Running Head: COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

Community College Faculty Professional Development

Sarah Smurr
Graduate Course EDCC 640
Ball State University

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Research Question: What institutional strategies are community colleges employing to better
develop their existing faculty both personally and professionally as educators?
Background and question development
There are many hot topics in higher education nowadays, especially pertaining to
community colleges. Many of these topics attempt to address improving education thereby
improving student achievement. There is strong research support that the most important factor
in student success across all applications is the quality of a teacher (Darling-Hammond, 2002;
Smith & Gillespie 2007). In the community college sphere, this is especially pertinent since the
diversity of needs is so acute. Definitions of what makes a quality teacher are a contentious
subject and not the focus of this paper. Instead, a more urgent question is about teacher
preparation. Before evaluating quality or effectiveness, it makes sense to better understand how
educators are prepared, particularly for populations in community colleges.
The first step is establishing what the current landscape is for teacher preparation at the
community college level. From initial research, it seems clear to be lacking in general. As is
well-documented in the literature, the general nature of community college instructors is a high
turn-over population often looking to move to four-year institutions and includes a large number
of part-time adjuncts frequently comprised of high school teachers, retirees and/or transitioning
field professionals (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker, 2014). Therefore, there are three main sources of
preparation: experience, teacher education.
Experience refers to both professional experience and subject specialization through an
advanced degree (MA or PhD). These are generally people who have never had any overt
teacher training but have become experts or semi-experts in their fields. Higher education is
often the predominant source of subject knowledge. Experience means on the job skills often

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

related to fields like business, technology, or manual skills. Implied is a lack of teacher training.
Therefore, these instructors must learn on the job while already in teaching roles, including
professional development. They come into teaching with a lot of content and industry
knowledge but very little pedagogy or andragogy, if any.
Teacher education refers to instructors who have had teacher training in some
professional capacity. This might include as little as one course while pursuing a higher
education degree or as supplemental training, a short-term certification, and/or a formal longterm program. These instructors rely on traditional instruction in teaching pedagogy to inform
their practice. They may even have student teaching experience or receive mentoring. The
instruction would be more formalized and theoretically based and considered an important
skillset to at least some degree along with content knowledge.
The larger context adds to the disconnect. Teachers in higher education are usually
solitary with a great deal of autonomy and very little critical input about delivery methods. But
now colleges are becoming much more data and results driven, so there is now much more
scrutiny responding to community calls for accountability (McHenry, Martin, Castaldo, &
Ziegenfuss, 2009). The result is an increase in research as well as institutional emphasis on best
teaching practices to try to influence faculty performance and impact. There are a lot of different
individual efforts being made without yet arriving at a consensus. Some of those interventions
have included involving students in course design and implementation (McHenry, Martin,
Castaldo, & Ziegenfuss, 2009), immersing student teachers into community-based cross-cultural
experiences to dispel misconceptions about race (Sleeter, 2001), and integrating more problem
based learning by combining academic work with occupational education tracks (Perin, 2000).

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This background just demonstrates the recognized need in community colleges to find the best
way to prepare faculty to meet the demands of at-risk populations.
In the course of this exploration, there was one trend that stood out. In community
college strategic plans, there is now almost always a line item committed to faculty development.
For example, a place to begin as far as excellence is the Aspen Prize for Community College
Excellence. The winner, finalists with distinction (2), and rising star are listed in order in Table
1. The table also includes the line item describing their focus on faculty professional
development in their strategic plans.
Table 1.
Institution
Santa Fe College
Lake Area Technical Institute
Kentucky Community and Technical College
Kennedy-King College

Strategic Plan Line Item

Provide targeted professional development for
faculty and staff.
Improving teaching methods to better connect
with the targeted community./ Giving the
instructors time to make these changes.
Advance excellence and innovation in
teaching, learning and service
None

Clearly there is a huge disconnect between recognizing the need to develop the fundamental tool
of faculty excellence and concrete plans about how to do that.
However, there are a few exceptions, which are the focus of the rest of my research. I
could only find six community colleges who have made specific, institutional strategic plans for
faculty professional development specifically: Fresno City College, New River Community
College, Hudson Valley Community College, City College of San Francisco, McHenry County
College, and Danville Community College. There may be others that are not searchable online,
but this seems to be the extent of comprehensive targeted planning for this purpose. These

