Summary

Audit Scope and Objectives

This audit focused on each community college's policies implementing the requirement that full-time instructional faculty shall schedule, at a minimum, a total of 25 classroom contact hours and posted office hours each week to be available to students. Additionally, this audit focused on the availability of part-time faculty to students outside of scheduled instruction. Our objectives were as follows:

• To determine the extent each community college complied with the provisions of Section 240.341, Florida Statutes;
• To determine the extent to which each community college adopted policies and procedures to implement the Division of Community College's policy Nos. 8 and 21 related to faculty hours;
• To determine the extent to which each community college complied with the Division of Community College's policies and with each college's policies and procedures regarding student contact hours and office hours; and
• To identify statutory and policy issues, as they relate to faculty hours, that may be the basis for recommendations to change such statutes or policies.

We reviewed the Division of Community College's policies; laws; and college records, reports, policies, and procedures for the Spring 2001 Term. We also visited faculty offices during scheduled office hours.

'Summary of Audit Findings

Finding No. 1: One college's collective bargaining agreement with its faculty union includes a "load offset" provision which does not comply with the 15 classroom contact hours per week requirement of Section 240.341, Florida Statutes. Also, 17 colleges had policies which provided for an administrator rather than the president to approve alternate duties for full-time faculty members, as a reduction in classroom contact hours, contrary to law.

Finding No. 2: Ten colleges had instances of noncompliance with the Division of Community College's policy requiring that full-time faculty members schedule a minimum of 25 classroom contact hours and posted office hours per week.

Finding No. 3: Visitations to full-time faculty member offices indicated that, for five colleges, a significant number of full-time faculty members were not in their offices during established office hours. Generally, no information was posted on or near the faculty members' office doors to inform students of their absence and/or planned return.

Finding No. 4: Only ten colleges have written policies which appear to meet the intent of the Division of Community College's policy regarding the time and place that part-time faculty members are required to make themselves available to students.

Finding No. 5: Colleges often use nontraditional methods of instruction, such as distance learning. Division of Community College policies regarding minimum classroom contact hours and faculty availability to students are silent regarding these nontraditional methods of instruction.

The Interim Chancellors for the Divison of Community Colleges provided their responses to our audit findings and recommendations which are included in audit report No. 02-022. The responses, in their entirety, may be viewed on the Auditor General's Web site.