Professional Development provides all Butte College employees with learning opportunities needed to accomplish the college’s mission and strategic initiatives.
The Professional Development structure, a participatory governance Steering Committee chaired by the Faculty Professional Development Coordinator and guided by the Professional Development Leadership Team (PDLT), embodies the college’s six strategic initiatives as it directs key programs, develops workshops, and provides for custom professional development and ensures continuous review and evaluation of the program. The Professional Development Steering committee includes 5 faculty members, 4 classified members, 4 MSC/Administration members, and a student; this committee provides overall program and budget oversight. Flex committees for Faculty and Classified plus a team of managers direct the development of workshops and trainings focused on, but not exclusive to, their constituencies. The full-time faculty Flex obligation for 2018/2019 will be 12 days (6 in the fall semester and 6 in the spring semester). Total Flex hours required of full-time faculty number 72. The Professional Development Leadership Team (PDLT) combines Classified, MSC and Faculty Coordinators, plus an Administrative Secretary--non-instructional. The Faculty Coordinator reports to the Vice President of Instruction; the MSC and Classified Coordinators report to the Vice President for Planning, Research and Organizational Development (PROD). In addition, the respective coordinators report and meet regularly with their constituent groups (Management Association, Academic Senate and Classified Senate). Butte College’s Professional Development programs provide the opportunity for full-time faculty, associate faculty, classified staff, and management, supervisory and confidential (MSC) staff to increase their skills and pursue professional interests, maintain currency in technology, deepen knowledge of District values, policies and processes, and network with District colleagues. Professional Development provides faculty with numerous options to fulfill their Flex obligation. The Faculty Annual Flex Plan will ensure faculty consider their professional development goals in advance and assure that they have been completed. No more than 50% of full-time faculty Flex obligation may be met through individual activity contracts/travel and conference (75% with Dean’s approval). Full-time Faculty Flex activities are tracked by Professional Development and reported to the Vice President of Instruction and Human Resources at the end of each academic year. The MSC group maintains a mentorship program whereby new MSC employees are paired with others within the group to help them transition into their new roles. Additionally, a monthly training session is held to present topics of interest to the group. Classified professional development is the focus of a week of training during spring break, with workshops that are also open to all faculty and MSC employees. Classified Day, held at the end of the spring term is a day dedicated to professional development training and employee networking exclusively for classified staff. In the 2014/2015 academic year a regularly scheduled time slot for workshops, called Third Thursday Workshops was implemented allowing staff to plan their participation in advance. This successful workshop series continues and is ongoing. BEEP, the Butte Employee Education Program, is a regular institutional series, with each of four distinct sessions scheduled in advance. All new employees are encouraged to attend and all seasoned/veteran employees are invited to participate. Professional Development is dedicated to increasing participation by all Butte College employees and expanding professional growth opportunities for all employee groups. We use Active Data Calendar to promote workshops and activities, making it easy for all employee groups to see and schedule upcoming events from their own desktops. Since 2014, additional focus has been placed on the development of online flex activities to further expand employee access to professional development. We will continue to provide high quality constituency-focused programs, and sponsor a series of social and networking events for all employees in the Center for Excellence. Professional Development will continue to enhance college vitality by providing workshops and trainings that support excellence in teaching and learning, and the District's strategic initiatives. To ensure consistency in approach and focus, the Professional Development Leadership Team strongly recommends that the District require all incoming professional development funding and activities, regardless of source, be coordinated with the established Professional Development Steering Committee. The Professional Development Leadership Team (PDLT) also recommends that the Steering Committee be consulted prior to applying for any grant funded professional development related opportunities.
Professional Development offers workshops and activities pertaining to the following topics to support the college's efforts to meet student achievement standards and the Strategic Direction and Priorities:
Professional Developkent also offers orientation programs and facilitates professional partnerships, leadership development, and travel and conference opportunities for all college employees.
Professional Development embodies the college's Strategic Initiatives and remains flexible, creative, and nimble in developing workshops and professional development activities that help faculty, classified staff, and administrators move toward achieving the District's Strategic Direction Priorities.
