Faculty Insights


New in 2020! Sense of Belonging and Supportive Teaching Items

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
(Response options: Strongly agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly disagree)

  1. I feel comfortable being myself at this institution.
  2. I feel valued by this institution.
  3. I feel like part of the community at this institution.
  4. I have the time I need to prepare for class.
  5. I have the resources I need to do my best teaching (office space, technology, materials, etc.).
  6. The environments (classroom, online, etc.) I teach in are conducive to quality teaching.
  7. I know where to go for help with teaching at my institution.

Did You Know?

91%of faculty feel comfortable being themselves at their institution

79%of faculty feel valued by their institution

81%of faculty feel like part of the community at their institution

Belonging and Environment by Faculty Roles and Disciplinary Areas

In the aggregate, most faculty members agree or strongly agree that they have a positive sense of belonging and supportive teaching environment across all the survey items.

That said, differences emerge when looking at faculty subpopulations. Adjunct faculty report higher sense of belonging and more supportive teaching environments than non-adjunct faculty. This may come as a surprise to many considering the negative reports about conditions facing adjunct faculty, including heavy teaching loads and lack of resources. Yet, adjunct faculty may feel more in touch with their environments as their role often focuses specifically on teaching, possibly establishing a greater community with students and the campus more generally.

Looking broadly across faculty, we find variation by disciplinary area for each item. For example, faculty in business (84%), health professions (81%), and education (81%) feel most valued by their institution (Figure 1). This could be a reflection of the mission of the institutions or the resources allocated to specific disciplines.

Figure 1. Disciplinary Variation in the Percentage of Faculty Who Feel Valued by Their InstitutionGo to an accessible version of Figure 1 data.

Did You Know?

83%of faculty feel they have the time they need to prepare for class

77%of faculty feel they have the resources to do their best teaching

76%of faculty feel that the environments they teach in are conducive to quality teaching