Laurel Faculty Development Program

Why is Faculty Professional Development Important

“One who dares to teach must never cease to learn” (Dana): Professional development provides opportunities for faculty to learn about learning, about teaching, about students, and about themselves. Professional development should be an integral part of every faculty member’s efforts to become more effective in the classroom. Regular participation in professional development activities should be an expectation for all teachers and part of their own internal desire to educate. Excerpts from  The Teaching Professor, 25.6 (2011): 5.

Accreditation requirements:

ACCSC STANDARDS OF ACCREDITATION SUBSTANTIVE STANDARDS: The school must demonstrate that its faculty and educational administrators engage in ongoing faculty assessment and professional development activities that: are appropriate to the size and scope of the school’s educational programs; support the quality of education provided, and enhance student learning and achievement. These professional development activities should include elements such as continuing education in the subject area(s) taught; teaching skill development; instructional methodology development; membership in trade and professional organizations as appropriate; and other elements appropriate for the ongoing professional development of faculty. The school is required to document the implementation of these professional development activities for its faculty.

Faculty Handbook: Faculty Responsibility for Professional Development

Faculty and staff members are encouraged for professional growth to attend job-related seminars, workshops and professional meetings dealing directly with current job requirements or approved new assignments with the school. In these cases, the tuition or fees will normally be paid by the school in advance with travel and other miscellaneous expenses being submitted for reimbursement following the meeting, workshop or seminar. The request for all educational expenses, such as seminars, meetings and workshops, must be made prior to enrollment by the employee to the immediate supervisor and approved by the supervisor and the Campus Director prior to the event.

Professional certification testing that is required by the school as part of the employee's condition of employment will be paid by the school provided the employee passes the test. Professional certification testing that is taken on a voluntary basis by the employee will be paid by the school provided the employee passes the test and the testing was approved in advance by the employee's supervisor and the Campus Director. Laurel Faculty Handbook

Minimum Annual Professional Development Requirements For All Faculty

Faculty are required to complete an annual professional development plan and review it for approval with their supervisor.  Documentation and other evidence of completion must be provided throughout the year to demonstrate the plan is being completed. Annual plans should incorporate goals for continuous improvement. Annual Faculty Professional Development Plan | Professional Development Training Verification Form | NISOD Login Instructions

Program Overview

Laurel Institutes Faculty Development Program (FDP)-Level I is designed to assist all newly-hired part-time and full-time instructors to build a strong foundation for quality instruction and advisement.  FDP engages faculty in focused programs, courses, and conversations about designing and delivering instructional experiences that contribute to student engagement, achievement, and success.  The FDP provides an enhanced continuing education program designed to instill life-long learning habits that extend beyond the completion of the program. 

The goal of this program is to help these individuals to:

  • Strengthen their ability to make significant contributions within the school
  • Increase student success, engagement, performance, and satisfaction
  • Better understand the mission, goals and objectives of the institution

New Hire On-Boarding

Complete new faculty orientation checklist. During the 1st six months, faculty are required to complete the new hire orientation which gets instructors acclimated to the Laurel instructional systems. 

FDP Mentoring

Every participant in the New Faculty Development Program is assigned an experienced Laurel instructor or Program Director to serve as a mentor. The mentor is chosen by the administration, and both the mentor and mentee share important responsibilities in the relationship. Mentors are usually the instructor's supervisor, program director or otherwise designated senior faculty member. View our mentoring page for more details about this.

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Who participates in FDP?

Instructors who are newly hired, permanent, and part/full-time are required to complete the Faculty Development Program. Exceptions may be given by the administration based on previous experience and/or education.

Length of Program

Level I of the Laurel Faculty Development Program (FDP) is a two-year program. Unless otherwise agreed upon by their administration, all newly hired faculty members are required to complete this program prior to the end of their second year of employment.

Program Outline

The Faculty Development Program consists of three phases:

Phase 1 – Plan: Soon after hire, faculty will complete a document in which they set goals for their first two years and make a plan for timely completion of the FDP.

Phase 2 – Participate: This phase makes up the bulk of the Faculty Development Program. Participants will complete 6 hours of coursework in addition to attending several training and information sessions.

Phase 3 – Present: Once they have completed all required activities of phase 2, faculty will deliver a presentation exploring their growth during the program.

Program Details

Each phase of the NFD Program is explained in detail below. Use the links to navigate among the different phases.

  • Phase 1: Plan
  • Phase 2: Participate
  • Phase 3: Present

Phase 1: Plan

The first phase of the Faculty Development Program involves creating your own Customized Professional Development Plan (PDP) outlining your goals for growing as an instructor throughout the FDP Program. This component will enable you, the new instructor, to devise a plan based on your specific needs.

Step 1

 SELF-EVALUATION WORKSHEET

Before completing your FDP, you should complete a Self-Evaluation Worksheet. Many instructors find it helpful to complete this worksheet with the assistance of their mentor. This document will guide new instructors as they prepare to write their Customized Professional Development Plan. Save your Self-Evaluation in a safe place, as your supervisors work with you to use it to set your professional goals for the FDP Program.

Step 2

 CUSTOMIZED PD PLAN

Once you have completed the Self-Evaluation Worksheet, you will develop your Customized Professional Development Plan in cooperation with your Department Chairperson and mentor. Your campus Learning Strategies Coordinator is also available to help with any piece of the CPDP.

Step 3

Upon completion of your CPDP, please email a copy to your supervisor.  Once the supervisor has reviewed your plan, he or she will forward the document to the Director of Education for final approval.

