Professional Development Issues for Community Colleges

North Shore Community College (NSCC) is a two-year institution with campuses in Danvers, Beverly, and Lynn, Massachusetts. A primary focus of our current strategic plan concerns academic programs and curriculum and institution's commitment to teaching and learning. We plan to renew and expand NSCCs program, curriculum, and learning opportunities in response to educational and labor needs through relevant curriculum with new constructs for delivery; liberal arts courses, transfer courses, and programs that emphasize critical-thinking skills; incorporation of technology into teaching and learning; institutional structure with a full range of workforce development services; and comprehensive education that embraces civic involvement and community. Faculty development is vital to achieve these goals at NSCC, as well as to facilitate student learning. This article will address challenges of providing effective professional development in a community college setting. While this is not meant to be a comprehensive list of challenges and solutions, this discussion will touch upon issues that are representative of faculty development challenges faced by my community college colleagues. Successful Community College Professional Development Models The range of faculty development offerings at North Shore Community College is rich and varied. Our professional development efforts begin with monthly two-hour faculty/staff meetings. For 2007-8 academic year there have been a variety of suggested topics for meetings, including discussions on campus security in wake of Virginia Tech tragedy, technology, teaching learning-challenged students, cross-campus communication, service learning, co-ops and internships, civility in classroom and on Internet, information literacy and research, the greening of advising, student retention, improving reading and writing in classes, common reading projects, and rubrics. There is also an ongoing yearlong seminar for new full-time faculty offered through Center for Teaching Learning and Assessment (CTLA). Throughout year, faculty will discuss resources and services available through CTLA, such as advising, library, academic technology, and disability services. The seminar meets twice in fall and twice in spring. Although attendance to seminar is not mandatory, all new faculty are expected to participate. We've also instituted a voluntary adjunct faculty seminar on teaching and learning and what it means to be a North Shore faculty member. The seminar for adjuncts is offered online by assistant dean of liberal studies. At our college, we make a special effort to offer professional development sessions in evenings, on weekends, and online to accommodate schedules of full- and part-time faculty. Through Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, faculty are encouraged to attend conferences related to teaching and learning, sponsored by national organizations and regional groups. Faculty are also encouraged to attend conferences in their individual disciplines. Professional Day, a faculty-run and attended event offered once in spring of each year, is another venue for professional development for faculty and professional staff. In recent years topics have included program review and diversity. In a 2007 survey of faculty and staff, suggestion list for Professional Day yielded a range of topics that was broad and diverse. These topics were influenced by staff input as well as faculty interest. The Technology Across Curriculum (TAC) program at NSCC stimulates and nurtures innovative ideas from faculty and professional staff that employ technology in support of teaching and learning. It is an opportunity to learn about how technology can be applied to individual courses. Faculty learn about online courses, hybrids, Webcasts, and other instructional designs. …