Athens Technical College

Professional Development Procedure

Both the institution and the individual faculty member bear responsibility for ensuring that professional development continues throughout a faculty member's career. The institution must provide opportunities for continued development and must document such development as it occurs. At the same time, faculty members must take the initiative to ensure their own growth as teachers, scholars, and practitioners in the chosen discipline.

PROCEDURE: Professional Development

Scope

This procedure will guide the professional development process for Athens Technical College

Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to strengthen Athens Technical College by providing training and education opportunities for improvement for all employees to assist in meeting the needs of the College.

Procedure

Each employee shall prepare a professional development plan annually as part of the annual performance evaluation process.

Professional Development Hours Required

All employees are encouraged to develop and improve their skills and knowledge through approved professional development activities; therefore, some plans may far exceed the hours required. The supervisor and the employee will determine the number of hours appropriate for an individual’s plan should they fall outside the required hours.

Suggested Professional Development

Internal professional development courses, state or local activities, industry workshops or seminars, planned business/industry updates, or other organized and structured activities are considered professional development. These could include the Faculty Development institute, peer group meetings, professional conferences, professional readings and/or research, CD/DVD/online programs, or college courses that pertain to your area of job responsibility.

Scheduling Professional Development

An annual calendar will be established by the Professional Development Committee prior to the fiscal year. All internal professional development topics will be advertised through the professional development portal on the Intranet and via email announcements. Internal professional development should be attended to not to interfere with work responsibilities (supervisor approval may be required). All employees must register for internal professional development through the Intranet.

External professional development topics must be preapproved by the employee’s immediate supervisor prior to registration. External professional development topics include TCSG Peer Group meetings, conferences, seminars, and researching/reading a topic. All external professional development activities must pertain to the employee’s area of job responsibility. Any expenses for external professional development must be preapproved prior to registration.

Completion of Professional Development

All plans must be completed by June 30 each year. Internal professional development activities will be updated automatically to the intranet portal. External professional development activities must be manually entered into the professional development intranet portal through the “add your own” link. Professional development activities must document how the attended development enhanced the employee’s current job responsibilities. Supervisors shall evaluate the completion of professional development requirements during the annual performance evaluation process by using the Professional Development form. Both the employee and supervisor are required to sign the form during the annual performance evaluation process. Employees who do not meet the required hours will be placed on an action plan for the following year to ensure the completion of professional development. Employees who fail to meet the required hours in two (2) out of three (3) fiscal years may be subject to disciplinary action under the Positive Discipline Policy.

Expenses

All expected expenses (travel, registration fee, etc.) must be estimated and indicated on the Request for Authority to Travel form. The form should include justification as to the request. Reimbursement for expenses will depend upon the availability of funds and the nature of the professional development. In all instances, employees should obtain authorization for professional development activities prior to obligating themselves for any related expenses. Non-approved expenses will not be reimbursed.

Recordkeeping

All completed and signed staff development plans are kept in the employee’s personnel file according to the state retention schedule.