The increased enrollment of adult learners in colleges and universities that offer online programs has provoked a need for skilled online adjunct faculty. Administrators at online universities in the Mideastern region of the United States have sought to better understand the relationship between formal evaluations and teaching practices of the online adjunct faculty. Guided by the theory of adult learning, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between formal evaluations of the teaching practices of online adjunct faculty and their professional development. A correlational study was completed to determine the association between online adjunct faculty's perceptions of formal evaluation processes, attitudes about teaching and, decisions to make changes in instructional behavior. This study also addressed the association between formal evaluations and online adjunct faculty's willingness to participate in professional development opportunities. Online adjunct faculty with 1 or more years of online teaching experience at a local university who had experienced a formal evaluation participated in this research. A Spearman correlation analysis indicated a positive association between online adjunct faculty teaching practices and their perceptions of the quality of formal evaluations. A Spearman correlation analysis also indicated a positive association between online adjunct faculty willingness to seek and take advantage of professional development and their perception of the quality of formal evaluations. The project study supports strategies for developing and implementing evaluative processes that measure effective teaching practices and encourage professional development for online adjunct faculty. Formal evaluative processes can affect social change by ensuring the maintenance of quality academic standards at online universities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]