Disadvantages of Employing Part-Time Faculty
Although recent research suggests that the incentives for employing part-timers are obviously strong, critics contend that the costs of employing a majority of faculty on a part-time basis far outweigh any benefits. First, critics argue that increased use of part-time faculty harms full-time faculty by taking away full-time positions and extra pay for course overloads.
Second, critics claim that part-timers themselves suffer as a result of their overuse for the delivery of instruction. Monroe and Denman argue that part-time faculty roles are unclear and that as a result, adjunct faculty experience considerable role ambiguity. According to McGuire, part-time faculty roles are unclear because "too often, colleges fail to integrate part-time faculty into their institutions".
 Role ambiguity also makes part-timers vulnerable to exploitation. Part-time faculty have no guarantee of continued employment from term to term, no health insurance or other benefits, few raises or opportunities for promotions, and no voice in decisions that affect them. These conditions can lead to frustration.
A third reported disadvantage of employing a large number of part-timers is a concern that the integrity of the two-year college teaching profession is severely undermined. However, there is lack of consensus on how integrity is undermined. Some argue it leads to differentiated teaching services. Research suggests that part-timers rely on traditional pedagogy. Therefore, they often fail to incorporate new methods of teaching. Contradictory to the claim that part- and full-time faculty use different teaching methods, data drawn from national studies of professional development programs for two-year college faculty revealed that part-timers who engage in professional development activities use the same methods of teaching as full-timers.
Some research appears to conclude that part-timers are less effective teachers than are full-timer. Yet, other studies conclude that there are virtually no differences in the type or quality of instruction delivered by part- and full-time faculty. For example, the results of a study conducted by the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges to examine current policies and practices regarding the use of part-time faculty in the California system, revealed inconclusive evidence regarding differences in the quality of instruction provided by full- and part-time faculty.
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