3P3 Development

• Providing and supporting regular professional development for all employees (3.C.4, 5.A.4)
• Ensuring that instructors are current in instructional content in their disciplines and pedagogical processes (3.C.4)
• Supporting student support staff members to increase their skills and knowledge in their areas of expertise (e.g. advising, financial aid, etc.) (3.C.6)
• Aligning employee professional development activities with institutional objectives
• Tracking outcomes/measures utilizing appropriate tools

Providing and Supporting Regular Professional Development for All Employees (3.C.4, 5.A.4)

While Southeast Tech’s overall mission of educating for employment has remained consistent for nearly 50 years, the process of meeting that mission has changed significantly. From how we teach to how we provide student services to how we communicate with stakeholders, the world of educating for employment has changed dramatically. This change requires the Institute to continuously respond accordingly by providing the training and professional development necessary to meet the ever-changing world of education.

Training dollars, however, are limited; therefore, proper planning is key and requires the collection of and careful review of training and development needs. Southeast Tech therefore relies on the input of its stakeholders to determine these needs:

CAPTURE

External Stakeholder Input

While most external stakeholders do not directly request that the Institute provide training or development of employees, their input through program Advisory Committees, Council and Board representation, vendor relationships, strategic planning, responses to Institutional or employment surveys, or through informal conversations with Institutional employees, provides important information regarding the direction Institutional training and development should take.

This input is gathered through the following methods:

• Strategic Planning:  During the Strategic Planning development process (4P1), external stakeholders are given various opportunities to provide input to the plan, including recommendations for training and development, which is then documented as part of the planning process.
• Advisory Committee meetings:  During the two annually required program Advisory Committee meetings, external members of the committee have the opportunity to share with program faculty the various industry changes that may require continued faculty and staff education.  These meetings are also attended by Southeast Tech administration, assuring that the training or development need is communicated to the supervisory level as well.  Information is documented in Advisory Committee minutes (1P1).
• Southeast Tech Council and Governing Board:  Regular meetings of the Council and Board provide opportunities for input on training or development needs from these governing boards.  Additionally, both of these groups are involved in the Annual Planning process, allowing for direct input into training dollars and training and development planning (4P2).  This information is gathered directly by Southeast Tech administration and is documented in the Council and Board minutes.
• Vendor Relationships:  Southeast Tech relies significantly on the input of its vendor relationships to determine both type and scope of Institutional training and development needs.  Whether implementing a new product or improving the utilization of current products, Southeast Tech’s close relationship with its vendors provides the Institute with expertise that the Institute could not otherwise afford.  Therefore, the Institute frequently reaches out to these vendors for suggestions and assistance in training employees. Training and development recommendations are gathered and documented by the department involved in the vendor discussion.  If this does not include the department supervisor, the information is passed on to the supervisor by the employees involved (5P3). 
• Surveys:  Southeast Tech surveys employers of our graduates every other year (the survey includes the past two years of graduates).  The survey includes an opportunity for employers to suggest what training or development is necessary for Southeast Tech students, which can then lead to determining training needs for employees.  Additionally, the survey asks employers to rate Southeast Tech’s services and provides an opportunity for employer comment and recommendations for improvements.  
• Conversations: Not all input from external stakeholders occurs through formal processes.  Informal conversations occur regularly, and during these conversations, training and development needs may be discussed.  Employees then share these conversations with the appropriate sources, whether it is the Inservice Committee, a direct supervisor, or an individual in another department.

Internal Stakeholder Input

Southeast Tech’s internal stakeholders provide training and development input through a variety of processes and communication systems.  These methods help assure that Southeast Tech does not miss a training or development need.  Although it is not possible to list all the input methods, here are several key inputs:                                      

• Inservice Committee:  Employees can provide input directly to the Inservice Committee, which is the main campus committee for faculty training and development, through emails to committee members or by completing campus training and development surveys.  Although this training is generally specific to faculty needs, staff are invited to provide input to the Inservice Committee and attend training sessions as well.  
• Evaluations - Faculty:  During faculty evaluations, individual faculty members meet with their supervisor to review job performance.  As part of the evaluation cycle, the supervisor and the faculty member formally discuss professional development needs.  This information is documented as part of the evaluation itself (3P2).  
• Evaluations – Staff:  While staff annual evaluations differ in format to that of faculty, the process provides an opportunity to discuss training and development needs.  As part of the evaluation process itself, the staff member and administrator are prompted to discuss and document on the evaluation form future professional development goals (3P2).

