PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT

PLAN

2019-2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MERCED COLLEGE’S MISSION AND VISION ............................................................................................... 2

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW .............................................................................................. 3

THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM MODEL ........................................................................ 4

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ............................................................................................ 4

STAFF DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY............................................................................. 6

SURVEY RESULTS BY TOPIC ........................................................................................................................... 7

TOP THREE HIGHEST RATED WORKSHOPS BY GROUP .......................................................................... 11

TOP TEN HIGHEST RATED WORKSHOPS OVERALL ................................................................................ 11

WHAT’S PREVENTING PARTICIPATION? .................................................................................................... 12

DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................... 12

NEXT STEPS: 2019-2020 .................................................................................................................................... 13

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MERCED COLLEGE’S MISSION AND VISION

Vision Merced College will provide transformative and empowering educational experiences to meet student and community needs.

Mission

Growing our community through education and workforce training: • lifelong learning • basic skills • career technical education • transfer • degree/certificate programs

Ensuring student success through equitable access, continuous quality improvement, institutional effectiveness, and student achievement.

Core Values Student Success We focus on student access and success.

Supportive Environment We promote an atmosphere of trust where communication and teamwork cultivate a rich environment for teaching and learning.

Proactive We utilize agility, innovation, and responsible risk-taking to create our preferred future.

Partnering We actively engage with the community and community partners to respond to cultural, educational, economic, and technological needs. Diversity We embrace diversity and equity as community strengths and celebrate these qualities in our institution.

Self-Reflection We strive for continuous improvement based on data-driven self-reflection, objective assessment, and dialogue.

Motto "Students are our focus and we are known by their success

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW

Staff development activities should be linked to the mission and values of the college, the Educational

Master Plan, and/or the Strategic Implementation Plan. The ultimate purpose of staff development is

to improve and promote student learning while developing and maintaining an engaged, equipped and

knowledgeable faculty and staff.

What is Professional Development? The term “staff development” often refers generally to an institution’s desire to provide generalized training

to staff (job-related skills), while “professional development” often refers to the institution’s desire to

provide opportunities to enhance the employee’s individual professional training and expertise (career-

related skills). For the purposes of this plan, the District is exercising a combined approach in examining and

supporting both staff and professional development opportunities. Professional development includes a wide

variety of specialized training or formal education within the workplace or through outside organizations

with the intention to supporting administrators, faculty, and classified professionals in improving their

professional knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness.

The goal of the professional development program is to provide resources, training and opportunities that

support the professional development needs of college employees; create a cohesive and supportive

environment that recognizes and celebrates achievement; and improve institutional effectiveness with the

ultimate goal of supporting student success.

Plan Purpose and Parameters This plan is the work product of the Human Resources Council’s Staff Development Committee and is a

living document. The plan is based on a calendar year and contains the annual survey results for each of the

constituency groups. Surveying employees on a calendar or mid-academic year cycle allows the committee

time to gauge program effectiveness and to deliver surveys during the regular faculty work year (increasing

the number of responses). The plan provides guidance to the Staff Development Committee, ensures

transparency to employees at large, and meets the requirements of the Chancellor’s Office Flex Calendar

program and Merced College’s Equal Employment Opportunity Plan.

Flex Program (from http://www.marin.edu/WORD-PPT/Flex_Calendar_Guidelines_04-07.pdf)

The purpose of the flexible calendar program is to provide time for faculty to participate in development

activities that are related to “staff, student, and instructional improvement” (title 5, section 55720). The

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flexible calendar program is a component of the staff development program and the major vehicle for faculty

participation in development activities.

The flexible calendar program allows faculty (full-time, part-time, instructional and non-instructional) the

time to work individually or with groups to achieve improvement in three distinct areas:

• Employee improvement • Student improvement • Instructional improvement

THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM MODEL Any successful model must consider the framework within which professional development occurs. Staff,

program, and organization are all impacted – positively or negatively – by the professional development

programs it has in place.

Our Staff: Need opportunities so they can become more effective in their college role.

Our Programs: Can benefit from activities any systems instituted at the college and departmental level with the result being better service to students.

Our Organization: Benefits from initiatives and systems while providing for the continuous improvement of our college.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE The professional development committee is composed of representatives from faculty, classified

professional, and management groups. The District’s Chief Human Resources Officer serves as the

committee chair and is a permanent member of the committee. Meetings are scheduled monthly and the

notes and agendas are available for public viewing. Below is a list of the professional development

committee functions and goals:

Committee Goal:

1. Develop and improve professional development opportunities for each employee group

Committee Scope:

1. Create longitudinal staff development plan/path for MCCD

2. Members communicate from/to the committee to/from constituency groups

Committee Functions:

1. Facilitate and encourage skill development/training and employee retention.

2. Develop processes for the creation and development of staff training and professional development

opportunities

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3. Identify skills development and cross-training needs and assist in meeting those need

4. Conduct needs assessment surveys to determine training needs and effectiveness

5. Perform regular reviews/evaluations of training activities

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STAFF DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY The survey was open for two weeks in mid-January, 2019. It was made available through an all staff email

invitation.

