreparation.Atthesametime,respondentsindicatedthatgraduateprogramscannotbeexpectedtopreparesessionalsfortheincreasinglychallengingenvironmentofteachinglargeclassesandstudentswithhighneeds,andthereforeongoingprofessionaldevelopmentfocusingonpedagogyishighlyrecommendedbysessionalfaculty.Universitiesmayneedtoprovidetheseinstructorswithmoreopportunitiesforprofessionaldevelopmentinordertomaintainahighstandardofteachingandtoretainahigh-qualitylearningenvironment.Ourfindingsindicatethatonly40%ofsessionalsagreeorstronglyagreethattheyhave


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accesstoprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities,with38.5%indicatingthattheylacktheseopportunities,asillustratedinthefollowingchart.Figure37:AccesstoProfessionalDevelopmentActivities

Thereappearstobealargenumberofsessionalfacultyconcernedaboutaccesstoongoingpedagogicalandclassroommanagementtraining.Thefollowingareasampleoftheconcernsraisedinthesurveyresponses.

“Ifyoupayustocompletejobrelatedtraining(instructiontechniques&pedagogy)wecanbettermanagelargeclassrooms.”“Idobelievethereshouldbemoresupportforthosewhodonothavebackgroundinlessonplanningandclassroommanagementbackground.Iwouldhavelikedmoreinformationaboutthedifferentchallengesofteachingadults.”

RespondentsindicatedthattheywouldlikeTeachingandLearningCentrestoofferavarietyofcoursesonthefollowingtopicsareas:

- Helpingnewandweakerinstructorstobecomemoreeffective;- Providinginformationonrecentadvancesininstructionaltechnologyorpedagogy;- Updateskillsandapproachestoclassroommanagement;- Developingnewteachingtechniques;- Networkingandgainingpeer-support.

4.RemedialsupportAsubstantialnumberofrespondentsindicatedthattheywereconcernedwiththelackofuniversity-readyskillsexhibitedbyfirstandsecondyearstudents.Further,thisisbelievedtocontributetoproblemsinthelearningenvironmentwhereinstructorshavelesstimefordevelopingbroadercurriculumgoalsastheyincreasinglyneedtofocusonbasicskillssuchasessaycompositionorbasicmath,amongotherareasofconcern.

0%10%20%30%40%

StronglyAgree


N/A

10%

30%

19% 22% 17%

2%


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“Iknowthisisaperennialcomplaint,butIhavestudentswhocannotwriteagrammaticallycorrectsentence,whodonotknowwhataparagraphis,anddonotunderstandanyoftherulesorguidelinesforthesethingswhenIexplainthem.”“Whatstrikesmemostisthatsomanystudentsaretotallyunpreparedforuniversity-levelworkandreallyhavenointerestinpursuinguniversitystudies.Thisseriouslyaffectsthekindoflearningthatthosewantingmoreacademicallychallengingstudiescanreceive.”“Iwouldsuggestamandatory,first-yearcoursethatteachesstudentsthebasicsofwhatisexpectedinuniversity-levellearning.”“StudentscometoUniversityhavingneverwrittenapaperlongerthanfourpages!”“Thefocusonmoneymeansthatworkshop-basedclasseswillalwayshavetoomanystudentsinthemtobefullyproductive.”

5.ResourcesRespondentsindicatedthat,forthemostpart,resourcesareavailabletoprovideadequatelearningenvironmentsinOntario’suniversities.However,therewereseveralissuesthatemergedfromtheanalysisofquestionnaireandinterviewdata.Thefollowingisasampleoftheissuesraisedbysessionalswhenaskedaboutthelearningenvironment.

“Weneedbetterphysicalspacesthatarenotovercrowded(i.e.morestudentsthanchairs),areclimatecontrolled(notsocoldyouneedtowearawintercoatinclass),areproperlyequippedwithspeakers,smartboards,microphones,etc.”“Betterclassroom,betterdesignedforgroupactivities.Iteachinatraditionalclassroomanditisterribleforgroupwork.”“Providebasicteachingsupplies-chartpaper,etc.,insteadofmakingusbuythesesuppliesourselves.”

SummaryRespondentsprovidedanumberofsuggestionsforimprovingthelearningenvironmentintheopen-endedportionofthesurvey.Thesesuggestionsfallwithinfivecategories,includingemploymentstabilityforcontractinstructors;reducingorcappingclasssize,notablyforundergraduatecourses,toimprovecriticalthinkingskills;moreopportunitiestoparticipateinongoingprofessionaldevelopment;methodsforimprovingtheuniversity-readyskillsofundergraduates;andclosingcertaingapsinresourcesavailablefornon-full-timefaculty,notablyofficespaceandill-fittingclassroomlayout.ThesedataprovidesinsightintosomeofthechallengesperceivedbysessionalfacultyinOntario’suniversities.


