US report suggests adjuncts' working conditions affect student learning

A new US report suggests that PSE institutions that want to set the stage for their students to succeed should stop hiring adjunct professors at the last minute and then denying those professors access to the resources and technology they need to teach effectively. "The 'just-in-time' staffing model is unjust for faculty and for students and clearly compromises education quality," states the report from the Center for the Future of Higher Education. Adjuncts who are hired before the start of a semester can opt to prepare their classes while they are not on the payroll or resign themselves to teach courses for which they are not adequately prepared, states the report. Mix in a lack of access to personal office space, computers, library resources, and curriculum guidelines, among other things, and "the education experience of students suffers, both inside and outside the classroom." The Chronicle of Higher Education (free access)