At N.C. State, part-time faculty, who often do not hold Ph.D. degrees and hold other jobs as well, make up about 10 percent of University professors.

According to Dr. Audrey Jaeger, an Assistant Professor of Higher Education, part-time teachers are very beneficial to students. They offer expertise from the work world, Jaeger said.

She said that by working in a business or industry, part-time staff members can offer their experience while teaching students. This is beneficial to students because it helps them get the most modern approaches to the working world.

Shannon Alford, a sophomore in elementary education, thinks that having a well-balanced ratio of part-time and full time teachers is important.

“It is good to have the working world experience that a part-time teacher brings,” Alford said. “It is also good to receive the teaching experience that a full-time teacher provides.”

One of the largest benefits of part-time teachers is that they are usually more specialized in their field.

Ed Dobner, a sophomore in engineering, has a part-time teacher that instructs his archery class.

“I like that my teacher is a professional hunter because archery is taught by example and form,” Dobner said.

“It‚ is helpful to have a part-time teacher if their job relates directly to the subject of the class.”

Although part-time teachers offer many advantages to students, they also have several drawbacks.

Jaeger said that she wishes part-time teachers had access to offices so that they could have a better opportunity to help the students outside of class time.

“It‚ is really important to have office hours,” Alford said. “In a large class that is the only one-on-one time you can get with the teacher.”

Another concern for students is that part-time teachers may not put students as their top priority in comparison with their jobs at other companies. Dobner believes that it is important for teachers to get students to learn.

“Teachers who are passionate about what they are teaching are going to be the ones that impact you the most,” Alford said.

“They are going to be the ones that you enjoy and learn from the most.”

Alford said it doesn’t matter whether the teacher is a full-time teacher or a part-time teacher, what matters is their attitude about what they are teaching.