Community colleges have become increasingly relevant in recent years as the job market changes. Over 200,000 new students enrolled in a community college in 2024, a 4.7 percent increase from the previous year. As more community colleges offer free tuition, we can expect the rate of enrollment to continue rising. While this is excellent news, it’s forcing these institutions to reconsider how to support faculty as demands on them increase.
Faculty members in higher education continue to face burnout and low morale, forcing some to consider leaving academia altogether. Only 45 percent of respondents in a recent survey agreed that they feel supported by their institution. At a time when enrollment is increasing, supporting community college faculty has never been more critical. In this article, we’ll discuss the demands on faculty and provide actionable tips to support them during busy classes.
Free tuition at community colleges has led to surges in the rate of enrollment. For example, a community college with free tuition in Massachusetts led to a student roll increase of about 5,000 learners in the first semester after its introduction. While these massive enrollment increases are essential for your bottom line and the workforce, more students mean a higher workload for faculty. Many community colleges struggle to hire enough workers to meet the influx of students.
The word “free” has immense power, which many postsecondary institutions use to their advantage. While a significant increase in enrollment is what many call a “happy problem,” it puts faculty under additional strain, leading to some unintended consequences. Some of the specific challenges that faculty face in the context of increased enrollment include:
Faculty teaching free courses must often accommodate larger classes, making providing students with individualized attention challenging. Over time, overextending your faculty can lead to a decline in education quality and, ultimately, student outcomes. Classroom management is also challenging, and faculty must navigate more disruptions in a large and chaotic teaching environment.
With more students in class, faculty face the burden of grading assignments and exams and providing feedback. This constant communication can lead to burnout. Faculty members may also see an increase in advising responsibilities, which are time-consuming and demanding.
Many community colleges have limitations on the support staff they hire to assist faculty. Increased enrollment often leaves faculty to manage tasks that traditionally fall outside their realms of influence, like administrative duties and student services. A sudden increase in enrollment can also strain existing resources, including classroom technology and learning materials. These factors all add to your faculty’s challenges.
Around 43 percent of full-time community college students are employed full-time. Many have families and come from diverse academic backgrounds. As enrollment increases, faculty must address a broader range of student backgrounds and academic preparedness. They must adjust their teaching methods to accommodate students from all walks of life. In addition, faculty must find ways to accommodate nontraditional students, like online classes, which further demand their time.
Faculty may need additional training to manage large classes and diverse student populations, but time constraints often limit access to professional development opportunities. With junior faculty entering the system to cope with demand, fewer mentorship opportunities may be available from experienced facility members.
As the student body grows and becomes more diverse, the curriculum will likely need to change to accommodate it. Mapping curricula that prepare students for the workforce has never been more critical, but it can be time-consuming and require additional resources. Community colleges must strategize on resource allocation, support systems, and curriculum development to ensure faculty and students thrive in this growing education landscape.
With the proper support, faculty can invest in student success and improve learning outcomes for their classes, regardless of size. Students are at the heart of community college, and they will benefit immensely when your faculty is relaxed and engaged. Some of the ways you can support your faculty include:
Faculty support begins with helping each member of your team achieve their training and professional development goals. As enrollment grows, faculty must rely on more than just their knowledge. They’ll need diverse instructional techniques to appeal to diverse student groups. When your faculty is already facing time constraints, reiterating the same material may only sometimes be possible.
The trick is combining their content knowledge with teaching skills to boost student success and alleviate additional burdens on faculty. Part of the process is providing your faculty with access to workshops, seminars, and other training opportunities. The other part is creating comprehensive training programs that have a significant, lasting impact on their teaching. Make their training comprehensive, student-focused, and practical for the best results.
Some tips and tricks for developing faculty training and development programs include:
It’s essential that community colleges are places where faculty members feel supported and encouraged to experiment. Support and innovation should be at the core of community college culture. When enrollment skyrockets, adjunct and part-time faculty can be the difference between a success and a lesson. Regardless of their position, you can create a culture of support for your faculty in the following ways:
When you create a supportive culture, you impact how your faculty feels when completing their day-to-day tasks. Faculty who feel supported and respected may be better equipped to handle an influx of students in free classes. Recognize their achievements, promote teamwork, and encourage open communication to show them you value their contributions.
While working in higher education has many benefits, work-life balance is challenging for many faculty members, especially those experiencing massive enrollment upticks. It’s a common belief that teaching must continue at great personal sacrifice to faculty. While persistence may seem heroic in this context, it has resulted in a faculty well-being and retention crisis.
If your institution is facing a massive surge in enrollment, it’s crucial to give faculty the tools to achieve that much-sought balance. Try these simple strategies:
Although many community colleges have felt the pinch in recent years, enrollment is improving. Providing your faculty with holistic benefits helps them maintain their mental and physical health. Consider implementing generous time-off packages, high-quality health insurance, and professional development opportunities. Consider every aspect of compensation to provide complete and attractive packages for faculty members.
Holistic benefits are an excellent way to attract top talent to supplement your faculty. As course demand on faculty grows, you’ll likely need to hire, which means presenting your institution as an attractive workplace. Share your values and create a narrative about your mission and culture to generate excitement about joining your faculty.
A recent survey revealed that 67 percent of employees want to advance their careers, but 49 percent say that a lack of career advice has hurt their job advancement. Faculty at community colleges are no different. They’ll look for work elsewhere if they have no advancement opportunities. Getting the faculty you want means showing them where they can go. Highlight your commitment to your faculty with:
Many community college students have responsibilities outside of their studies, making remote and flexible options necessary. Your faculty could benefit from the same change of pace. Community colleges led the way during the pandemic, creating agile and flexible learning options. Today, they can become teaching options that allow your faculty to engage with students while maintaining a good work-life balance.
Consider how you can lessen the course demand on faculty with more flexibility and remote teaching options. You can also look for opportunities to remove their administrative burden with automation.
Free courses are a powerful driver for increased enrollment but are not the only one. More adult students attend in-demand courses at community colleges to upskill or reskill for the workforce. In a rapidly changing landscape, faculty must have the power to make changes in real time.
Getting their input on the relevant curricula helps to keep them engaged and fosters a sense of belonging and ownership. You can also invite them to participate in committees, councils, and forums that handle the operational matters of running an educational institution. Take the following steps:
Student feedback can be invaluable for faculty, giving them confidence in their strengths while allowing them to improve. When you combine student feedback data holistically with other datasets, you can unlock insights you otherwise would have missed. For example, if a faculty member receives positive feedback on their teaching, you can use this information to decide who is best suited to a mentorship role.
All data collection efforts rely on a set of best practices. For student feedback, they include ensuring you align feedback with the goals and criteria of the evaluation. Make the purpose, scope, and standards of the feedback clear. Use reliable data collection instruments, like surveys, interviews, or portfolios. Collect and analyze the feedback systematically and transparently to ensure anonymity and representativeness.
Your faculty are the backbone of your institution. With the right support, they can help improve student engagement, retention, and outcomes. When enrollment increases, you can minimize their burden with Watermark Faculty Success. As part of our Educational Impact Suite, this solution uncovers key insights and helps your faculty capture a holistic picture of their activities.
Use Watermark’s solutions to gather, synthesize, and draw meaningful insights from your data so you can support your faculty and boost student success. Request a demo online and give your faculty meaningful support today!
