MDC Student Achievement Initiative: Committee Report on Faculty Professional Development Pathways  March 1, 2018

agenda: sustaining momentum Background: Data Collection Reminder “The Airplane Document” Spring Pilots/Proposals: New faculty for 2017-2018 and PDPs (Personalized Professional Development Plans) Conference Travel Looking Forward

Current SAI/T-L Team Members Susan Mayer Cynthia Schuemann Pat Nellis Cindy E. Buchholz Margaret Shippey David Finneran Glendora Phipps Donna Brown Richard Jesse Carlo Mariana Molina Regina Williams Amar Sawhney Stephen Johnson Susan Lichtman Represent diverse campuses, disciplines, and career stages. Reach out to team members with ideas, questions, concerns, or offers to help with this work .

The Charge 1. Evaluate alignment of T-L efforts (FPD) with the Guided Pathways that the colleges have built to improve student success and completion (CBD). How to? 2. Informed by research, create frameworks, structures and faculty professional development opportunities for additional innovation in pedagogy and instructional strategies. Identify current MDC T-L/FPD practices      (for FT and PT faculty)  Evaluate strengths and weaknesses Study MDC policy and practice Conduct faculty focus group and faculty survey research at MDC Develop knowledge of HIPs in HE Our charge was to spend time really understanding that state of FPD at MDC, and to imagine a better design within our contextual limitations. To understand current practice we turned to the UFMDC contract and MDC faculty initiatives website. The FPD pathway defined there was one that especially valued the completion of graduate-level credits and the attainment of doctoral degrees. While graduate-level coursework may be beneficial for some faculty, we have come to the conclusion this one-size fits-all approach is not a best practice for trying to support FPD that makes a real difference in the classroom. A critical finding we learned from our MDC focus groups and survey research is that faculty needs for FPD change at different stages in their career paths with the college. It is a journey. In order to create revised "guided pathways for faculty" with frameworks, structures, and relevant FPD opportunities, we needed a new strategy.  Note: Adjunct PD is an area that needs development … some areas are establishing new, stronger practices: e.g., math and business (Susan) 

3 Key conclusions about faculty professional development at MDC It’s a journey with stages. One-size-fits-all, DOESN'T.  Current FPD practices do not result in strategic impact on instructional design, teaching, and student learning. FURTHER: FPD opportunities need funding support, transparency, and equity

Proposed new vision for Faculty Professional Development at MDC Overview: The new vision for FPD focuses on active learning and purposeful FPD at four career stages for faculty, in order to support improvement in learning outcomes with a WIN –WIN-WIN design. Four career stages for faculty:  Year 1: On-boarding,  Years 2-4: Early Career,  Years 5-14: Mid-Career,  Years 15 +: Established Career WIN –WIN-WIN categories: Faculty, Students, the College  The stages reflect a timeline of FPD. They are not necessarily tied to promotion and maintenance of rank (as with the current adding up graduate credit model – Masters + 9 credits = Asst. Prof., + 15 more credits = Asso. Prof. Jr., + 15 more credits = Assoc. Prof. Sr.) Faculty WIN when they engage in meaningful and relevant professional development opportunities that prepare them to contribute successfully to student success and their own advancement; Students WIN when faculty members systematically integrate innovation and best practices to enhance student learning and achievement in the classroom; and  The College WINS when its reputation is enhanced by faculty educators who make a difference in student achievement.  Faculty become recognized as innovators and discipline leaders when they regularly contribute to their professions with scholarly classroom-based research, presentations, publications, and participation in national and statewide organizations and events.

This chart provides an overview of elements associated with a new pathway model for FPD at MDC. It explores what's happening with FPD at each career stage. (We'll look at Year 1 in more depth to illustrate our work in progress.)

See this slide and next … PDP is tied to goals – SMART Goals with a 5-year timeline, and supported as noted in the slide. Faculty will develop banks of "e-plans" that are individualized with free design format in order to encourage creativity and liberation from "boxed in" feelings. As traditional self-assessment and performance review measures are already very structured, the PDPs can complement them.

These are not to be viewed as check lists – rather starting points for reflection and action.

Prepare for landing Where do you see yourself on the PDP Airplane? Is there anything that is missing? Are there any questions? Please use your PDP airplane document to make your comments and suggestions.

Thank you for your support! We look forward to working with you and our new faculty this year, as well as working on long-range integration of FPD re-designs for all four career stages.  As we proceed, step-by-step, this includes: Ongoing creation and communication of a New Vision for FPD at MDC tied to enhancement of student success Empowering action on FPD for faculty and administrators Staging short-term "wins" and long-term change in FPD Consolidating and improving changes in FPD Sustaining institutional change Again, please communicate with us via any team member!