In-Service Training

            One issue facing community college faculty is in-service training.  Many colleges have developed elaborate, continuing professional development activities and nearly all have some sort of new faculty orientation program.  I think this is beneficial for the faculty and that every CC should work towards having this.  Perhaps having a new graduate instruct a training session occasionally would be helpful. I believe that they could provide present-day information that would benefit CC faculty or staff.  The new graduate should be able to provide up-to-date information about students, teaching methods, trends, etc.  This is my second at LRU and I have learned valuable information that helps enhance what I currently do on my job.  I see instructors as valuable employees of the CC because I think they help add strength and value to the students served.  Bottom-line they are the foundation of the students CC experience.  New staff members bring in fresh and innovative methods, but they may lack the experience of working with adult learners.  Should an instructor decide to be lifelong learners at the start of their careers?  I think so because new students arrive on our college campuses every year.  They are coming with up-to-date skills in technology and with fresh ideas.  If a CC lacked in-service training for their faculty, would they become stale and unproductive in the classroom?

The Changing Profession

Professors today are facing a growing array of changing roles and responsibilities that will require them to engage in ongoing professional growth. Faculty developers in our study described faculty members as being in the midst of transformational changes to their traditional roles and tasks, and identified several fundamental challenges facing faculty and their campuses.

Successful Community College Professional Development Models

         Professional Day, a faculty-run and attended event offered once in the spring of each year, is another venue for professional development for faculty and professional staff.  

Cohen, A., & Brawer, F. (2008). The American community college (5th ed.). San Francisco:         Jossey-Bass.

Faculty Development: The Challenge Going Forward. (2007, October 2). Retrieved February 8,   2015, from http://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/faculty-development-           challenge-going-forward

Faculty Development: The Challenge Going Forward. (2007, October 2). Retrieved February 8,   2015, from http://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/faculty-development-           challenge-going-forward