During the 2017-18 academic year, Professional Development has offered three-hour Guided Pathways workshops during January and August Flex Days, provided a venue for Proactive Registration workshops for students, offered workshops and trainings focused on data disaggregation, requested an computer lab upgrade for LB 216 so that faculty and staff could use the space effectively, hosted New World of Work training for faculty and staff, and supported the Diversity Committee and Student Equity Committee by hosting workshops and trainings in the CFE.
Professional Development collaborates with offices across campus to support the college's Strategic Direction Priorities however possible.
The annual unit plan serves as the program review for Professional Development.
Actively pursue professional development opportunities for all college employees.
Strategy 1 - Develop & Expand Professional Development/Align Faculty Opportunities with Title 5
A. Professional Development will continue to develop, expand, and refine professional development programs and activities to address the professional learning needs of all college employees. Augmentations will be requested when necessary to provide professional development workshops and training to faculty, staff, and administrators across campus.
Examples of Augmentation Requests for a Fall Semester
Examples of Augmentation Requests for a Spring Semester
B. Professional Development will communicate and enforce guidelines to ensure activities eligible for Flex credit are in compliance with Title 5 guidelines for Faculty Professional Development.
The Professional Development Faculty Flex Committee continues develop, expand, and refine faculty professional development opportunities at Butte College. Title 5 guidelines and established policies for Professional Development activities ensure compliance and accountability with the flex opportunities sponsored by Butte College.
Strategy 2 - Align Workshops with College Strategic Initiatives
Professional Development will continue to develop workshops for all constituencies aligned with current Strategic Initiatives.
The Professional Development Steering Committee promotes partnerships between Professional Development and Administration and Governance. Professional Development educates all constituencies regarding the District’s current Strategic Initiatives to ensure broad-based support and effective use of in-house expertise.
On-campus Professional Development opportunites for all employees are offered in areas such as Teaching & Learning, Project Management, Conflict Management, Motivation, Leadership, Technology Applications, and many more.
Strategy 3 - Promote & Enforce Guidelines for CFE Use
Professional Development will continue to communicate and enforce guidelines for use of the Center For Excellence.
Progress has been made to improve processes; however, a few inappropriate use requests for the CFE continue because there are so few venues on campus that can accommodate more than 100 people. CFE use requests for student events continue to come in despite the venue's Faculty and Staff focus. Fire and safety occupancy issues have arisen at some events. Publishing and enforcing guidelines assists the support staff and reduces the time needed to address requests. Promoting alternate venues for events and meetings that fall outside of the CFE usage guidelines help to alleviate inappropriate requests.
Strategy 4 - Manage and Improve Data Collection (Electronic and Hard Copy)
Professional Development continues to assess and improve data collection. The program has sought further integrations with Colleague and SharePoint software currently makes it easier for full-time faculty to engage with the planning and tracking process of their Flex obligation and overload opportunities (if applicable). Much of the data entry work is done by a student assistant. JotForms electronic forms serve as replacements for paper forms/applications when appropriate. Paper forms will be revised and updated to reflect current contract language.
A Flex tracking software package worth investigating is MyLearningPlan www.mylearningplan.com at the special negotiated pricing for 4CSD members of $1500 for set up (vs. $2500) and $12 for each full-time faculty/administrator and $8 for each classified staff and associate faculty member.
Full-time faculty can view and track their Flex hours electronically via MyBC. Professional Development continues to collect and evaluate learning outcomes data from the Butte College Leader Development Institute, Great Teachers, Associate Faculty Flex activities, new employee orientations, and all other programs.
Electronic forms and applications make application and data collection easier both for applicants and for Professional Development staff. Paper forms will be revised and updated to reflect current contract language.
Strategy 5 - Provide Additional Administrative Support / Additional Reassign Time for Faculty Professional Development Coordinator
Professional Development requires its own administrative support position separate from the Academic Senate administrative support position.