Survey Topic Areas 1. Understanding employment/onboarding 2. Technology 3. Communication 4. Diversity 5. Personal enrichment 6. Community outreach 7. Safety 8. *Pedagogy was included for faculty members only

Understanding the Results The results are broken down by constituency group. In many cases, one or two groups asked a question that

the other(s) did not ask, and the unasked question results are marked as “N/A” (not applicable). The survey

instrument uniformly employed a five-point scale to gauge interest in each activity: 1- Not Interested to 5 –

Very Interested.

Who Responded to the Survey? N=110

MCCD Association (% of total respondents) Admin/Management (MGR) 17.27% Classified Professional (CP) 34.55% FT Faculty (FAC) 36.36% PT Faculty (FAC) 11.82%

MCCD Years of Service (% of total respondents)

Less than 5 years 26.60% Between 5 and 10 years 20.21% Between 10 and 15 years 21.28% Over 15 years 29.79% Decline to state 2.13%

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MCCD Work Area (% of total respondents) Admin Services 7.45% Instruction 48.94% President’s Office 6.38% Student Services 25.53% Decline to State 11.70%

SURVEY RESULTS BY TOPIC Topic #1 Understanding Employment/Onboarding (5-point scale, gauging level of interest)

Understanding Employment/Onboarding Ratings CP (N: 34)

FAC (N: 45)

MGR (N: 16)

Understanding employee benefits 4.03 3.71 2.50 Understanding performance evaluations 3.53 3.11 3.31 Planning for retirement 4.22 4.04 3.80 Merced College Traditions 2.85 2.70 2.07 Getting to know the College (staff, departments, acronyms, etc.) 3.64 3.00 2.31 Know Your Rights/Union Agreement 3.91 3.58 N/A General Campus Processes (requesting leave, travel, etc.) 3.65 3.11 N/A Understanding tenure/tenure-track process N/A 2.55 2.73 Current regional, statewide initiatives N/A 3.24 3.19 Understanding probationary status N/A N/A 2.75 General Campus processes (requesting leave, travel, policies, etc.) N/A N/A 3.06 Data gathering & Program Review N/A N/A 3.31 Hiring & firing procedures N/A N/A 3.25 Grievance procedure N/A N/A 3.00 Mandated Reporter N/A N/A 2.63 Purchasing procedures N/A N/A 3.00

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Topic #2 Technology (5-point scale, gauging level of interest)

Technology Ratings CP (N: 34)

FAC (N: 45)

MGR (N: 16)

Merced College Portal 3.06 2.73 2.69 Other software/programs specific to job (specify below) 3.21 2.81 2.45

Ellucian/Colleague 3.69 N/A 3.81 Word 3.09 N/A 2.81 Excel 3.38 N/A 3.50 Outlook 3.24 N/A 3.06 Access 3.00 N/A 2.69 Use of phone (transferring calls, etc.) 2.52 N/A 2.44 Canvas N/A 3.49 N/A Microsoft Office Suite (Access, Excel, Outlook, Word) N/A 2.84 N/A

eLumen N/A 3.56 N/A

Topic #3 (5-point scale, gauging level of interest)

Communication Ratings CP (N: 34)

FAC (N: 44)

MGR (N: 16)

Conflict Management Skills 3.68 2.77 3.44 Tips for email/communication 3.18 N/A 2.50 When to use written vs in person communication 3.18 N/A 2.81 How to Be an Effective Team Member 3.52 N/A 3.19 Tips for Making Effective Presentations 3.38 N/A 3.25 Getting Comfortable in Public Speaking Situations 3.29 N/A 2.75

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Topic #4 Diversity (5-point scale, gauging level of interest)

Diversity Ratings CP (N: 34)

FAC (N: 45)

MGR (N: 16)

Cultural competency 3.44 3.25 3.00 Student Mental Health Resources 3.31 3.07 3.31 Student Services 3.21 N/A 2.94 Disabled students, rules and regulations 3.16 N/A 3.25 Disabled students (accessibility, learning) N/A 3.18 N/A Academic Support Centers (ILC, Study Central, Tutoring) N/A 3.09 N/A

Topic #5 Personal Enrichment (5-point scale, gauging level of interest)

Personal Enrichment Ratings CP (N: 34)

FAC (N: 45)

MGR (N: 16)

Stress Management 3.56 3.13 3.38 Time Management 3.47 2.93 3.00 Cooking healthy meals 3.36 3.05 2.81 Gardening 2.91 2.93 2.25 Yoga 3.53 3.04 2.60 Meditation 3.44 3.20 2.44 Health and fitness 3.81 3.56 3.38 Mindfulness and Self-Care 3.69 3.56 2.69 Ergonomics in the Office 3.32 3.26 2.56 “Leading with Strengths”, identifying strengths & how it translates to the workplace 3.53 N/A N/A Financial Literacy 3.65 N/A N/A Preparing to Step Up to a Management Role 3.26 N/A N/A Creative Problem Solving 3.61 N/A N/A Dealing with Difficult Customer/Students 3.50 N/A N/A Goal Setting Techniques 3.38 N/A N/A Arts and Crafts 2.97 N/A N/A

