Core Requirement 2.8

Faculty

The number of full-time faculty members is adequate to support the mission of the institution and to ensure the quality and integrity of each of its academic programs. Upon application for candidacy, an applicant institution demonstrates that it meets the comprehensive standard for faculty qualifications.

Judgment of Compliance: Compliance

Narrative/Justification for Judgment of Compliance:


Executive Summary

St. Petersburg College (SPC) employs a systematic approach to monitor the adequacy of the number of full-time faculty necessary to support the mission of the institution and to maintain the quality and integrity of its associate in arts, associate in science, certificate, and baccalaureate programs. SPC's mission is to promote student success and enrich our communities through education, career development, and self-discovery. SPC’s value statements, related to this standard, include academic excellence, a culture of inquiry, and professional development.

Each fall, the St. Petersburg College program administrators review their full-time/adjunct (part-time) faculty ratio of student semester hours taught data to determine the percentage of student semester hours taught by full-time faculty and make recommendations to the Senior Vice-President of Instruction and Academic Programming regarding the need for full-time faculty positions in specific areas of study. The goal of this process is to ensure that full-time faculty in any academic year teach sufficient numbers of student semester hours, while providing resources to all faculty to ensure the integrity of academic programs by location, modality, and discipline.

To support the faculty in light of the mission, SPC offers a wide variety of professional development opportunities to promote the values of the College, as well as surveys to assess the faculty’s participation in student success efforts.

 

Definitions of Faculty Types

When reviewing the percentage of sections taught by full-time faculty, SPC uses these definitions for the different types of faculty:

Full-Time Faculty - Contractual instructional personnel paid according to the Faculty Salary Schedule and the Supplemental Salary Schedule for courses in addition to contractual loads.

Percent of Load - Temporary instructional personnel who are paid a determined percentage of the full-time faculty salary listed on the Faculty Salary Schedule. Student semester hours taught by percent-of load faculty are considered part of the full-time ratio calculation.

Adjunct Faculty - Part-time, temporary instructional personnel paid according to the Adjunct Salary Schedule.

Academic Chair - Full-time faculty who receive a stipend to supervise and evaluate adjunct faculty at the campus level and are paid according to the Faculty Salary Schedule, including an academic chair stipend.

Contracted full-time, associate-level instructors generally maintain a load of 36 credit hours each academic year. Contracted faculty may elect a load of 30 credit hours each academic year with a salary adjustment for the reduced load. Each full-time baccalaureate-level faculty member maintains a load of 42 credit hours. (Baccalaureate-level faculty are hired using a 12-month contract, which accounts for their larger credit hour load.) Academic chairs are expected to teach 24 credit hours each academic year in addition to their administrative responsibilities.

 

Support of the College Mission and VALUES

St. Petersburg College’s (SPC) institutional goal is to reach and maintain a 55/45 full-time to adjunct faculty ratio of student semester hours taught. This ratio is determined by calculating the number of student semester hours (SSH) taught by faculty counted as full-time as compared to the total number student semester hours (SSH) in any semester in all credit bearing courses. Student semester hours are defined as the number of course credits multiplied by the student enrollment of the particular course.

The primary mission of all Florida State Colleges is responding to the community needs for postsecondary academic education and career degree education (FS 1004.65). With a focus upon workforce programming, SPC is committed to providing students an equitable academic experience that blends theory with practice. Utilizing workforce practitioners as adjuncts, who bring real world, current experience and practical application into the classroom, is the driving force behind the maintenance of a 55/45 full-time to adjunct faculty ratio. Most cases in which this split has not been reached can usually be attributed to the newness of a program or low enrollment of a program. Additional full-time faculty members are added to these programs as enrollment grows, or if the program is not sustainable it is put on teach-out status.