Phase 2: Participate

The second phase of New Faculty Development consists of a series of activities (collectively titled Introduction to Instruction) completed during the first year of employment as well as 8 credits of course work completed throughout the first two years.

Introduction to Instruction (Year 1)

All participants in the New Faculty Development Program will complete the activities listed below during their first year of hire. These activities are coordinated by the campus Learning Strategies Coordinator (with the exception of the campus tour). Every attempt will be made to schedule these activities to accommodate faculty teaching schedules, but release time or class coverage may be necessary.

Semester of Hire

  • Attend FDP Info Session (September / January)
  • Submit Customized PD Plan (September / January)
  • Meet with Mentor (September / January)

Fall Semester

  • Attend College-wide In-Service Training from Student and Academic Affairs (September)
  • Attend Campus-based Academic Advisement Training (October)
  • Attend Campus-based Colloquium* (December)

Spring Semester

  • Attend College-wide Training on Organizational Structure, Accreditation, Planning, & Assessment (March)
  • Attend Campus-based Colloquium* (May)

* Colloquia are 90-minute sessions in which faculty share successes and challenges and work with their campus LSC to develop potential solutions. Faculty will also review and revise professional goals.

Phase 3: Present

Once you have completed all required coursework and activities, the final step of the New Faculty Development Program is to create and present an ePortfolio to showcase your growth and reflect on your experiences during your first two years at LBI/LTI. You will present your ePortfolio to campus personnel.

Organizing Your E-Portfolio

The goal of your e-portfolio is to tell your story by reflecting on three questions about your experiences at Laurel so far: What did I do?Why did I do it?, and How did I do it? Although you are free to organize your e-portfolio in any logical manner, many faculty find it easy to answer these three questions by including the sections outlined below.

Teaching Responsibilities

This section is typically a list with a brief explanation of the faculty member’s teaching and advisement responsibilities. In essence, it describes “What I did” by offering the following types of information:

  • List of courses taught (title, term, # of sections, etc.)
  • Formal and informal advisement data
  • Committee involvement
  • Conferences or professional development activities

Philosophy & Goals

Secondly, the faculty member states his or her philosophy and goals for teaching. The focus of this “Why I did it” section is on questions such as the following:

  • Given my responsibilities, what goals did I attempt to reach through my teaching?
  • Why did I choose to teach in the manner I used?
  • What was I trying to achieve as a teacher?
  • What did I expect my students to gain from my course: mastery of content, critical thinking skills, etc?

Evidence of Effective Teaching

Finally, a collection of data and documents present a record showing how well the faculty member met his or her teaching goals. This “How I did it” section might include the following types of materials:

  • Student survey data or excerpts
  • Lesson plans, activities, assessments, or other learning materials
  • Teaching awards
  • Grants received for the improvement of teaching
  • Self, peer, or supervisor evaluations
  • Unsolicited messages from students
  • Evidence of student learning

Building Your E-Portfolio

Your e-portfolio will tell your story at Laurel by documenting your teaching responsibilities, instructional philosophy, professional goals, and accomplishments as an educator while also reflecting on your first two years at Laurel. A high quality e-portfolio includes clear statements of instructional responsibilities and goals as well as sufficient evidence to demonstrate how these goals have been accomplished.

Most e-portfolios take the form of website created using drag and drop web builders. It is recommended to use one of the following free programs for building your e-portfolio: WixWeebly, or Google Sites. Your campus team is ready to assist you with these technologies. 

Recommended Software

GOOGLE SITES

WEEBLY

WIX

Preparing for Your Presentation

Your presentation should range from 15 – 20 minutes, with a few minutes afterward left open for questions from the audience. Because these presentations are often scheduled in groups, it is important that you avoid going over time. We recommend practicing your presentation a few times in order to work out your timing.

It is also important to understand that your presentation should be more than just reading your e-portfolio to the audience. This is your chance to tell your story and let your colleagues know about all of the great things that are going on in your classroom. Do not feel the need to go over every single item in your portfolio. You are also welcome to create additional materials to aid your presentation, such as PowerPoint, handouts, or interactive activities.

 

Online Teaching Essentials

Laurel offers a formal training module for faculty members interested in teaching hybrid or fully online courses. Online Teaching Essentials is a four-week, facilitated online course focused on online course design and pedagogy through online discussion and project-based assessment. The course provides foundational training in discussion forum management, aligning course goals with instructional strategies and assessments, and creating content for online instruction. The course is facilitated by current Laurel faculty with considerable online teaching experience.  

Senior Faculty Development - Level 2

Laurel Institutes Faculty Development Program (FDP) -Level 2 is designed to assist experienced faculty members with advanced learning theory professional development. Faculty members must have at least 5 years of instructional experience to be eligible for Level 2.  

The goal of this program is to help these individuals to:

  • Raise the school standards on instructional design
  • Increase student success, engagement, performance, and satisfaction
  • Implement creative and contemporary learning theory and methodologies into the Laurel classroom. 

Length of Program

The Laurel Faculty Development Program (FDP) Level 2 is at least three-year program with a rigorous plan for continuous professional development.

 

Program Eligibility Requirements

 

Program Outline

The Senior Faculty Development Program can look differently depending on your instructional area. Some examples are:

-Masters Degree Completion with instructional integration and portfolio presentation

-3 years of industry-specific training totaling 60 hours in length.

-3 years of professional development webinars and certificate attainment. Portfolio required.