Evolving Characteristics of Today's Applied Engineering College-Level Educator: 2013 to 2017

Abstract

This manuscript was created to document faculty, and academic support, issues from 2013 to 2017. The 2013 manuscript was published by the Journal of Technology Studies. This four-years-later study provided greater insight for academics that asked the research question: “What is the latest in our teaching career field?” Issues of concern to faculty included positional status (adjunct, contract, tenure-track, tenure), faculty rank, length of time in current rank, length of time in nonacademic professional work (before or after academic work), primary academic program, total number of students taught per semester, average academic salary, contract length, administrative duties and salary benefits. Other issues included academic professional accreditation, degree levels offered, market pay (competitive) presence, academic freedom, benefits cost of coverage (health insurance, life insurance, etc.), the use of faculty talent, the management of teaching assignments, and the number of credit hours taught per semester. Finally, questions about the percentage of teaching load (face-to-face, hybrid, and online), the ease of resource and support acquisition, expectations for research (scholarship), unique ways that an academic institution compensates beyond the base salary, expectations for promotion and tenure, and additional comments pertinent to an academic’s role in academia. In the 2013 study, 244 people (from 39 states) participated (only 212 responses were valid). This number dropped to 103 people from 27 states in 2017 (only 90 responses were valid). Although the survey population was smaller for 2017, the number of respondents was determined to be sufficient for reporting to other academics in a publication. Significant results in the study from 2013 to 2017 included an increase from 63.86 to 74.45 students taught per semester and a faculty salary mean change from $73,567 to $77,306 per year. Other survey indicators presented minimal change from 2013 to 2017.