The adjunct faculty combine strong academic credentials with substantial, professional work experience. Control of the academic programs, however, clearly remains with the full-time faculty. The adjunct faculty members teaching for St. Petersburg College are seasoned professionals with strong academic credentials. All faculty members are credentialed the same, regardless of full-time or adjunct status; all faculty are evaluated with end-of-course evaluations, regardless of full-time or adjunct status. In addition, adjunct faculty are evaluated specifically to ensure they meet SPC teaching expectations.

The following tables show the number of semester hours taught by full-time faculty and the number of semester hours taught by adjunct faculty by location, delivery mode, and academic program/discipline for the 2012-13 academic year.

 

Table 1: Full-Time Faculty/Adjunct Faculty Percentage of Student Semester Hours (SSH) Taught, by Location
Full-Time Faculty
Adjunct Faculty
Campus/Centers
All Student Semester Hours (SSH)
SSH taught by F/T Faculty
% taught by F/T Faculty
SSH taught by P/T Faculty
% taught by P/T Faculty
Allstate Center
1,354
813
60%
541
40%
Clearwater Campus
100,124
55,736
56%
44,387
44%
*Downtown/Midtown Center
30,954
11,866
38%
19,088
62%
eCampus
252,668
148,989
59%
103,679
41%
*EpiCenter
6,641
2,169
33%
4,472
67%
Health Education Center
27,889
24,526
88%
3,363
12%
Open Campus (HS dual-enrollment)
9,230
5,750
62%
3,480
38%
Seminole Campus
42,428
24,235
57%
18,192
43%
St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus
105,360
66,755
63%
38,604
37%
Tarpon Springs Campus
64,837.04
35,692.37
55%
29,144.67
45%

*Due to recent site expansion, the Downtown/Midtown Center is experiencing large student enrollment growth and course offerings. The College has employed a systemic approach to addressing the need for additional full-time faculty during next year’s budget development process. EpiCenter is the host site for SPC continuing education programming. However, it does serve as a small satellite site (note the small SSH count) for a few College of Business courses, mainly for students whose home campus is the Clearwater campus.

 

Table 2: Full-Time Faculty/Adjunct Faculty Percentage of Student Semester Hours (SSH) Taught, by Modality
Full-Time Faculty
Adjunct Faculty
Instructional Modality
All Student Semester Hours (SSH)
SSH taught by F/T Faculty
% taught by F/T Faculty
SSH taught by P/T Faculty
% taught by P/T Faculty
Face-to-Face
346,460
202,698
59%
143,762
41%
Online
252,668
148,989
59%
103,679
41%
Blended –Hybrid
43,202
25,667
59%
17,535
41%

 

Table 3: Full-Time Faculty/Adjunct Faculty Percentage of Student Semester Hours (SSH) Taught, by Academic Program/Discipline
Full-Time Faculty
Adjunct Faculty
Instructional Modality
All Student Semester Hours (SSH)
SSH taught by F/T Faculty
% taught by F/T Faculty
SSH taught by P/T Faculty
% taught by P/T Faculty

Associate's Level

Biological & Physical Sciences (w/Gen Ed)

28,717

17,325

60%

11,392

40%

*Building Arts

1,314

550.00

42%

764

58%

Business and Management

14,812

10,600

72%

4,212

28%

Communication - Other (GenEd)

104,933

62,847

60%

42,086

40%

*Communication - Sign Language

4,319

1,929

45%

2,390

55%

Computer and Information Technology

118,463

67,254

57%

51,209

43%

*Crime Scene Technology

1,503

789

52%

714

48%

Criminal Justice

2,592

2,073

80%

519

20%

Dental Hygiene

1,764

1,583

90%

181

10%

Digital Arts

2,423

1,479

61%

944

39%

Digital Forensic

1,299

852

66%

447

34%

Education

99,903

57,537

58%

42,366

42%

*Emergency Administration And Management

1,854

462

25%

1,392

75%

Emergency Medical Services

2,860

2,602

91%

258

9%

*Engineering

2,602

917

35%

1685

64%

Ethics (Gen Ed)