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9.ConclusionsandRecommendations

9.1Summary Throughoutthisstudy,wefoundthededicationofsessionalfacultytowardtheirprofessionalresponsibilities,students,andthelearningenvironmenttobeinspiring.However,thepersonalstressandfeelingsofinvisibilityarecauseforconcern.Forthisreason,thereissomeurgencytounderstandingnon-tenure-trackfacultywhonowmakeupamajorityofinstructorsinsomeofouruniversities(Brownlee,2015).Fromoursample,82.5%ofsessionalsindicatedthat“thereneedstobemorepublicdiscussionontheworkingconditionsofsessional,part-timeandothercontractfaculty”inouruniversities,withlessthan4%disagreeingwiththisstatement.Thisreportisafirststepinunderstandingthisimportantanddedicatedgroupofuniversityteachers.Theobjectiveofthisreportwastoprovidemuch-neededbasicdataonsessionalfaculty,includingdemographics,accesstoresources,academicenvironmentandthelearningenvironmentofsessionalfacultyinOntariouniversities.WealsonoteddemographicshiftsthathaveoccurredsinceRajagopal’s(2002)nationalsurveysofthispopulationintheearly1990s,includinggenderbalance,shiftingcategorizations,andchangesinacademiccareeraspirations.Forexample,whileRajagopalfoundthatthemajorityofpart-timersweremenatallbutoneuniversityourstudyfoundnearlysixtypercent(59.5%)ofthesampleidentifyasfemale,witheachuniversityhavingmorewomenthanmeninshort-termcontractualpositions.Moreover,bothcategoriesofsessionalfaculty,classicandprecarious,werecomprisedofamajorityofwomen(62%and64%,respectively).Inaddition,Rajagopal’sstudyfoundthatthoseabove50yearsofageweremorelikelytobeclassifiedas“contemporary”,whereasthisstudyindicatesthatthoseover50tobemorelikelytofallintothe“classic”category.Thelargenumberofprecarioussessionalsthatwefoundtobeundertheageof40indicatesashiftfromtheearly1990s(seeRajagopal,2002).Ourcategorizationsof“classic”and“precarious”aredeliberatelydesignedtoprovidesomemeasureofcomparisontoRajagopal’spopulation.However,thereareseveralchangestothesecategoriesthatareworthsomeconsideration.Notably,Rajagopal’sstudieswerenational,notprovincial,andtherehavebeensomecategoricalshiftstoconsider.Forexample,wehaveasomewhatdifferentpopulationinthatRajagopalfocusedon“part-timers”whereaswehadasignificantsampleofsessionalswhoareworkingfull-timeequivalentworkloads,oronlimited-termnon-permanentcontracts.Withincompatibledefinitionsof“part-time”“limited-term”“short-termcontract”andothertermsofferedatvariousuniversities,weoptedtoupdatethelanguagetoabroader“sessional”status.Thisappearstobethemosteasilyrecognizabletermthatcapturesthebreadthofthenon-permanentacademiclabourforcewithoutinvitingcompetingdefinitionsfromavarietyofinstitutions.Inaddition,wedeliberatelychangedthetitleofoneofthecategoryfrom“contemporary”to“precarious”inordertoemphasizeakeycharacteristicofthispopulation:relianceonunstable,precariousemployment.Whileteachingremainsasourceofpersonalprideforthemajorityofprecarioussessionals,thissurveyshouldservetoraisesomeinterestintheacademicworkenvironment,specificallywhere89%have“experiencedconsiderablepersonalstrainduetoshorttermcontractualemployment.”