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

colleges seem to recognize that an objective without method is not very useful. Within those
plans, several themes emerged.
Analysis of Six Faculty Professional Development Strategic Plans
First was an emphasis on structure. Notably absent in generalized strategic plans is any
concrete determination of what faculty development will specifically entail, how it will be
accomplished, and what its parameters are. These plans provide answers to those questions.
They are detailed, organized, and comprehensive. Doing a plan puts commitment by the college
into action. They are formalizing their intentions and making them overt rather than implied. So
many institutions say they will support faculty professional development, but a strategic plan
conveys how. The weight of a formal document like this really lends credibility to what an
institution says. And that credibility means there will be follow-up so it really happens rather
than just lip service. In fact, most of the plans actually mention
The next significant piece of a strategic plan is a definition of professional development.
For example, McHenrys (2015) plan says, The term professional development is defined as
opportunities for personal enrichment, renewal, growth, change and continuous improvement for
all individuals employed within the College in ways that fulfill the mission, vision and goals of
the institution (p. 6). This is pretty typical of definitions seen in the other plans as well. They
entail as sense of who is included (everyone), what is included (activities) and why it is valued
(usually more of a focus on college goals). However, the definitions vary sometimes in focusing
more on individual or philosophical values. New Rivers (2006) plan defines professional
development as a systematic process of renewal for individuals which ultimately creates an
environment for learning and growth for students, for educators, for staff and for colleges.
Professional development is a philosophical approach, not an event (p. 1). This kind of

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

definition extends the meaning to be more inclusive. The purpose is to develop an overall
culture of learning that includes faculty and staff rather than singling them out as somehow
different from the institution of learning they are a part of. Finally, some definitions are caveats
for larger systemic change. Fresno City Colleges (2014) plan says, Professional development
planning represents a way to address institutional and individual concerns responsively while
retaining the flexibility to innovate and collaborate regarding the future directions of the college
(p. 3-4). This is a more open-ended definition unconstrained by fads in education and more
reflective of a traditional commitment by community colleges to be responsive to the needs of its
constituents, including faculty. It is important for this theme to look closely at the wording of the
definitions because they become so foundational in other aspects of the strategic plan later.
Other pieces are clearly rooted in the understanding of purpose and use delineated in the
definition.
The next logical articulation the plans all include is categories for professional
development. They sometimes word them a bit differently, but they basically all mention
discipline/content, instruction, career, and organization. Another way of looking at it is
developing what they know, how they teach, their futures and knowledge about where they work.
This seems fairly common sense and typical of other industries as well. Although not universal,
a few other subjects often arise as well. Technology, diversity, and leadership are also very
common. Diversity can be even more specified into basic skills, mental health, and sexual
assault. This seems to reflect the specific concerns of topics important to the institution or
community. This became especially apparent with leadership. The two schools that mentioned
this also described an awareness of impending shortages in administrative professionals. They
described a near future of retirements and a need to fill. That may have spurred on their decision

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

to emphasize professional development so much. But I think it is more a reflection of their

vision and proactiveness. This topic will certainly be more prevalent in the next ten years. That
they are getting ahead of it is a testimony to the kind of organization they are.
The next significant correlation is differentiation of staff. Within each plan is an
acknowledgement that different professional classifications have different needs. City College
of San Francisco (2015) categorizes them as (1) Faculty (inclusive of department chairs and
adjunct faculty), (2) Classified staff, and 3) Administrators. Again this is very typical. The
excellence of the plans is they go into minute detail about how each of these categories is
different. Again, it proves credibility of an inclusive philosophy. Clearly they mean it. And
employees would indeed feel included as a result.
The next two go together: needs assessment and evaluation. One of the overarching
patterns is including feedback from employees. Just like with good teaching, you have to ask
where they are first before moving forward. Then after taking action, you have to provide an
opportunity for reflection and feedback. That is how learning happens. And that is also how
professional learning happens. There is a sense of meeting people where they are, listening to
them, supporting them, and then listening to them again. Hudson (2004) puts it best in their plan
saying, Assessment of professional development activities is a necessary feature that ensures
existing programs and practices are meeting the goals and objectives of the faculty development
plan (15). The whole point of development is to fill in gaps. Sometimes the first effort is
successful, but sometimes it is not. If they do not ask, they will not know.
Another theme is accountability. It is not enough for an institution to provide the
resources and opportunities if they are not being used. The faculty must use them. Otherwise it
is such a waste of resources. To account for this issue, the plans incentivize participation in