19,502

11,090

57%

8,412

43%

Fine Arts/Theatre (w/Gen Ed)

56,649

30,977

55%

25,672

45%

*Fire Science

4,794

2,331

49%

2,463

51%

Funeral Services

2,054

1,571

76%

483

24%

*Health Information Management

7,914

2,866

36%

5,048

64%

*Hospitality and Tourism

1,506

135

9%

1,371

91%

*Human Services

3,931

226

6%

3,705

94%

Mathematics (Gen Ed)

88,992

52,048

58%

36,943

42%

*Music/Recording Arts

2,780

1,368

49%

1,412

51%

Nursing

11,733

11,682

100%

51

0%

Physical Therapy Asst.

1,301

1,301

100%

0

0%

*Policy Legal Studies

5,664

1,385

24%

4,278

76%

Radiography

714

714

100%

0

0%

Respiratory Care

778

662

85%

116

15%

*Social and Behavioral Sciences (Gen Ed)

79,092

40,413

51%

38,679

49%

Veterinary Technology

5,476

3,501

64%

1,974

36%

Bachelor's Level

Biology

2,804

2,121

76%

683

24%

Business Administration

1,101

771

70%

330

30%

*Business Core

9,477

4,920

52%

4,557

48%

Computer and Information Technology

2,151

1,542

72%

609

28%

Dental Hygiene

1,655

1,143

69%

512

31%

Education

9,838

7,513

76%

2,325

24%

*Elementary Education

1,563

506

32%

1,057

68%

*Health Services Administration

6,093

2,066

34%

4,027

66%

*International Business

2,460

822

33%

1,638

67%

*Management and Org. Leadership

4,656

1,749

38%

2,907

62%

Mathematics Education

521

285

55%

236

45%

Nursing

9,634

6,398

66%

3,236

34%

Orthotics and Prosthetics

1,267

901

71%

366

29%

Paralegal Studies

3,913

2,278

58%

1,635

42%

Public Policy and Administration

963

846

88%

117

12%

Public Safety Administration

5,274

3,492

66%

1,782

34%

Science Education

112

58

52%

54

48%

*Sustainability Management

627

309

49%

318

51%

Veterinary Technology

1,330

1,004

75%

326

25%

(See the Program/Org Crosswalk to align academic programs list)

 

Of the twelve associate level academic programs/disciplines indicated with an (*) asterisk above, eight are representative of low enrolled/new programs. Additional full-time faculty members will be added to these programs as enrollment grows, or if the program is not sustainable it will be put on teach-out status. Sign Language and Fire Science are specialty degrees that utilize the expertise of adjunct faculty to provide breadth of experience for the students. Social and Behavioral Sciences is composed heavily of general education courses within the discipline and is highly enrolled with sufficient full-time faculty. Finally, Health Information Management is currently under revision due to state framework changes that will result in an increase its full-time faculty ratio.

Of the six baccalaureate level academic programs/disciplines indicated with an (*) asterisk above, three are considered low enrolled/new programs. Additional full-time faculty members will be added to these programs as enrollment grows, or if the program is not sustainable it will be put on teach-out status. Business Core is highly enrolled and is considered to have sufficient full-time faculty. Education uses K-12 field supervisors and grade/subject area faculty to provide direct contact with the profession, which keeps their ratio below College expectations. Finally, Management/Organizational Leadership experienced rapid enrollment growth and is working to increase their full-time faculty ratio (2009-3,189, 2010-4,140, 2011-4,584, 2012-4,656).