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InRajagopal’snationalsurveysfrom1990to1992,“classics”comprised34.5%ofpart-timers,athirdofwhomwantedtoentertheacademyfull-time.Ourfindingsindicatethatthereisareductionintheshareofsessionalfacultywhocanbeclassifiedas“classics”toroughlyone-quarterofoursample.AswithRajagopal’ssample,however,overathirdindicatedapreferencetohaveafull-timecareerinacademia.Thoseindicatingthattheywouldprefertoremainpart-timeeitherhaveafull-timecareerinanotherfield,areretired,orarenearingretirementage.Toreiterate,theseclassicfacultyarenotconsideredprecariousbecausetheydonotrelyontheincomefromsessionalinstruction,however,therespondentssuggestthatsomeoftheseindividualsmightprefertoworkintheuniversityenvironmentovertheircurrentcareers,andthesemaybetermed“inwaiting”fortheopportunitytojoinacademiaonafull-timebasis.Thissurveyalsoprovidessomeinsightastotheresourcesavailableforsessionalfaculty.Overall,wefoundthatroughlyone-thirdtoone-halfofsessionalsreceiveaccesstomostresources(copyingservices,samplesyllabi,officespace,andTAs)priortothestartofclass,whereasthereappearstobeanumberofsessionalswhodonothaveaccesstotheseimportantresources.However,evenwhentheyobtainresources,sessionalsnotethattherecanbeproblems.Forexample,emailaccountscanbeclosedautomaticallyattheconclusionofthecontracteventhoughtherearestillteachingtaskstobecompleted,orteachingassistantscanaddtotheworkratherthanprovideabenefittotheeducationalprocess.Overall,oursurveyindicatesthatsessionalsarededicatedinstructors,themajorityofwhomappeartoconsiderthemselvesbetterteachersthanresearchers,andhaveapreferenceforteachingoverall,withlessthan30%ofprecarioussessionalsleaningtowardresearch.Throughoutboththesurveycommentsandthefollow-upinterviews,therewereconsistentrecommendationsforteaching-streampositions,thoughmuchoftheinterviewdatawillbeanalyzedforfuturepublications.

9.2RecommendationsCreateformalchannelsofdatacollectionThisisthemostcomprehensivestudyofsessionalfacultyemployedbyOntariouniversitiesthathaseverbeenpublished,butitprovideslittlemorethanasnapshotviewofthisimportantpopulationofuniversityteachers.Thereisaneedforthecollectionandpublicdisseminationofdataonsessionalfaculty.Universitiesneedtoplayaleadroleinstudyingandunderstandingtheevolvingnatureofacademicstaffingandtheimplicationsofthesechangesforthequalityofteachingandlearningwithintheseinstitutions.Aspublicinstitutions,universitiesshouldreportonthenumberofsessionalfacultythatareemployed,justastheyreportonthenumberoftenure-streamfaculty,aswellastheshareofallcoursestaughtbysessionalinstructors.Thepublicationofthesedatawouldallowustohaveamuchclearerunderstandingofinstitutionaldecisionsonacademicstaffing,andimportanttrendsovertime.Wealsobelievethatitisimportantthatnational(andprovincial)dataonsessionaldatabecollectedandmadepubliclyavailablesothatbroadersystemtrendscanbeobservedandanalyzed.


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Thedearthofdataonsessionalfacultyisproblematicintermsofunderstandingagrowingpartoftheacademicworkforceandourlearningenvironment.AsJones(2015)argues,writingevidence-basedpolicyisparticularlychallengingwithouttheadvantageofdata,yetdatasystemshaveincreasinglyerodedoverthepastdecade.“Ournationaldatasystemsforhighereducation,thebackbonethatsupportsthedevelopmentofevidence-basedpolicy,research,andinformedpublicdiscussionofissuesfacingouruniversitiesandcolleges,areembarrassinglyinadequate”(p.1).Withbudgetarycutstodatacollectionagencies,includingStatisticsCanada,theNationalLongitudinalSurveyofChildrenandyouth,theSurveyofIntellectualPropertyCommercializationintheHigherEducationSector,andthe2012discontinuationoftheUniversityandCollegeAcademicStaffSystem(UCASS),ourdatasystemsrequiresupport.Improvingthelearningenvironment1.RemunerationandjobstabilityThroughoutthisstudy,wefoundoverwhelmingevidencethatsessionalinstructorsarepassionate,dedicatedinstructors.However,jobinstability,lackofhealthanddentalcoverage,andgenerallackofremunerationforactualhoursworkedareissuesthatsurfacedmostfrequentlywhensessionalswereaskedaboutissuesofqualityandthelearningenvironment.Mostinstructorsarenotsimplyworkingonshort-termcontractsforoneortwoyears,butareafarlesstransientpopulationthanpreviouslythought.Overhalfoursamplehasbeenworking3-8years,with15%workingover15years.Assuch,treatingthispopulationastransientmaybeproblematic.Whileinstructorsfeltthattheyhadapositiveimpactonthelearningenvironment,manyacknowledgedthattherewasaloomingriskof“burnout.”Mostwouldprefertomoveintoafull-timeposition(76.4%),however,confidenceintheirabilitytomovieintoafull-timepositionwasremarkablylow,withonly13.1%believingtheywouldfindafull-timepositionwithinthenexttwoyears.Further,amajorityfeltthatatenure-trackpositionwasanunachievablegoal,whilejustover40%(mostlyprecariousinstructors)wouldexitacademiaiftheycouldfindsecureworkinanotherfield.Thesestatisticsdonotsuggestanoverallsatisfiedworkforce,andthepessimismreportedbymanyofrespondentsthroughouttheseresultsshouldnotbetakenlightly.