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

various ways. One of those ways is implementing individual development plans that employees
have to fill out annually. They are not told how to develop. They are, however, expected to
participate in naming their goals and taking initiative to work towards those goals. This allows
for self-selection and individualization, which is important for andragogy. Adults do not want to
be told what to do. They know what they are interested in and want the freedom to invest in
something that is meaningful to them. That is well and good as long as they do it. Otherwise,
there is a large outlay of money and time being wasted. Additionally, this is deemed as
beneficial to the universitys overall progress towards their goals. So it is not just an individual
who is not making progress. It is the university itself.
Finally, they share the theme of creating an overall environment of learning. This goes
back to the initial definition. The entire learning community is meant to benefit. There is shared
learning between colleagues, from faculty to staff and students, from administrator to
administrator and every combination possible. Danville (2015) says, In addition, professional
development encompasses all factors related to the revitalization and enhancement of our
professional abilities--individually, collectively, and institutionally (p. 2). The point is
investment in this plan will yield a lot more dividends than simply better developing their
faculty. There is strategy behind it. There is a holistic vision beyond the immediate or shortterm. And those benefits might even spread beyond the institution itself if other institutions took
a similar approach.
Conclusions
This research project taught me a lot about community colleges, but it taught me even
more about research. I have never actually written a thesis before, and this would be my second

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

masters degree. I understand what it takes conceptually, but now I feel like I know what it takes
productively.
I had to do a lot of thinking. I read a lot of other peoples ideas first and analyzed a great
deal of information. There is the theory that the subconscious does a lot of work without our
knowledge. That is what it was like for me. I would put away my thinking for awhile, but it was
still happening behind the scenes. I was making connections and sifting through all of the
content. Then suddenly I would have some clarity.
I also had to do a lot of tossing out. There is just so much information. That is one area
that has to be weaned away. But more than that, I would find myself following thoughts in many
directions. They might have been promising too. But I had to consciously tell myself I did not
have time or it was too big for the kind of work I was doing. This was especially true when I
found articles that I thought were one thing but turned out to be something else. I was so
interested in where the person took me. I wanted to go with them sometimes. Instead, I had to
focus and consolidate.
I also realized I am very capable of doing this kind of work. There is a kind of mystique
related to academic research. It is kind of a holy grail of thought. I knew I could do it
realistically, but it always seemed like Mount Everest; people could technically do that too but
how many ever do? I do not know if I ever will get a PhD. I do know it does not seem as
daunting as it once did. I believe in myself in a new way and in the process of research as well.
I trust both.

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10

References
City colleges of Chicago Kennedy-King 5-year strategic plan 2014 - 2018. (2014)
College professional development plan for 2015 2016. (2015). City College of San Francisco.
Retrieved from https://www.ccsf.edu/dam/Organizational_Assets/Department/erpd/prodev/Committee/College_Professional_Development_Plan_9-10-15.pdf
Cohen, A. M., Brawer, F. B. & Kisker, C. B. (2014). The American community college (6th ed.).
San Fancisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Danville Community College 2015 2016 professional development plan. (2015). Danville
Community College. Retrieved from
https://www.dcc.vccs.edu/Documents/PROFDEVFORM.pdf
Darling-Hammond, L., & Youngs, Peter. (2002). Defining highly qualified teachers: What
does scientifically-based research actually tell us? Educational Researcher, 31(9), 1325.
Fresno City College 2014 2017 professional development plan. (2014). Fresno City College.
Retrieved from file:///Users/ssmurr/Downloads/FCC%202014-2017%20Professional
%20Development%20Plan%20(1).pdf
Guiding faculty to teaching and leading effectiveness: Faculty development strategic plan.
(2004). Hudson Valley Community College. Retrieved from
http://www.hvcc.edu/cet/profdevelopment/strategicplan.pdf
KCTCS strategic plan. (2010). Kentucky Community and Technical College. Retrieved from
https://www.kctcs.edu/~/media/System_Office/About/Strategic20Plan20PamphletREV.as
hx
McHenry County College professional development strategic plan 2015 2018. (2015).

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McHenry County College. Retrieved from

http://www.mchenry.edu/excellence/professionaldevelopmentstrategicplan.pdf
McHenry, N., Martin, A, Castaldo, A, & Ziegenfuss, D. (2009). Learning assistants program:
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Online instruction initiative: Lake Area Technical Institute. (2012). Higher Learning
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Perin, D. (2000). Curriculum and pedagogy to integrate occupational and academic instruction
in the community college: Implications for faculty development (CCRC Brief Number 8).
Retrieved from http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/occupational-academic-facultydevelopment.html
Sleeter, C. E. (2001). Preparing teachers for culturally divers schools: Research and the
overwhelming presence of whiteness. Journal of Teacher Education, 52(2), 94-106.
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Strategic Plan 2014 2019. (2014). Santa Fe College. Retrieved from
http://www.sfcollege.edu/ie/index.php?section=strategic_plan