Each year, Program Directors, Academic Chairs, and Deans collaboratively review the ratios, and Deans have the opportunity to request new full-time faculty positions through the budget development process in areas that have fallen below the 55/45 full-time to adjunct ratio. SPC ensures there is at least one highly qualified full-time faculty member teaching in each academic degree program, who serves as the program coordinator. (See CS 3.4.11)

 

Support of Academic Quality and Integrity

SPC Value: Critical Inquiry

The College’s full-time faculty/student ratio supports academic quality and integrity by providing opportunities for faculty/student engagement to foster student success and self-discovery through critical inquiry. St. Petersburg College’s full-time faculty/student ratio is comparable to the following peer institutions, according to the Florida Department of Education 2012 Fact Bookas summarized below:

 

Table 4: St. Petersburg College’s Full-time Faculty/Student Ratio Compared to Peer Institutions

Institution*

Enrollment

Faculty

Ratio

St. Petersburg College

32,612

332

100:1

Broward College

42,198

386

109:1

Florida State College-Jacksonville

30,863

407

76:1

Hillsborough

28,329

298

95:1

Miami-Dade

63,736

673

95:1

Palm Beach State College

29,354

291

101:1

Valencia College

42,631

408

104:1

* All institutions with more than 20,000 students. Faculty numbers do not include adjuncts.

(See calculations for all institutions)


To create an environment to support student success, faculty are required to notify students when they are available to them outside of class. Faculty hold office hours in their offices, meet students in the Learning Support Centers and other tutoring initiatives, become involved in various student activities, are available for students 30 minutes before or after each in-class meeting, and are accessible online during published virtual office hours. In addition, faculty are integral key players in SPC’s initiative to improve student success, the College Experience, and undergo training to assist in this College-wide effort.

SPC Value: Academic Excellence

St. Petersburg College carefully monitors faculty hiring processes, faculty salaries, instructional costs, and faculty evaluation in support of academic quality and integrity.

The College’s faculty hiring process ensures that faculty are qualified to accomplish the mission of promoting student success while focusing on academic quality. When determining the qualifications of its faculty, each program administrator or dean completes a faculty credentialing form listing the highest earned degree in the discipline as well as related academic experiences in the field and other demonstrated competencies and achievements that contribute to effective teaching and successful student learning outcomes. Credentialing information is publically available on the HR Faculty Credentialing website.

St. Petersburg College maintains a more highly credentialed faculty when compared to the Florida College System’s average, according to the Florida Department of Education 2011 Fact Book.

 

Table 6: SPC's Full-Time Faculty Degree Level versus State Average

 

St. Petersburg

System Total

Doctorate

37.0%

27.1%

Master’s + 30

27.1%

8.1%

Master’s

32.5%

56.2%

Bachelor’s

3.3%

6.4%

Associate

0.0%

2.2%

Less than Associate

0.0%

0.6%

Other

0.0%

0.5%



SPC’s faculty salary schedules help to attract the number of faculty necessary to support the College’s mission and academic integrity. The full-time faculty salary schedules exceed those of the Florida College System average.

 

Table 7: SPC's Full-Time Faculty Salary versus State Average

 

St. Petersburg

System Average

Doctorate

$67,727

$59,839

Masters + 30

$61,298

$56,466

Masters

$55,704

$52,847

Bachelors

$50,296

$47,791

 

SPC monitors through its budget development process the percentage of the annual budget spent on direct instructional costs. According to the Florida Department of Education 2011-12 Fact Book, SPC expended a comparable percentage of its budget, 43.34%, on Direct Instruction, compared with the Florida College System average of 44.55%. Source: Florida Department of Education 2012 Fact Book

Faculty roles and expectations are defined in the Faculty Handbook. All faculty are evaluated annually against these expectations and those outlined in the Board of Trustees Procedure 6Hx23-2.10. Criteria for both full-time faculty and adjunct faculty include effectiveness as a faculty member, contribution to College effectiveness, and professional development. Full-time faculty criteria include the additional criteria of scholarship, curriculum development, participation in student success measures outlined in the College Experience, program assessment, and participation in College-wide committees and activities.

SPC Value: Professional Development

In support of academic quality and integrity and to promote its mission of promoting student success and enriching our communities through education, career development, and self-discovery, St. Petersburg College affords its faculty an array of professional development opportunities with specific opportunities outlined on the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning (CETL) website, the Faculty Professional Development website, and the Adjunct Professional Development website.

