January 26/96

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

Bill Schermbrucker, Committee Chair

First, a big Thank You! to all who recently completed and
returned the questionnaire for the CIEA random survey on
Professional Development. This project has been two years
in the works. At our meeting last Saturday the CIEA PD
Committee members turned in the questionnaires for
analysis over the next few weeks. The survey should help
us establish province-wide standards for PD. Meanwhile,
existing opportunities for professional development for
faculty have mushroomed quite confusingly of late, and I
think some of you would like clarification about the various
offerings:

I: COLLEGE - Departmental PD (Collective Agreement
6.9): closest to home, your department has its own
individual and group PD program about which you know
more than I; your department may (should?) also have a
travel & conference budget. The CCFA also administers a
trust fund for PD. The College has a sophisticated policy
on PD, thanks to the efforts of a previous Faculty
Development Committee chaired by Reid Gilbert, by which
it recognizes the varied and cyclical nature of PD, so that
(to use actual examples) at one time a person might be in
a workshop on interactive teaching methods, and, at
another, in a library in Florence studying Renaissance
painters, or at home writing a lab manual, or in Strathcona
Park learning to kayak, etc.

College PD consists of activities laid on by the Faculty
Development Committee: watch for the orange pamphlet
coming to you in April containing the program for Faculty
Development Days May 13-17. Watch also for the
invitation to sign up for an Instructional Skills Workshop
(ISW) in which about six participants (experienced and/or
new faculty) work with a facilitator over four days,
designing and delivering three ten-minute presentations
following an ISW model. Objectives, practical session
plans, participatory learning opportunities and effective
feedback are emphasized.

Limited Conference & Research Grants not available
through your department are awarded twice a year by the
Faculty Development Committee, to eligible applicants
(two years service and at least half-time). Forms obtainable
from me--voicemail 2411: please specify Conference or
Research. Next deadline April 19, 1996.

The Online Library Research manual (red & black
cover) produced by David Lambert and George Modenesi
and distributed to all faculty is a useful tool enabling us to
access the library catalogue and periodical indexes, order
articles etc. from a computer. Many thanks to David and
George. (Send feedback to them please, for the next
edition.)

II: CIEA - CIEA March Professional Development
Seminar: Saturday March 23, 1996 (usually at the
Holiday Inn on Broadway). CIEA Presidents’ Council has
just approved the theme for this year’s seminar: Educating
Through Interesting Times: The Blessing and The Curse.
Watch for the announcement shortly, once the keynote
speaker has been secured and the breakout sessions
finalized. Meanwhile mark the date. It’s a chance to meet
all day with colleagues from other Colleges, University
Colleges, and Institutes, and those who go usually have a
favourable report.

CIEA AGM PD Workshops. Those attending the AGM
in Kelowna, May 21-24, will have the opportunity to attend
two PD workshops, one high-tech, the other philosophical.
Watch for the details.

Ill: CENTRE FOR CURRICULUM & PD - The regular
Bulletins from this body in Victoria contain dozens of
items of interest to faculty. It’s yours--the Centre exists for
you! Read the Bulletin, and take advantage of the
offerings. As one example, I have had several rave reviews
from our faculty about the weekend Chairs Development

- Institute on Bowen Island, given for chairs, coordinators,

convenors etc. The next one is scheduled for May 12-15,
1996. Another example: coming up is a very timely
regional post-secondary conference on Internationalizing the
Curriculum May 23-25 at UBC. Details in the November
Bulletin or from me (including a call for ‘joint
presentations, deadline Feb 5.) or call Karen McKellin,
Conference Coordinator at BC Centre for International
Education, 895-5070, Fax 895-5079, E-mail:
becie@becie.be.ca.

IV OTHER BODIES - The Standing Committee on
Educational Technology has many activities of interest to
us. Details from Jim Bizzocchi, who is the chair (and
therefore off campus a lot, but he does answer his
voicemail 2996). INFOTECH has recently circulated a
sheet entitled "Join the Online Revolution" inviting
enrolment in eight different evening courses. Call 984-
1727 or local 2727 for information. Other Colleges
generally welcome us to their own PD activities, as we do
them. Of particular note is the amazing year-round PD
Program at Douglas College, everything from Intercultural
Initiatives, to Internet Literacy, to the Womenspeak
Institute (catalogue available on loan from me.)

Have a good semester!
(Faculty Development Committee: Jolene Bordewick,

Rick Brewster, Louise Cantin Orr-Ewing, David Jones,
Scott MacLeod, Anne Watson.)

@nformer