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Because of the many faculty development opportunities available, Maricopa is the ideal place to plan a rich and varied teaching career. However, amid the day to day rush of papers, students, work, and family, it is hard to take the time to create a thorough career development plan. Nevertheless, it is important for faculty to think about what they would like to learn, to explore, to experience, to experiment with over the course of their life, especially in their role as a faculty member and teacher. Fortunately, the Maricopa Community Colleges offer wonderful incentives for faculty to continue to learn and grow throughout their tenure in Maricopa.
Each college has a unique and individual focus on faculty development, working to create programs and learning opportunities for its faculty's special interests and needs. For example, Paradise Valley Community College offers two "learning weeks," when employees facilitate learning sessions in areas such as student retention, the underprepared student, college-wide assessment, and hands-on technology. Rio Salado College offers "Tools for Improvement" workshops on best practices for assessing and improving teaching and learning for reading, writing, and problem solving. Phoenix College works closely with the Learning Technologies Department to provide faculty a wide variety of hands-on instructional technology.
In addition to the many opportunities available to faculty at their own colleges, the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction offers a broad range of professional development activities throughout the year, including Dialogue Days, Learnshops, Learning Grants, Faculty Convocation, videoconferences, and the Maricopa Institute for Learning. This year's most successful events included visits to Maricopa by Dr. Richard Paul, Director of the Foundation for Critical Thinking; Drs. Milton and Janet Bennett, Directors of the Intercultural Communication Institute; and Dr. Janice Denton, Professor of Chemistry and Chair of the Academic Assessment Committee at the University of Cincinnati, Raymond Walters College. To accommodate as many faculty as possible, the mcli has offered events both centrally and at various colleges. When applicable, the mcli has tried to provide incentives through Faculty Professional Growth (FPG) for faculty to participate and receive faculty professional growth non-academic advancement credit.
As early as 1972, the Maricopa Governing Board recognized the value of providing incentives for continuing professional development for faculty. The District's FPG programs provide incentives for faculty to attend development activities both inside and outside of Maricopa. This year the FPG website became active. Even with this information now available 24/7, it can be challenging to understand the many programs that are available. The FPG programs include:
Salary Advancement
Salary Advancement is achieved by moving horizontally on the Maricopa District salary schedule incrementally by credit hours. Traditional academic courses are calculated in credit hours while non-academic hours are calculated in clock hours and are equated to credit hours. These equations vary by category and are explained here.
- Advancement for Academic Course Work
Salary advancements for completion of graduate and, under certain conditions, undergraduate coursework reward faculty for continuing to learn and advance their knowledge in their teaching field. If a faculty member takes a course in an area relevant to his/her teaching responsibilities, the course will be reviewed, and, if approved, the class will be recorded on his/her personnel record, which will translate into a salary increase at the current rate of $123.48 per credit hour. For example, completion of a three credit class will mean an additional $370.44 to his/her yearly salary.
- Advancement for Non-Academic Work
Salary Advancement for non-academic work includes participation in external (sponsored outside of Maricopa) or internal (sponsored within Maricopa) clinics, conferences, workshops, or seminars. Faculty may also be recognized for work experience, travel experience, and other professional activities related to their teaching. Non-academic work is calculated in clock hours that are equated to credit hours. How many clock hours equal one credit varies depending on the type of event as explained on the next page.
- Workshops, Clinics, Conferences, and Seminars
Faculty may attend a national association conference, a technical clinic, or a training workshop that affords them the latest, up-to-date information about their subject area. Guidelines for how to apply and to verify time spent in the activity are provided on the FPG web site. The hours of conference, clinics, etc. are credited at the rate of 18 clock hours for 1 credit hour of salary advancement.
- Work Experience
Work experience which provides practical training in a faculty member's teaching field can be used for salary advancement. For example, a nursing faculty working in trauma and triage in a local hospital can receive one credit hour for every 35 clock hours of work experience. Faculty may volunteer for their work experience activities as they are being trained by supervisors in the field.
- Travel Experience
Faculty can grow professionally while traveling the world to experience their subject matter first-hand. For example, by traveling to India, World Religion instructors can experience first-hand Indian culture and explore religious shrines and rituals to enrich their classroom teaching and their students' learning. Travel experience is credited at the rate of 10 consecutive travel days for one credit hour.
- Other Professional Activity
Not all development opportunities fit into the previously mentioned categories, so there is also Other Professional Activity. For example, a faculty member might serve on a national or state commission, publish a significant report, or write a book. In the application, faculty must describe the activity and their subsequent professional growth for hours to be awarded in this category. This activity is calculated at the rate of 35 clock hours for one credit hour, with a maximum of 6 credit hours given for any single application.
Fees
The registration fees program is administered by the FPG Committee, which is made up of representatives from each of the colleges. These fees pay the registration for faculty to attend a national association conference or a subject specific clinic or workshop. In addition, faculty with an MA +75 hours or those holding a doctorate degree may apply for tuition reimbursement of academic classes.
Sabbatical Leaves
After 12 consecutive semesters, faculty may apply for a one or two semester leave to break from the daily regime of classes and teaching to focus on a planned experience that will enrich their professional development. According to the Residential Faculty Policies Section A.4.1, Sabbatical leaves are granted to eligible faculty for intellectual stimulation obtained by study, research, travel, suitable work experience, or other creative activities. The purpose of sabbatical leaves is to upgrade the educational program of the college by improving faculty competency.
Summer Projects
A Summer Project is a task of learning and growth that faculty design to complete during the summer. Summer projects may include research or professional development activities such as seminars, conferences, workshops or work experience, and training related to a faculty members' discipline or teaching responsibilities. Summer Projects need to occur between the last day of accountability one academic year and the first day of accountability for the next academic year.
Travel Expenses
Each college has money available to faculty for travel expenses, including transportation and hotel accommodations. In this case the trip itself is not the growth activity as it is in the travel experience for professional growth. These travel dollars simply help faculty arrive at the destination for the national conference or other professional event. The travel dollars are administered on the college level with varied allocation plans.
The accompanying chart (see below) illustrates how the many FPG pieces fit together. The opportunities and incentives are here in Maricopa. Ask questions and check out the FPG web site. Ultimately, we all want to continue to grow and learn throughout our careers in order to offer our students the best possible instruction and learning.
 Residential Faculty Professional Growth Opportunities
Adobe Arcobat file: fpg_insert.pdf [18.4k]
 Linda Larson and Marybeth Mason, mcli
Faculty Development
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/fsd/
Faculty Professional Growth
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/fpg/
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