Professional development: Setting the context

Abstract

Professional development as a movement in the community college began in the early 1970s. No singular event heralded the start of the movement; it simply developed out of the rapid growth that community colleges were experiencing at the time. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a perspective on the need for faculty and staff development, some of the early struggles, its present status, and some challenges for the future. Need for Faculty and Staff DevelopmentAccording to O'Banion (1981), professional development began to grow in response to the realization that the rapid growth of new community colleges in the 1960s and early 1970s was waning and that people, rather than buildings, programs, and organizational structures, needed attention. More specifically, a number of factors precipitated the need. Among those that Hammons, Wallace, and Watts (1978) identified were the need for increased effectiveness and efficiency due to competition for limited tax dollars and beginning public demands for accountability; the acknowledgment that the future success of the community college depended on the ability of its personnel to adapt to a constantly changing environment; the development of a technology of instruction with potential for improved instruction unknown to most faculty; an awareness among faculty that they were becoming unable to cope with the needs of the increasing percentages of "high-risk" students enrolling in community colleges; a recognition among leaders that change was imperative and that they needed to become skilled in planning, implementing, and evaluating change; the increasing influence

It Takes a Village: The Role of the Individual, Organization, and Profession in Preparing New Professionals

“…New professionals must understand the unique context of community colleges and their specific environment in order to be prepared fully for their positions. Watts and Hammons () emphasized the importance of acclimating new professionals to the community college. They explored the history and context of professional development in community colleges and found that, while important, understanding advancements in technology and keeping up with public policy and societal demands was no longer enough to effectively develop staff.…”

Teaching and learning in community: a phenomenological study of community college faculty pedagogy and learning communities

“…to sustain their productivity and vitality" (Steinert, 2000, p. 2). Watts and Hammons (2002) maintained that several factors heralded the need for faculty development in the community colleges in the early 1970s. For example, the growing demand for "increased effectiveness and efficiency due to competition for limited tax dollars, and beginning public demands for accountability [and] the development of a technology of instruction with potential for improved instruction unknown to most faculty" (p. 5) are some of the factors at the top of the list that cemented the need for increased faculty development.…”

“…Some of these challenges are the constant struggle for adequate funding, pressure from the public for improvement in higher education, the influence of the consumer mentality, and a constantly changing and growing diverse student population (Angelo, 1994). In addition to these challenges, Watts and Hammons (2002) According to Cohen and Brawer (1996) administrators, in contrast, [prefer] workshops and seminars offered on campus for the instructors, with the content centering on pedagogy and community college-related concerns" (Cohen & Brawer, 1996, p. 81). Watts and Hammons (2002) discussed the challenges that faculty development programs face.…”

“…In addition to these challenges, Watts and Hammons (2002) According to Cohen and Brawer (1996) administrators, in contrast, [prefer] workshops and seminars offered on campus for the instructors, with the content centering on pedagogy and community college-related concerns" (Cohen & Brawer, 1996, p. 81). Watts and Hammons (2002) discussed the challenges that faculty development programs face. They claimed that "there are still colleges in which [faculty development] is viewed more as an 'add on' than a necessity" (p. 8).…”

“…Besides the challenges referenced above, community colleges have to respond to other problem areas. For example, Watts and Hammons (2002) maintained that personal development-"parenting, money management, preparation for retirement, diet and weight control, and physical fitness" (p. 9)-needs attention along with professional development topics and issues. One final challenge they discussed was who and how to coordinate these faculty development programs.…”