Who typically teaches most classes but often earns low salaries?

• A. Tenured faculty
• B. Adjunct faculty
• C. Graduate assistants
• D. Full-time professors

Answer: (B)

Adjunct faculty typically teach most classes at institutions of higher education, particularly in community colleges and universities. They are often hired on a contractual basis to teach specific courses and may not have the same job security as full-time faculty members. One of the distinguishing characteristics of adjunct faculty is that they often earn significantly lower salaries compared to their tenured counterparts or full-time professors. This discrepancy in compensation is largely due to the nature of their employment, which frequently does not include benefits or job security, making it a common situation for adjuncts in academia. This employment model allows institutions to save costs while relying on these instructors to fill essential teaching roles, hence why they dominate the teaching landscape in many institutions while facing financial challenges.