Preparing graduate students for teaching careers in academia can involve myriad approaches. One such approach is facilitating authentic teaching opportunities for graduate students. The purpose of this multiple case study was to chronicle the perspectives of four humanities graduate students as they participated in a mentored teaching experience…

The disparity between the demographics of California's community college students and faculty is striking. Specifically, underrepresented minority (URM) students represent the largest population at 49%, yet only 22% of faculty are URM. In 1992, legislation was passed to allow community colleges to establish Faculty Diversity Internship Programs…

Adjunct faculty teach over 50% of courses in U.S. higher education but little is known about them as educators. Strong evidence has been found in the K-12 literature demonstrating the link between teachers' beliefs, instructional practices, and subsequent student outcomes. Teaching self-efficacy, beliefs in one's capabilities to perform specific…

Part-time faculty teach approximately 58% of U.S. community college classes and thus manage learning experiences for more than half (53%) of students enrolled in community colleges (JBL Associates, 2008). Often referred to as "contingent faculty," their work is conditional; the college typically has no obligation to them beyond the…

For the foreseeable future, community colleges must seriously address hiring, retaining, and facilitating upward mobility for faculty members. Moreover, they should recruit a faculty corps that is more reflective of both the students they serve and the demographics of their college service area. It is critical for community colleges to employ and…

The author was not a great student in high school, yet she had ambitions to succeed as a psychologist. She also had difficulty attaching herself to one friend or a group of friends with which she felt comfortable. She was the only self-identified Native student in her high school, however, and there were no support groups or clubs for Native…