In order to provide requested professional development support to campus initiatives and projects (Innovation Award Travel & Conference, Accreditation, Guided Pathways, Strategic Planning), the Faculty Professional Development Coordinator requires additional reassign time.
The Professional Development Leadership Team strongly recommends this separation due to increasing challenges which include:
Strategy 6 - Technology Upgrades
To respond to technology needs in the Center for Excellence
The technology in LB 216 is obsolete and as such has rendered this space practically unusable. The CFE computer lab could be a highly sought after location, but right now, it is not being utilized as effectively as it might be. This would be a perfect location for Colleague training which has been asked for repeatedly. Additionally, faculty and staff are encouraged to bring their own devices to training and events held in the Center for Excellence. However, there are insufficient power sources to support BYOD in the CFE.
Having a designated space for large group meetings particularly when the Center for Excellence is already booked.
Professional Development is able to offer $20,000 in Travel & Conference funding in collaboration with the Innovation Award.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Professional Development | Personnel | $27,170.00 | $0.00 | ||
| To support Guided Pathways and other College Initiatives increase reassign time for Faculty Coordinator by 25% | Additional time is necessary for the faculty coordinator due to major revisions of faculty Flex programming and tracking, needed program innovations, collaboration with programs and services across campus (e.g., Guided Pathways, Student Equity, Transformation), creating new online Flex workshops, outreach to Chico State, participation on the 4CSD board and statewide activities, and coordination of the overall program with Classified and MSC coordinators. Although Professional Development is not currently funded at a level that fully supports the innovation and collaboration necessary to achieve the college's Strategic Direction Priorities, Pro Dev has begun healthy collaborations with other offices and initiative efforts on campus (Student Services, Innovation Award, Office of Instruction) to bring innovative programming to Butte College. The bottom line is, working with others and implementing the results of collaborative efforts takes time. In 2015-16, the coordinator worked to bring highly successful 2- and 3-day On Course Workshops to campus (meetings, emails, contracts with On Course), rejuvenate and launch the Travel & Conference committee (help with recruiting members, application process, award letters), and create and launch the Faculty Classroom Exchange program (program form, emails). The coordinator has also provided leadership in researching electronic form software and implementing JotForms for selected Professional Development programs. In 2016-17, the coordinator has led Pro Dev efforts to support Guided Pathways, Accreditation, Strategic Planning, and collaboration with Human Resources and the Business Office. In 2017, the coordinator served as a member of the Chancellor's Office Ad Hoc Committee for Professional Development. Each new Professional Development endeavor has also required the work of administrative support staff, including the Pro Dev student assistant. An increase of 25% reassign time for the Faculty Professional Development Coordinator would support the continuation and expansion of collaborative and innovative program development for all Butte College faculty, which would ultimately have a positive impact on student retention, achievement, and success. |
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| 2 | Professional Development | Personnel | $0.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Provide Additional Administrative Support (Collaboration with Academic Senate) | Professional Development requires its own administrative support position separate from the Academic Senate administrative support position. The Professional Development Leadership Team strongly recommends this separation due to increasing challenges which include: MOU regarding Flex obligation requires Professional Development to have all data for full-time faculty Flex online and available for review. Academic Senate's high demands for administrative support staff overlaps and conflicts with the periods of highest demand for administrative support staff for Professional Development. Some examples include: Beginning and end of fiscal year when budgets are being created and major expenditures are being made Beginning and end of each semester when Flex and Institute Days are being actively supported. Expansion of Professional Development opportunities (online workshops, On Course workshops, Travel & Conference Innovation Award webpage/applications, Faculty Classroom Exchange) requires additional planning, implementation, reporting and accountability. |
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| 3 | Professional Development | Personnel | $0.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Maintain Student Assistant Support at 10 hours/week | Since 2016-17, Professional Development has been able to hire a student assistant (Federal Work Study) 10 hours per week. It is essential that Professional Development have a student assistant 10 hours per week to record and track faculty Flex hours in a timely manner. |
