The Informer Page 6

October 11, 1988

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

B y

The new, college-wide Faculty Development Committee has now met for the first time. Its members are Hilary Clark and Margot Rawsthorne of the Career/Vocational Division, Dennis Wright and Judy Inouye of the Student and Instructional Support Division, and Nigel Amon and Chris Watkiss of the Academic Studies Division. These Divisional representatives are happy to meet with any faculty in their respective Divisions to hear their views and suggestions regarding Professional Development, instructional skills development, faculty exchange and related matters. Ruth D’Hollander, who is the College’s representative on Provincial committees dealing with items of faculty development, is also attending meetings as a resource person; she is an excellent source of information on developments at a system-wise level and would also be happy to answer any questions faculty may have. The Committee reports to Robert Turner, Dean of Student and Instructional Services, who may also be approached with suggestions or comments. We want to hear from as many faculty as possible so that our committee truly represents a majority, faculty view.

REID

At the first meeting, the Committee began the rather difficult task of defining what PD is in this College, and what areas of faculty development are important to us here. The Committee struck a preliminary budget with which it hopes to translate these ideas into reality.

The Committee also discussed what role it should have in the political and labour/management matters which pertain to professional development. It is clear that faculty development in this College depends on adequate and fairly distributed money and the assumption of professional support as a right of employment. Paid Educational Leave was seen as an area in which this Committee should have advice for both Union and Management.

Minutes of the meeting and the preliminary budget can be had of Reid Gilbert, if anyone wants to see them. The Committee next meets on October 20, 1988.

The Committee agreed that it would fund the attendance of one or more faculty members at one or more conferences this fall, to a limit of $1000. Additional monies will be available for conference going in the spring. If you are interested in applying for money to attend a conference and if your own Programme or Department cannot fund you, please write a brief memo of application to Reid Gilbert in

GILBERT

Humanities, requesting funds. The memo should briefly:

¢ name the conference and provide its location and dates

¢ indicate the specific values attendance will bring to you as a professional, and, therefore, as a teacher. (You might also point out benefits which will accrue to your teaching area),

¢ outline a budget: cost of registration, travel costs, lodging costs, food costs (based on the College’s travel and conference policies),

¢ include a note from your Programme/ Department/Division Coordinator/ Chairperson stating that funds are not available through your own area budgets,

* provide any information which will help the Committee adjudicate your request against others and the very limited funds available.

Faculty who wish to attend that October 21 Canadian Studies Conference can apply to the Committee for the $15 registration fee. For more information regarding this conference, please call Dorothy Jantzen (2421) or John Potts (2988). To obtain funds, memo Reid Gilbert, simply stating that you wish to attend.

Applications for fall conference money should be received by Reid Gilbert before October 20, 1988. Time is short, but fall conferences are already taking place.

The Committee has also begun to discuss a model for Instructional Workshops. We are aiming to create a pilot series of workshops in the spring term. These workshops will begin with discussions of educational theory and practise in order to lay a theoretical foundation; then a series of practical sessions will arise from the theoretical base. Members of the Committee were enthusiastic about this approach which follows an established academic methodology with which we are all familiar.

One of the most significant comments which arose during the meeting was the suggestion that, as we are all employed in an educational institution, we are all engaged in “academic” work and we all, therefore,