All faculty complete SPC’s Pathways to E-learning (PTE) online course featuring strategies for using technology in the classroom, as illustrated below:

 

 

Adjunct faculty undergo further online initial training using an orientation course provided by the College entitled Excellence in Adjunct Instruction. The Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning also hosts required activities for each new full-time faculty cohort, focusing on classroom strategies to support student success. In addition, CETL hosts the Fall Faculty Professional Development Day, in which all faculty are required to participate in a dedicated day focused upon a theme approved by the Faculty Governance Organization.

To promote student success and academic integrity, the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning funds faculty grants. In addition, each dean has professional development funds available to fund faculty conferences and other professional development events. All full-time faculty receive professional development funds to be used at their behest, as long as it receives approval by their Dean. (Board Procedure P6Hx23-2.022)

All professional development opportunities help to ensure the adequacy of the faculty to support the College’s mission as well as its academic quality and integrity.

 

Indicators of Quality and Integrity of the Academic Programs

Deans, program directors, and academic chairs monitor the faculty’s support of academic quality and integrity using various measures, including student surveys of instruction (SSI), data related to the success of SPC graduates who transfer to universities, and surveys of employers and students. An indirect measure of the quality and integrity of academic programs is done through end-of-program and general education outcomes assessments (see CS 3.3.1.1 for more details).

Each semester, St. Petersburg College (SPC) administers the Student Survey of Instruction. Students are asked to provide feedback on the quality of their instruction using a 7-point scale where 7 indicates the highest rating and 1 indicates the lowest rating. The purpose of the SSI survey is to acquire information on student perception of the quality of courses, faculty, and instruction, and to provide feedback for improvement. Overall high satisfaction ratings on the Student Surveys of Instruction (SSI) are one indicator of having sufficient and effective faculty to provide instruction. The mean score for every semester and every category was 6.34 or higher. The following illustrates SSI means over two years:

 

Success of SPC Graduates Transferring to State Universities

The Community College and Technical Center (CCTC) provides consolidated statewide data showing the Statewide University System (SUS) upper division performance of community college Associate of Arts (A.A.) graduates compared with the performance of non-transfer (native) SUS upper division (U.D.) students. In December 2009, SPC’s Institutional Research department compiled a research brief on CCTC data that focused on five reporting years from 2003-04 through 2007-08. While the mean GPA of SPC transfer students was lower than native students, over fifty percent of SPC transfer students earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Approximately one in four SPC transfer students continues to graduate from SUS programs. For the percentages of students who graduated during this reporting period, SUS Native students graduated at comparable rates to SPC transfer students. (Source: Research Brief Volume 19, Number 2)

Employer Surveys

Employers responding to SPC surveys indicated very high levels of satisfaction with SPC graduates’ technical and performance skills. The employer survey included questions that enabled employers to rate graduates’ achievement in the following categories: communication, computational, technical, problem solving, people skills, and lifelong learning. In 2009, all twenty-five key general education competencies and foundational skill areas received mean scores between 4.0 and 4.4 on a 5-point Likert scale (5 indicates “excellent”). The survey outcomes indicate that the AS/AAS degree, the BS/BAS degree, and the Certificate programs are achieving their intended objective of adequately preparing students for the workplace, by enhancing their skills, increasing their knowledge, and instilling a desire to build on personal and professional growth. (Source: Research Brief Volume 20, Number 2)

Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) is a voluntary national survey designed to measure how engaged students are in learning. SPC administered the 2012 CCSSE to randomly selected classes during the Spring 2012 session. SPC survey results were included in various institutional reports provided by CCSSE. In the area of Student-Faculty Interaction, SPC’s score exceeded the score for extra-large colleges when compared to the 2012 CCSSE Cohort.

 

Supporting Documentation

In order to preserve the integrity of the supporting documentation in case of updates occurring between the submission of this document and the review, the narrative above links to pdf versions, whereas live links are included below.