What are the facilitators and barriers experienced by sessional academics during the process of onboarding: a scoping review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sessional academics undertake a large proportion of teaching and marking and are essential for current university structures and student success. Employment of sessional academics has primarily been driven by cost savings and flexibility in hiring practices for employers, in addition to managing academic staffing shortages. Despite the increase in sessional employment, little is known about the experience of sessional academics regarding support and processes for integrating them into university structures. This scoping review focused on identifying the facilitators and barriers experienced by sessional academics during the onboarding process. Two university departments that can contribute to improving the onboarding process are identified: human resources and the individual academic unit. Six subthemes were identified during the literature analysis to support onboarding: contractual, orientation, resources, communication, mentoring and belonging. These themes have been explored and discussed and key recommendations have been made for policymakers and managers, with further research proposed.