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Topic #6 Community Outreach (5-point scale, gauging level of interest)

Community Outreach Ratings CP (N: 34)

FAC (N: 45)

MGR (N: 16)

Giving Back to the Community 3.24 3.36 2.94 Community Partnerships 3.15 3.62 3.19 Grant writing 2.75 3.00 2.44 Topic #7 Safety (5-point scale, gauging level of interest)

Safety Ratings CP (N: 34)

FAC (N: 45)

MGR (N: 16)

Active Shooter Training 3.44 3.02 3.19 Emergency Procedures on Campus 3.91 3.20 3.75 Emergency Procedures for your department/building 4.09 3.29 3.75 First Aid/CPR 3.76 3.41 3.56 Workplace violence 3.59 3.02 3.50 Topic #8 (5-point scale, gauging level of interest)

Pedagogy Ratings FAC (N: 45)

Technology in the classroom 3.58 Learning modalities 3.36 Working with special student groups (veterans, DSPS, etc.) 3.44 Classroom and course management 3.27 Optimizing learning resources 3.66 Maximizing Canvas 3.52 Addressing the Achievement Gap 3.23 Research in the classroom: Methodology and Requirements 3.16 Effective distance learning practices 3.30 Library research partnerships 2.91 Mentoring 2.84

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TOP THREE HIGHEST RATED WORKSHOPS BY GROUP

TOP TEN HIGHEST RATED WORKSHOPS OVERALL (Ranked in Order to Overall Interest)

1. Planning for Retirement

2. Emergency Procedures

3. Understanding Employee Benefits

4. Know Your Rights/Union Agreement

5. Health and Fitness

6. Ellucian/Colleague

7. First Aid/CPR

8. Mindfulness and Self-Care

9. Conflict Management Skills

10. Optimizing Learning Resources

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WHAT’S PREVENTING PARTICIPATION? Respondents to the survey were queried about why they may not participate in professional development

activities currently offered. They responded as follows:

Reasons Ratings (N: 87)

Poor timing/scheduling 60.92% Release from work/supervisor approval 12.64% Lack of relevant offerings 57.47% Funding 11.49% Lack of communication 12.64% Unfamiliar with registration or accessing 8.05%

DATA ANALYSIS For each of the groups, at least two of the three top interests fall into the category of staff development

versus professional development; that is to say that at least two of the three top areas of interest (all three for

classified professionals) relate more to how to be an employee at the college than they do how to better

perform one’s particular job. The cross-employee group interest in Planning for Retirement, Employee

Benefits, and Emergency Procedures points, in part, to a dearth in onboarding information and ongoing

offerings in each area. That dearth can, in part, be resolved through a robust and accessible website presence,

regular inter-campus communication, and developing an onboarding process that accounts for this

information (discussed in more detail in the next section of this report). Additionally, there is an evident need

for ongoing training/workshops in these areas.

The data on what issues are preventing full/fuller participation in professional development activities point to

a need 1) to schedule activities throughout the academic year and at various times to accommodate for

employee schedules, and 2) to create offerings that address the kinds of training that employees are seeking

at that time (or “just in time” training) to ensure relevancy. This plan is meant to address the relevancy

question on an annual basis through employee surveys and a review of employee feedback on workshops

they attended in the previous year.

The lack of response from part-time faculty, the District’s largest employee group by headcount,

demonstrates the necessity for further outreach and inclusion of part-time faculty in professional

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development matters, including onboarding, invitations to workshops, and access to online training

platforms.

NEXT STEPS: 2019-2020 The Staff Development Committee will focus on three areas:

1) The Ten Highest Rated Areas of Interest identified by employees through the survey data

2) Career development for employees

3) Engaging part-time faculty

Career Development

The Staff Development Committee identified a gap in interest in career development. The committee

supports addressing the needs of the whole employee: both job skill and career development. Career

development opportunities are key to employee engagement.

Engaging PT Faculty

The Staff Development Committee is aware that conflicting work schedules of part-time faculty make it

difficult to access ongoing professional development. The committee will encourage the offering of

opportunities at various times/days in addition to developing online trainings. In partnership, Academic

Deans and Human Resources are planning career development opportunities for part-time faculty to learn

more about the college and full-time employment opportunities, applying for positions within the college,

and the importance of being involved in the college community.

Resources

Staff support of professional development would help propel the District into a new era. The District does

provide support of the Flex program through release time for the coordinator(s); however, staff support has

been limited to short-term employees paid with categorical funds.

The District lacks a web presence for professional development as well as for some of the areas of interest

where employees can either find training opportunities or access information directly.

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Assignments for Areas of Interest

Responsible Party Area of Interest

Human Resources

Planning for Retirement

Understanding Employee Benefits

Know Your Rights/Union Agreement

Conflict Management Skills

Risk Management Emergency Procedures

First Aid/CPR

Wellness Taskforce Health and Fitness

Mindfulness and Self-Care

ITS Ellucian/Colleague

Library, Academic Deans, ITS, Student Services

Optimizing Learning Resources

2019-2020PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

M E R C E D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E D I S T R I C T