| Many continuing education units rely extensively on part-time instructors to deliver instruction. Despite this reliance, little research has been conducted on these instructors to assess what factors lead to instructional quality, notwithstanding the debate over the quality of the instruction that part-time instructors deliver. This study examines instructor characteristics, instructor development practices, teaching techniques, and course characteristics to determine the knowledge, characteristics, skills and practices of part-time instructors that lead to quality instruction in continuing education programs as measured by Students' Evaluations of Educational Quality (SEEQ).;Regression analysis of eighteen variables determined that the model using the variables length of course, course improvements due to 'other reasons', use of alternative teaching materials, instructor's type of employment, subject area and delivery format accounted for 49.2% of the variation in the dependent variable instructional quality. In examining the three categories of instructor characteristics, teaching techniques, and instructor development no statistically significant results were produced in terms of their impact on instructional quality. The analysis of the fourth category, course characteristics, revealed that only the variable length of course was significant, accounting for 10.4% of the variation in the dependent variable.;These findings provide a few insights for continuing education units with respect to recruitment and professional development activities for part-time faculty. For recruitment, more senior employees and professionals contribute more to instructional quality than more junior employees. For professional development, course improvement due to 'other' reasons (a mixture of practices used by instructor) ensures greater instructional quality. Finally, greater use of alternative teaching materials actually contributes negatively to instructional quality.;Three of the variables (course length, format and subject) are not within the control of the instructor. Administrators can use these findings in decisions related to course scheduling and course delivery since the model shows that longer courses and those taught in concentrated or blended formats lead to higher levels of instructional quality as measured by the students.;Further research would be needed to identify variables within the control of the instructor that contribute positively to students' perceptions of instructional quality. These additional variables may provide better data to guide recruitment and professional development activities of part-time instructors than the variables used in this study. |
