The final project for this course will entail 2 components: Interviews and Questionnaires.
The subject will revolve around peoples perceived thoughts of the "culture" of college education and versus what they actually found, specifically as it pertains to adjunct instructors teaching.
- The study will conducted at Queens College
- Main group will consist of Juniors and Seniors of the English Department currently enrolled in Senior Seminar. There will be a questionnaire passed out consisting of 25 items asking the number of full time professors they had versus the number of adjunct instructors, how this has affected their idea of what college was, their confidence - preparedness for their future studies or careers, and to invite students to participate in sending in comments, via email or to have themselves interviewed.
- Secondary group will consist of interviews with the professors currently teaching Senior Seminar in the English depart with the addition of 2 additional professors that have taught at QC for an extended period of over 10 years but who are not teaching SS. this semester.
This is not a study regarding the right or wrong of adjunct instruction, rather it is to assess the the expectations, fantasy, folklore and culture that students held regarding college as an institution, and how that has changed now that they are finishing their education. Conversely, the secondary group being interviewed is to assess their culture of education, the differences of their own undergraduate education experience versus what they provide and see their students receiving, and how they view the changing educational priority of using adjunct instructors - in what way have they observed the change in the student knowledge base by the time they take Senior Seminar. Have the students attained the base level of the standard "canon" they expected them to have?
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dana, this is a fascinating and worthwhile study. my concern is that, as it stands, it is still rather broad. your intent of studying "college culture" and student expectations is great, but this is a large topic that can get fairly complicated. how will you be able to isolate variables (such as having been taught by a number of adjunct instructors) from results (remember that causation does not equal correlation)?
ReplyDeletealso, why choose the professors teaching the senior seminar (if they are likely to "not" be adjuncts)?
i'd like to see you flesh out your ideas a bit more, paying attention to focusing your project as much as possible and clarifying your choices (sample students and professors, types of questions, etc.): these are likely to change as you conduct your preliminary research/background information.