Department and Program Team Meetings Input

• Budget Development:  Employees participate in the budget development cycle and provide input on training and development to assure that appropriate funds are considered as part of the Annual Planning process (4P2).  
• Committees and Teams:  Southeast Tech relies heavily on its employee teams and committees to gather training and development input.  Every committee has the responsibility to provide this information to administration for consideration.  These requests are documented in team/committee minutes and are shared with the appropriate administrator either through written requests such as email, or in direct communications.  In many instances, an administrator is a part of the team/committee and carries the message directly to the administrative team.   

DEVELOP

Educational funding is always limited; therefore, training budgets are tight and do not always allow for the Institute to tackle all training and development needs within a given budgeting cycle.  In order to assure that appropriate training priorities are established, a plan and rationale for requested training needs is developed.  In many cases, these training needs can be provided through established department and program training budgets, and therefore only require rationale at the department or program level.  In other cases, where additional training funds are needed or training and development are at the Institutional level, a more formal plan and rationale is required.

DECIDE

Final decisions on training and professional development may take place at several levels, but are all part of the Annual Planning process (4P2).

Department and Program Training:  As each department and program area develops its budget for the upcoming year, employees have the opportunity to address and allocate funds for future training and development.  The decision to use the funds is determined by the area’s employees and the immediate supervisor (5.A.4).

Inservice Training: An Inservice Committee, made up of faculty and administration, determines the use of allocated inservice training and development funds to be used during Inservice Days.  All employees are invited to attend those training sessions that are applicable to their positions (3.C.4).

New Initiative Training:  When Southeast Tech develops a new initiative, the Institute determines what training and development is required to guarantee a successful implementation.  This occurs as part of the new initiative planning process.  Those active in the implementation of the new initiative determine training and development needs and request the necessary resources during budget discussions (5.A.4). 

Established Annual Training:  Southeast Tech has made the commitment to continually fund specific training opportunities.  Currently, the Institute has allocated annual funding in the following areas:

• New Faculty Training:  Southeast Tech’s FAC 100 course provides five full days of new faculty training prior to the faculty member teaching a first semester.  The course covers Learning Management System details, internal website, first days/weeks of the semester, etc.  A second course, FAC 102, is required during the following year and covers methodology in more depth (3P2) (3.C.4).  
• New Faculty Mentoring:  New faculty also take a one year MENTR 100, which is a mentoring experience with a professional peer mentor to cover topics including evaluations, student advising, recruitment, retention, forms, student behavior and other issues, and a continuation of the information presented in FAC 100.  During the second year of teaching, new faculty take MENTR 200, which continues their mentoring and covers how to effectively deliver post-secondary technical education in the 21st century.  MENTR 200 is provided as an online mentoring course (3P2) (3.C.4).
• New Staff Training and Mentoring:  Currently, new staff training is completed by the immediate supervisor and HR, and effectiveness varies by department.  Southeast Tech is implementing a better process for initial staff training and mentoring (3P2) (5.A.4).
• Online Learning:  All faculty are invited to take FAC 103, which covers best practices in hybrid and online learning.  This course is offered in the summer and is required of all faculty wanting to teach hybrid or online courses (3.C.4).
• Specialty Courses:  Throughout the year, and especially in the summer, academics offers courses designed specifically to meet the ever-changing needs of technical education.  While the topics and formats of these courses may change based on the various inputs, funding has already been established for the continuation of these offerings (3.C.4).  
• Annual Conferences:  Because of the knowledge gained by the Institute, Southeast Tech has made a commitment to have employees attend specific annual conferences, including the Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference and the Jenzabar Annual Meeting (administrative software system) (3.C.4) (5.A.4).  
• Monthly Employee Meetings:  Training is provided on various issues to all employees as part of the Institute’s monthly meetings, including sexual assault, policy, and campus safety training (3.C.4) (5.A.4). 
• Monthly Building Meetings:  Faculty meet with their immediate supervisor for monthly building meetings, which includes training on specific academic or student issues (3.C.4) (5.A.4).
• Department Meetings:  Department meetings are held with the immediate supervisor on a monthly if not weekly basis, and staff discuss department needs as well as receive training on specific department-related issues (5.A.4). 

Final training and development allocations are determined by the Administrative Team based on the strategic plan and available resources during the Annual Planning process and are then approved by the Council and Board (4P2).

