COMPREHENSIVE STANDARD 3.7.3. (CS-P22):

Comments:

The institution offers a selection of both informal and structured professional development opportunities for faculty including: annual teaching skills retreats, financial support for professional meetings and conferences, workshops, tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees and course work, sabbaticals, study grants, faculty publications, the Teaching Learning Center, the Faculty Development Advisory Team and an internal Continuing Education curriculum. The institution needs to provide ongoing professional development linked closely to the required Faculty Development Plan (FDP). (Sentence deleted per Dr. Gerald Lord) The On-Site Committee should request data concerning the inclusion of part-time faculty in some form of professional development. (Sentence added per Dr. Gerald Lord).

Response:

Collin County Community College District (CCCCD) offers a selection of both informal and structured professional development opportunities for full-time and associate (part-time) faculty. Faculty development ranges from discipline-specific topics to those which are relevant to all faculty members and is provided at the department, division, and institutional levels.

Programs provided to meet the professional development needs of associate faculty members were not addressed in detail in the 2004 Compliance Certification as most professional development activities are publicized as opportunities that are open to full-time and part-time CCCCD faculty alike.

On the department and division levels, associate faculty members are included in periodic department and division meetings, and are invited to participate in workshops scheduled on days and at times when the greatest number of associate faculty can attend. Topics have included classroom teaching, clinical instruction techniques, laboratory procedures, and discipline-specific use of technology and software. In addition, minutes of division meetings and other divisional updates are distributed to associate faculty in order to ensure that they are aware of events and topics of discussion within the division.

Prior to the beginning of the fall semester, all associate faculty members are invited to the annual associate faculty meeting. A keynote presentation provides information on the College, strategic planning initiatives, and other pertinent information. Following the general session, the associate faculty attend division/department meetings with the deans and the discipline chairs. Associate faculty hired for spring or summer semesters are oriented on an individual basis by department chairs.

The District provides formal faculty development opportunities for both full-time and part-time faculty through the Teaching Learning Center (TLC). Associate faculty are encouraged to enhance professional skills through workshops offered during Faculty Development Weeks (Reference 1) held twice each year, All College Day workshops (Reference 2), and periodic workshops throughout the semester. All CCCCD faculty members may meet individually with TLC staff (Reference 3), who are qualified instructional designers and educators. The TLC staff offer consultation and training on using distance education technologies and assistance in online curriculum development using the WebCT course management system. Other TLC resources include workshops and technology tutorials (Reference 4).

Associate faculty members are also invited to attend the Texas Community College Teachers Association (TCCTA) annual conference. To encourage participation, the District pays the registration fees. This conference provides two days of professional development programs on both discipline-specific and teaching-related topics. Additionally, associate faculty members are invited to attend training sessions throughout the year on topics such as FERPA or online grading.

The Faculty Resource Guide, provided to associate faculty members, includes organizational information about the College, classroom discipline, pedagogical techniques, pedagogical uses of technology, and procedures and guidelines related to the role of faculty. This resource is also published on the District’s Web site for use by faculty members from any accessible location (Reference 5).

Teaching Kits (Reference 6) have also been prepared for all full-time and associate faculty members for the Fall 2004 semester. A Teaching Kit is a CD containing the 2004-2006 Faculty Resource Guide, as well as the following:

• Academic Plan
• Assessment Methods Guide
• Catalog 2004-2005
• Curriculum Development Manual 2004
• Human Resources Manual 2004-2005
• Library Guide
• Master Calendar 2004-05 - Academic Dates
• Master Calendar 2004-05
• Student Handbook 2004-2005

Specific departmental and division level examples of associate faculty members’ involvement in professional development include but are not limited to the following:

Psychology and Sociology held an associate faculty workshop designed to facilitate mentoring relationships within the department and to provide information on best practices in teaching and the use of technology. The second workshop is scheduled for August 25, 2004. Sessions are attended and led primarily by associate faculty members.

Sociology associate faculty members were invited to attend a lecture on global sociology and a subsequent teaching demonstration by Dr. Joan Ferrante, author of the introductory sociology textbook used by the District. All Sociology faculty were also invited to attend a luncheon with Dr. Ferrante.

Associate faculty members in Developmental Math were invited to attend the MyMathLab workshop on new software being introduced in the discipline.

Every January, before the spring term begins, the History Department holds a “Buffet of Teaching Options” to discuss teaching techniques and to observe a demonstration of lesson plans used in U.S. History survey courses. Full-time and associate faculty attend and make presentations during the workshop. Additionally, associate faculty members in History have been encouraged to attend professional conferences and workshops held at Texas A & M University-Commerce and the University of North Texas.

Associate faculty members were invited to attend dental hygiene table clinics for 1.5 hours continuing education credit. They also attended a 4-hour Dental Oncology seminar on tobacco cessation offered by the Texas Oncology Center.

The Speech & Foreign Languages Department divides the associate faculty members into campus teams. Each team elects a leader who is responsible for communicating with the team members and assisting them as needed. Each team is also assigned to a full-time faculty member who serves as a resource for the team leader and/or each member of the team. The goal of the team concept is to enhance the professional teaching skills of each associate faculty member.

Specialized mentoring is offered in the Communications and Humanities Division for associate faculty members who are experiencing difficulty in the classroom and need assistance with improving instruction, classroom management, or other academic issues. Such associate faculty members are assigned to a full-time faculty colleague and required to visit one or more class sessions and consult with the full-time faculty member throughout the semester. The goal is to develop the instructional skills of associate faculty by engaging them in and connecting them to the teaching methods and experience of a full-time faculty member.

In addition to on-campus workshops, meetings, and events, CCCCD has an online professional development resource designed to help acclimate new faculty to the community college teaching environment. The Academy for Associate Faculty (Reference 7) was implemented through a partnership that includes Northeast Texas Community College, Paris Junior College, CCCCD, and Mountain View College. This project is supported with funds from the Carl Perkins Discretionary Grant Program administered under the auspices of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Austin, Texas.

The purpose of the Academy for Associate Faculty is to help associate faculty members develop skills in designing and providing instruction that is consistent with the District’s commitment to academic excellence. The program is also designed to support and enhance the teaching skills of the associate faculty. The Academy is offered each semester. Twenty-four (24) hours of training are delivered as follows: (1) a 4-hour orientation and in-service workshop; (2) independent study and online discussions using WebCT; (3) teaching partnering and classroom observations; and (4) a 4-hour summative symposium.

In addition, associate and full-time faculty and staff are allowed to enroll in work-related Continuing Education courses, such as programming languages and Web design (Reference 8). Continuing Education also provides periodic professional development for part-time instructors teaching in Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD). Topics such as “Teaching the Adult Learner” or “Techniques for Internet Research” are among the Saturday morning workshops specifically designed for CEWD faculty.

Associate faculty are critical to the success of the College and its students. As important members of the College community, they are provided with numerous opportunities for professional development and with multiple resources designed to increase their knowledge about the College and their success in the classroom.

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