VOLUME XIII, NUMBER 17

x INNOVATION ABSTRACTS

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD), COLLEGE OF EDUCATION,

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN « WITH SUPPORT FROM THE W. K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION AND THE SID W. RICHARDSON FOUNDATION

 

Celebrating Teaching Excellence: An SPJC Perspective

Within a period of five years, more than 300 St.
Petersburg Junior College (SPJC) faculty, including
department chairs, have had the experience of attending
the NISOD International Conference on Teaching
Excellence. These single experiences have accumulated
into a collective professional development account that
pays interest to the college in the currency of renewal,
camaraderie, and ultimately a better education for SPJC
students.

SPJC’s comprehensive faculty participation in the
annual NISOD International Conference on Teaching
Excellence began as a recommendation from faculty
leadership. Individual SPJC faculty members had
attended the conference and found it to be an outstand-
ing professional development experience. Conse-
quently, in 1987, Faculty Governance Organization
leaders raised the idea of providing all full-time faculty
members with the opportunity to attend. This recom-
mendation came at a time when the college was review-
ing its staff and program development activities and
looking for ways to improve faculty participation in
professional development.

The review revealed that not only was a small
percentage of faculty and staff attending professional
conferences but that for the most part the same people
were participating each year. A special effort was
needed to involve the high percentage of veteran
faculty on continuing contract who were not active or
minimally active in professional development. That
special effort would have to be in quality activities that
pertained to teaching and learning. The NISOD confer-
ence appeared to offer the quality and comprehensive-
ness on which to center such a major professional
development initiative.

Responding to Faculty Governance interest, the
District Board of Trustees agreed to support with Staff
and Program Development funds and auxiliary funds
the commitment to provide the opportunity for all full-
time faculty, over time, to attend the NISOD Conference
on Teaching Excellence. As the plan was put into
action, every effort was made to contain costs. To offset
transportation, hotel, and registration costs, the college
negotiated special prices. The airlines discounted fares

as much as 70%. Hotels and NISOD reduced rates and
registration fees for this large number. Faculty mem-
bers paid for their meals and lodged three to a room.

In addition to containing costs, the college built in
accountability. Attendees submit evaluations and
discuss how better to enhance the value of the experi-
ence in improving instruction and services at SPJC.
Faculty members report in discipline meetings and
other settings on useful programs and practices they
encountered at the conference.

Primarily veteran faculty members composed the
first group attending the NISOD conference, and their
responses indicated that their participation achieved the
main goals of the initiative: their experiences, told to
other faculty and staff, made going to the conference a
highly visible, very worthwhile, and “special” profes-
sional development project; and their enthusiasm
generated excitement among their colleagues.

The positive experiences of each succeeding group
have continued to confirm the value of this professional
development initiative to the college. The experience
has increased morale and has resulted ultimately in
better working relationships college-wide. Other direct
benefits have accrued:

e The activity is important in fulfilling the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
professional development requirement for accredi-
tation.

e Faculty and staff have the opportunity to learn
about teaching techniques and educational
practices that can benefit students and improve
SPJC’s effectiveness.

e Attending the conference has led to faculty and
staff organizing “mini-NISOD” staff development
activities on their own campuses for their col-
leagues—formal presentations and sharing of
materials about selected presentations faculty
attended at the NISOD conference. Information
and knowledge are brought back and used to help
improve education at SPJC.

 

 

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)
Community College Leadership Program, Department of Educational Administration
College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

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