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| 4 | Professional Development | Operating Expenses | $6,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Increase Funding for Instructional Skills Workshop | Butte College has recently hired large numbers of full- and part-time faculty, all of whom are encouraged to participate in the intensive, four-day ISW. Although participants pay a $50 fee to participate, the current ISW budget is not adequate to cover facilitators' stipends, associate faculty stipends, food, and supplies costs for the number of faculty who would like to participate in the ISW. Additionally, there is a need to train new ISW facilitators as experienced facilitators step down or move on to other responsibilities. Training for new facilitators is done by experienced ISW facilitator/trainers who have completed extensive training in order to provide the 40-hour training required for new facilitators. |
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| 5 | Professional Development | Operating Expenses | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Increase Funding for Great Teachers Seminar | The Great Teachers Seminar facilitation team has moved the seminar from the Gold Country Casino in Oroville to the Gaia Hotel and Spa in Anderson, a retreat center that is more appropriate for a professional faculty-centered event. Due to recent increases in faculty hiring, the team would like to accept more faculty participants, and the team would also like to have a bit more flexibility with regard to catering. The current Great Teachers budget allows for only the most basic choices in catering, and healthy options such as fresh fruit, for example, are not included. |
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| 6 | Professional Development | Operating Expenses | $3,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Campus Talent Show: Butte's Got Talent! | The 2018 talent show was funded through an IEPI grant for professional development and was coordinated and facilitated by a team of BCLDI graduates. The IEPI grant funds have been expended, yet this year's event was so successful that the facilitation team would like to organize a talent show again in Spring 2019. The proposed budget would cover facilitator stipends for after-hours work, marketing/printing, supplies/props, and catering for the dress rehearsal and event. |
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| 7 | Professional Development | Facilities | $19,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Employee Training Lab Upgrade (Collaboration with User Support Services) | The primary use of the LB 216 lab is by employees. The lab is also used by Professional Development and departments across campus for trainings and meetings. It has also been used for the past two semesters for the Pro-active Registration event organized by Student Success Coordinator Katherine MacKinnon. LB 216 is the only computer lab space on campus reserved for training staff and faculty, and it has not had any updates (hardware or otherwise) in more than eight years. Please refer to the 'Employee Training Lab Justification and Cost Estimate Breakdown' document for background and project details. This is a long-standing augmentation request has been endorsed IT leadership, Professional Development leadership, and academic leadership. |
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| 8 | Professional Development | Operating Expenses | $3,500.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Purchase My Learning Plan Flex Tracking Software (estimate for full-time faculty only) | Flex tracking software My Learning Plan is used by colleges across the state and is available at a 4CSD-negotiated price for 4CSD members of $1500 for set up (vs. $2500) and $12 for each full-time faculty/administrator (Butte College employs approximately 160 full-time faculty) and $8 for each classified staff and associate faculty member. |
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| 9 | Professional Development | Operating Expenses | 11.000.400.1.675000 | 55200 | $30,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Restore Ongoing Travel and Conference Funding | The deletion of ongoing travel and conference funding for the past several years is the most notable reduction of Professional Development support and affects all constituent areas. |
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| 10 | Professional Development | Operating Expenses | 11-000-310-1-678030 | 55630 | $60,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Colleague Consulting and Training | Faculty and staff need training and consulting (6 weeks) in order to improve their ability to use Colleague effectively and efficiently. |
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| 11 | Professional Development | Equipment | $6,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Upgrade Computer Workstation for Classified Coordinator and Student Assistant | Workstations are outdated and in need of upgrade. |
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| 12 | Professional Development | Operating Expenses | $20,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Fund On Course Workshops | Butte College has recently hired large numbers of new full- and part-time faculty, all of whom are encouraged to participate in active, learner-centered On Course training. The cost of the workshop includes the facilitator's fee, all participant materials, and catering during the workshop. |
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| 13 | Professional Development | Facilities | 11.000.400.1.675000 | 56220 | $6,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Add Electrical Outlets in CFE | The CFE needs an electrical upgrade to maximize use of facility. |
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