DEPLOY

Once training and funding have been approved, deployment takes place based on the specific training area and department or team associated with the training purpose.  This occurs at the program, department, team, committee or Institutional level.  

PUBLISH AND COMMUNICATE​

Because faculty training and professional development are vital to faculty continued state credentialing, all training and professional development is documented by the Credentialing Committee.  Staff training associated with goal-setting within the evaluation process is documented in the following year’s outcome evaluation (3P2).  Team and committee training are documented within team or committee minutes, and training and professional development is shared with Advisory committees when appropriate.  Southeast Tech also recognizes individuals and their training and professional development during Monthly Meetings. Finally, training that is part of a specific target or goal, either at the Institutional, program/department or committee/team level is documented in the Planning and Assessments database.

REFLECT

Reflection occurs within the area associated with the training or professional development and may be documented in appropriate minutes.   

Ensuring That Instructors Are Current in Instructional Content in Their Disciplines and Pedagogical Processes (3.C.4)

Southeast Tech uses the process just described to assure that it provides faculty training and professional development funding, both at the program and Institutional levels, to assure faculty remain current in their disciplines and pedagogy.  As a technical institute, it is Southeast Tech’s priority to assure that faculty remain current in industry standards.  Therefore, the Institute uses is Advisory committees to inform faculty and administration of training needs and current and future expectations of industry requirements.  This information is then discussed during program Annual Planning meetings and included in budget requests for the coming year (4P2).  The Institute encourages all types of training, including industry-related professional development, industry conferences, trade shows, advanced degrees, etc.  It is up to faculty and their immediate supervisor to assure that proper training and professional development is provided.  The use of the Institute’s internal onboarding and new and continuing faculty training help the Institute assure that faculty are trained on the pedagogical processes used by the Institute.  Southeast Tech also provides opportunities for faculty to be mentors and team or committee leaders.  Faculty professional development activities are recorded and monitored by the Institute’s Credentialing Committee (3P2), and designated inservice days provide additional opportunities for continued development (3.C.4).

Supporting Student Support Staff Members to Increase Their Skills and Knowledge in Their Areas of Expertise (3.C.6)

Similar to faculty, Southeast Tech provides staff training and professional development funding both at the department level and Institutionally.  During the Annual Planning process, staff members work with their immediate supervisor to determine training and professional development needs (4P2).  Individual professional development goals are set during annual evaluations.  These goals must be directly related to the mission and strategic goals of the Institute and frequently are developed to improve the knowledge and expertise of the staff member to perform their job responsibilities or develop new knowledge bases.  These needs are then incorporated into departmental budgets (5P3).  The Institute encourages all types of staff training, including administrative software applications, role-associated regional and national conferences, advanced degrees, webinars, etc.  Staff members and their immediate supervisor work together to assure that the proper training and professional development are provided, and the Institute is developing a stronger onboarding process that will improve staff skills and knowledge upon hire.  Staff are also given opportunities to become team and committee leaders.  Training and professional development may be recorded as part of the evaluation process or within area minutes (3.C.6).

Aligning Employee Professional Development Activities with Institutional Objectives

Southeast Tech’s evaluation process (3P2) and Annual Planning process (4P2) are used to assure alignment of employee professional development with the Institute’s objectives.

Evaluation Process:  As the employee and immediate supervisor develop annual employee goals, the process requires that all goals, including employee training and professional development, be directly aligned with the Institute’s strategic plan or mission.  It is the responsibility of the immediate supervisor to assure this alignment occurs.  The training/professional development, however, is frequently a part of a larger Institutional goal or target; therefore, the training/development is frequently associated with a goal or target that has been incorporated directly into Institutional Annual Planning (4P2).  

Annual Planning Process:  As the Institute develops its annual plan, meetings are held at the department, program and committee/team levels to determine training/professional development needs.  These needs are then incorporated into budget requests (4P2), which are then incorporated into the Institute’s annual plan.  Annual planning is approved by the Administrative Team, Council and Board, assuring that training and professional development activities are aligned with Institutional objectives.

Tracking Outcomes/Measures Utilizing Appropriate Tools

Southeast Tech’s current tracks its results for assisting and supporting professional development through the Noel-Levitz College Employee Satisfaction Survey (CESS) for:

• Adequate Professional Development Opportunities
• Adequate Training Opportunities