PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

WORKING ASSUMPTIONS

In writing this plan, the Professional Development Team made several assumptions regarding the nature of the College and the professional development needs of the college community: 

1. There are three main constituencies to be served. Those planning any program of professional development must be attentive to the similarities and differences of the needs of each group. These groups are classified/support staff, faculty (inclusive of adjuncts) and administrative and supervisory staff. While student workers constitute another important group to be served, this involvement will come in later years of planning, due to resource limitations at this time. The plan hopes to reach this group indirectly at first by facilitating better supervisory skills among those who coordinate the work of student assistants
   
   
2. All employees continue to be asked to exhibit professionalism. The use of this term does not refer to a select group of employees but rather to all. Professionalism is defined as: 
• Exhibiting expertise in one's particular area of responsibility and having mastery of the skills and knowledge necessary to perform competently
  
  
• Having a commitment to the College as an institution and to the communities and individual students served by the College
  
  
• Exhibiting reliability in one's job and behaving ethically toward colleagues and students
  
  
• Taking one's job responsibilities seriously
  
  
• Providing service of high quality
  
  
• Taking the initiative in situations where that is appropriate or necessary
3. Professional development programs, activities and services need to be inclusive. Planners and implementers need to make information widely available across the College, seeking input and building consensus. While faculty development initiatives are an important cornerstone in a learning-centered environment, professional development needs to reach beyond these initiatives to include all employees.
   
4. Professional development programs, activities and services need to be accessible. Programs need to be scheduled on all campuses as resources allow and mechanisms for maximum attendance need to be built into the planning. A variety of opportunities and means for learning should be planned in keeping with the goal of providing for employee learning anyway, anyplace and anytime. (O'Banion, 1995)
   
5. All professional development programs, activities and services need to be evaluated. Formative and summative evaluations are needed on a regular basis to insure that the goals of the program are being met. The cost-effectiveness of programming needs to be evaluated by an independent advisory group of employees. New programs and services need to be based upon individual and institutional unmet needs. Recurring programs and services need to be continuously improved through thoughtful feedback from participants.

Next Page in Plan