The institution provides evidence of ongoing professional development of faculty as teachers, scholars, and practitioners. ( Professional Development )
X Compliance Partial Compliance Non-Compliance
Narrative: Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (OCtech) has an ongoing commitment to the provision of professional development opportunities for its faculty. Evidence of this commitment is seen in Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Policy 8.005: Professional Development. Similarly, the College expects individual faculty members to take initiative in establishing and achieving goals for their own professional development as part of the Faculty Performance Management System (FPMS). Since the initiative of professional growth rests with the faculty member, an important part of the annual FPMS is the Professional Development Plan. Faculty members are required to develop an objective from three of the following categories: Technology, Delivery, and Content. In order to assist faculty members in their efforts with this responsibility, OCtech has a wide-range of programs centered on professional development.
OCtech is a member of the Eastern Regional Competency-Based Education Consortium (ERCBEC) whose purpose is to provide an opportunity for leadership development among consortium members, function as a resource for educators and other educational groups, and share successful professional development programs. The College, through funding from the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Grant, sends members of the OCtech faculty to the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Conference annually.
Other college-sponsored professional development activities include the following:
MASTER INSTRUCTOR PROGRAM
In 2001 OCtech developed a certification for faculty completing the Master Instructor Program. The Master Instructor Certification is awarded for the successful completion of five courses, each of forty-five hour duration. Courses focus on curriculum, instruction, technology utilization, and adult learning. Since its inception, twenty-five full-time faculty members have completed the certification.
DISTANCE LEARNING TRAINING FOR FACULTY
To assist in meeting the distance learning initiative at OCtech, the College has budgeted each year for an Information Resource Consultant (IRC). The IRC plans, coordinates, and conducts year-round WebCT training for faculty. In addition, the IRC assists faculty in the development of instructional web enhancements and online course development, as well as other technological needs relative to instruction.
FALL AND SPRING CONFERENCE
Twice a year, faculty and staff gather for the Fall and Spring Conferences. Although a small portion of the time is spent on updates from the different areas of the College, the focus is on providing opportunities for faculty to learn about services available to support their classroom instruction. Workshops were sponsored this past year on how to perform effective Internet searches, how to utilize Campus Cruiser effectively, and how to integrate technology effectively in the classroom.
NEW FACULTY ORIENTATION
OCtech provides a comprehensive orientation program for new faculty each year that covers essential school polices. It is the responsibility of the Academic Dean, or the designee, to meet new faculty and assist in their transition to the College. A seasoned faculty member is responsible for acclimating new faculty to the campus, ensuring knowledge of where key people are located, and informing them of whom to contact when situations arise.
RETURN-TO-INDUSTRY
Opportunities for return-to-industry at OCtech are aimed at supporting each faculty member's continued growth as practitioners in their respective fields and ensuring that these individuals remain current in their delivery of up-to-date instructional content in the classroom. To complete these experiences, faculty members are typically granted release time from their teaching responsibilities while they participate in their designated training activities.
THE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER : HEALTH SCIENCES
The Regional Medical Center , located adjacent to the OCtech campus, provides the OCtech Foundation with an annual donation that serves several purposes:
- Supports a portion of the salary of a full-time health science/nursing instructor
- Provides funding for the continued professional development of health science and nursing instructors.
Recently, three of OCtech's instructors were able to obtain their Bachelor's degrees. One additional instructor has completed a Master's degree, and one is currently near completion of the Master's degree.
LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
Because of the College's renewed emphasis on learning resources to support instruction, all faculty members are required to attend a library orientation designed to promote awareness of the vast amount of resources available to support their respective disciplines. A number of technologies have been added to the College over the past few years, and opportunities are made available to faculty to increase their knowledge and awareness of such technologies. Training for WebAdvisor, an online service that allows faculty to assist students in the advisement process, is offered several times throughout the year. Professional development on the use of SMARTHINKING, an online service that provides tutoring services to students, was provided to faculty at the onset of its implementation. Professional development for PLATO software, used to support student success in developmental classes, was provided to faculty teaching remedial math, reading, and English courses at the College. Ongoing PLATO professional development is provided to assist students in the differentiation of instruction, especially on the area of reading. PLATO professional development has also been provided in the area of simulated PRAXIS and ParaPro testing and remediation.
TUITION-FREE COURSES
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Procedure 8.005.01 Tuition Waiver for Employees details, as a benefit to all employees of the College, one tuition-free OCtech curriculum or continuing education course per academic term. Faculty members are encouraged to take advantage of this benefit.
PROFESSIONAL/TRADE ORGANIZATIONS
Most OCtech faculty members maintain memberships in professional/trade organizations related to their disciplines.
FOUNDATION GRANTS
The Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Foundation provides internal faculty/staff grants each academic year. These grants are intended to provide funding for faculty/staff projects such as implementation of teaching innovations, student retention and success strategies, improvements in or creation of services for students, and efforts to increase enrollment.
CARL D. PERKINS GRANT
The Carl D. Perkins Vocational Grant provides funding for faculty to attend national and regional conferences and assists faculty in remaining current in both content and educational practice.
SOUTH CAROLINA TECHNICAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
Each year the South Carolina Technical Education Association (SCTEA) conducts its annual statewide professional development meeting. The SCTEA also recognizes outstanding instructors from each of the state's sixteen technical colleges through the Outstanding Technical Educator Awards program during this three-day conference. It is OCtech's practice each year to pay for any faculty member to attend the SCTEA conference. This year, OCtech had the second largest number of faculty in attendance at the conference.