2.ClasssizeandcriticalthinkingManyrespondentsindicatedseriousconcernswithincreasingundergraduateclasssizes.Themostcommonconcernraisedamongrespondentswastheissueofprovidingcriticalthinkingopportunitiesandstudentdialogue.Someliteraturesuggeststhatclasssizemaynotbeasimportantasotherfactorsforcriticalthinkingopportunities,however,sessionalfacultyraisedthisissuefrequentlyintheopen-commentsectionsofoursurvey.3.Teaching&LearningCentresandGraduate-LevelPedagogicalTrainingSessionalfacultyarededicatedinstructors,manyofwhomteachonalong-termbasis.Theseinstructorsarerequestingmoreopportunitiestoparticipateinongoingprofessionaldevelopmentactivities,


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frequentlyrequestingaccesstoteachingandlearningcentrestoimprovetheirinstructiontechniquesandpedagogy.Further,therewereanumberofrecommendationsthatgraduateprogramsincludemoreopportunitiesforstudentstolearnaboutteachinganddevelopappropriateskills.4.RemedialclassesInstructorswereconcernedwithwhatwasperceivedtobeanincreasingneedtoconductremedialworkinmanyfirstyearcourses,wherestudentsareunfamiliarwithessaystructureorbasicrequirementsforuniversity-levelclasses.Manyfeltthatofferingremedialorpreparatorycourses,orperhapsbetterhighschoolpreparationingeneral,wouldfreeupclassroomtimefromremedialworkandraiseexpectationsandthuslearningoutcomes.5.ResourcesMostinstructorsindicatedapositiveresponseoveralltoquestionsregardingavailableteachingresourcesatmostinstitutions,however,therewereconcernsthatgapscanaffectthelearningenvironment.Classroomdesignsthatpreventedcertaintypesofteachingpracticesandalackofprivatespacesforfacultytomeetwithstudentswerethetwomostfrequentlyidentifiedissuesrelatedtoresources.

9.3ConclusionsOurfindingssuggestthatmostsessionalfacultyarehighlydedicatedinstructorswhoarefarlessinterestedintenure-trackcareersthaninpursuingteachingasafull-timeoccupation.Asagroup,theseinstructorshaveanotablepassionforteachingoverresearchandarelikelytobecommittedformanyyears,withthemajorityofoursamplehaving3-8yearsofexperience.Opposedtotheideathatsessionalfacultyareeitherprofessionalsinthecommunity(<20%ofoursample)oracademicswhocouldnot“makeit”onthetenuretrack,ourresearchteamhascometoviewsessionalfacultyasinstructorswhocarepassionatelyaboutthelearningenvironmentandtheirstudents.Only28%ofprecariousfacultyhaveapreferenceforresearch,correlatingwiththe29.6%whowerepursuingatenure-trackpositionandthefactthatthemajoritywouldpreferafull-timeteaching-streamposition.However,respondentsreportedhighlevelsofpessimismaboutjobprospectsandgeneraldissatisfaction–pointsthatareofconsiderableconcerngiventheincreasingroleofsessionalfacultyinuniversityteaching.Concernswiththelevelofremuneration,includingremunerationforcurriculumdevelopmentandpost-contracthourswereraisedbymanyrespondents,butthemainsourceoffrustrationappearstobetheinstabilityofcontractsandalackoffull-timepermanentteachingpositions.Finally,perhapsthemostimportantconclusionofthestudyisthattherecontinuestobeaneedforthecollectionanddisseminationofdataontheemploymentofsessionalfacultybyOntariouniversities.Thisstudyprovidesanimportantsnapshotofkeyissuesandtrends,buttheincreasingroleofsessionalfacultyinuniversityteachersrequiresmoreresearch.Thedevelopmentofprovincialand/ornationaldatasetswouldallowpolicy-makersatboththeinstitutionalandsystemlevelstomorefullyunderstandchangingemploymenttrendsandtheirimplicationsforthequalityofhighereducation.


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Foradditionalinformationonthisstudypleasecontact:

CynthiaField,Ph.D.CandidateLeadership,HigherandAdultEducationOntarioInstituteforStudiesinEducation

UniversityofToronto252BloorStreetWest

Toronto,Ontario,M5S1V6

[email protected]

research report 2016.04 report to the ontario a survey of ... · a survey of sessional faculty in...

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