Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

Community colleges continually strive to improve the course completion rates for students. The quality of the instruction students receive is a primary area of focus for community college administrators. Many assumptions are often made in regard to the type of faculty (i.e., full-time faculty and adjunct faculty) who teach community college courses. Often colleges seek to reduce the number of adjunct faculty members assuming students are better served by full-time faculty. Using Ivy Tech Community College faculty and courses, this quantitative research focused on courses in both general education and technical education. The courses were used to examine the factors related to the faculty and the impact on the successful course completion rate of students. The results of the study found a significant difference between general education and technical education course completion rates. However, when the research focused on faculty type and other variables related to the faculty, including degree type and semesters of service, there was no support for the common assumption that students are more successful when taught by a full-time faculty member. While the results did not provide significant outcomes in many elements of the study, the knowledge gained from this study has implications for community college administrators, faculty, and students of community colleges. The results provide the need for additional study, including qualitative studies, to determine the underlying factors leading to successful course completion.

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