HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
This chapter reviews the Austin Community College's (ACC) human resources management in the following sections:
- A. Organization and Staffing
- B. Human Resources Policies and Procedures
- C. Classification and Salary Administration
- D. Recruiting, Retention and Hiring Practices
- E. Faculty and Staff Development
E. FACULTY AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Second only to hiring a high-caliber faculty and staff is providing an environment that encourages them to develop professionally throughout their careers. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' (SACS) policy states that "the general tone and policies of an institution must make it clear that individual faculty members are to take the initiative in promoting their own growth as teachers, scholars and, especially in professional and occupational fields, practitioners." This implies that faculty have the responsibility to continue their growth and the right to choose how they do it, within reasonable and financial parameters. Institutions are also expected to conduct regular evaluations of faculty performance to ensure that standards are being maintained and students are receiving the best possible instruction. A comprehensive and effective development and evaluation process demonstrates a value is placed on performance and teaching excellence and a learning environment that encourages professional growth. Continuous development and learning improve individual work performance, institutional efficiency and job satisfaction.
ACC uses a centralized database to manage faculty and staff development activities. All employees have access to the online Faculty Development Database to browse the calendar of workshop and professional development offerings. Employees also may register for the course or cancel registration through the system. The database automatically credits employees when they complete the course if the HR Department verifies course completion.
Faculty Development
At ACC, separate departments manage faculty and staff development. Faculty development and evaluation are functions of the Instructional Technology and Faculty Development Office. Directors report to the associate vice president of Instructional Resources and Technology, as shown in Exhibit 4-23.
Exhibit 4-23 Source: ACC Organizational Reference, 2001-02.
Faculty Development and EvaluationThere are 37 positions in the Instructional Technology and Faculty Development Department, assigned as follows:
- Dean (1) and administrative assistants (2);
- Instructional Technology (IT) Services (19 total, consisting of three managers, each of whom is responsible for two campuses; 10 media graphic assistants for six campuses; and six computer support technicians);
- Faculty Development and Instructional Technology Training (2);
- Instructional Development (ID) Services (8), including six instructional design specialists at the campuses and the Highland Business Center (HBC), one faculty development specialist and one graphic specialist; and
- Network Services (5).
Instructional development (ID) specialists, located on the campuses in Instructional Development Centers, consult with faculty to help them adapt course materials for Web-based, computer-based and multi-media delivery. Instructional Development Centers, located at all campuses except Eastview and Cypress Creek, contain computers, printers, scanners, CD-ROM burners and digital cameras, among other hardware and software. Working with course objectives, these ID specialists help create Web pages, Powerpoint presentations, CD-ROM materials, video segments, audio or visual materials and other materials specific to computer delivery. They also help faculty convert their courses to distance learning formats, such as online and instructional television, and train them on Blackboard, ACC's online course management system. ID specialists also provide support to the professional development program, presenting workshops on alternative delivery systems.
Surveys conducted during faculty development days indicated that, during 2000-01, 40 percent of faculty had relied on ID specialists, 44 percent had used an ID Center and 69 percent had attended workshops, particularly in how to use Blackboard.
Faculty development at ACC is centralized with a focus on encouraging and supporting teaching, learning and collaboration between faculty and development staff, who are professional-technical employees. According to the Instructional Technology and Faculty Development (ITFD) Web site, the objective is "to enhance faculty teaching skills and increase faculty discipline knowledge."
Full-time ACC faculty are required to participate in 12 hours of faculty development each year in order to receive a salary-step increase. Adjunct faculty receive $80 for completing four hours of professional development. Credits may be earned in several ways with supervisor approval. Opportunities include workshops for skill and application training, seminars on instructional topics taught by experts, faculty retreats and participation in credit and non-credit courses and teleconferences, among others. All activities, other than those sponsored by Instructional Technology and Faculty Development must be pre-approved by task force or program chairs. During 2001-02, Instructional Technology and Faculty Development sponsored more than 80 staff development workshops and seminars, many of them related to distance learning and integrating technology into the classroom. Others covered topics designed to improve teaching skills and help faculty understand learning styles.
Instructional Technology and Faculty Development also sponsors an intensive summer institute for faculty that focuses on specialized instructional methods and best practices. The 2002 program will focus on integrating streaming media applications. ITFD staff also operates the college's faculty development days and the adjunct faculty mentoring program, which is mandatory for all new adjunct faculty. Furthermore, the department maintains a Web site that publicizes information of value to faculty, including computing resources, newsletters and important links. ITFD also coordinates faculty awards, sabbaticals and innovation grants.
FINDING
Faculty evaluation at ACC is comprehensive and, unlike many colleges, involves multiple types of reviews. The process, which normally occurs in the fall semester, includes a portfolio review, student ratings and classroom observation for new instructors. Task force chairs and program coordinators, who are responsible for evaluating their faculty, also consider professional service, administrative performance and instructional performance in the process.
The portfolio process, which has been part of evaluation since the late 1990s, is unusual in community colleges. SACS requires documentation in files of course data but not a multi-tiered process as comprehensive as the one used at ACC. There are three types of portfolios:
- First-year: required of all new full-time and adjunct faculty; includes syllabi, major assignments, handouts, tests and projects;
- Second-year: required of all second-year faculty; same as first year, plus statement of teaching philosophy; and
- Third-year: required of all third-year faculty and one-third of faculty on three-year contracts and adjunct faculty with more than three years of service; same as second year, plus commentary on courses taught and a faculty development plan.
Task force chairs, program coordinators and their assistants integrate the portfolio review process into the overall evaluation process, which also includes reviewing student evaluations and grade distribution reports; considering information on online faculty input forms; and classroom observation of new instructors.
For adjunct faculty, a successful evaluation is critical to placement on an "eligibility list," which ranks faculty on a priority-hiring list. An adjunct faculty member may be excluded from the list for a low professional evaluation, a serious problem or incident, a violation of a federal or state law, or a significant problem in classroom performance noted by the supervisor. On the other hand, an adjunct professor with a rating of "excellent" on both student and professional evaluations must be placed in the "highest-priority-to-hire" category for a given task force or program area. Using multiple evaluation methods to review an instructor's teaching and service to the institution is unusual. Most community colleges rely on student evaluations and some classroom observation to provide evidence that an instructor is performing adequately.
COMMENDATION
ACC uses multiple evaluation techniques to ensure a comprehensive review of faculty performance.
FINDING
In spite of the wide range of opportunities available, faculty report dissatisfaction with their level of involvement in planning and managing their professional development. They said in interviews, surveys and focus groups that their development needs are ignored, that programs are irrelevant to their work and interests and that resources are flowing into management of a large professional development program that is primarily geared toward technology and distance learning. Faculty support distance learning as a growth alternative, but they also want more discipline-specific development opportunities. In short, they want to have more input into choosing and planning how they spend their professional development time.
Faculty also argue that the requirement that full-time faculty complete 12 hours and adjunct faculty complete four hours is arbitrary. In fact, ACC has a wide range of requirements from four hours for adjunct faculty; to 12 for faculty, librarians and counselors; to 24 for non-supervisory professional/technical and classified employees. Thirty-six hours is required for supervisory professional technical and classified employees. Four additional hours are also required of professional/technical and classified staff who also teach as adjunct professors.
Until 2002, faculty had their own professional development advisory committee, which addressed issues of specific concern to faculty. These concerns might be pedagogical, curricular or even discipline-based. However, in spring 2002, this committee was disbanded in order to centralize all staff and faculty development in one collegewide professional committee. This new committee has representation from all employee groups, but its charge is more broad-based. Instead of focusing on issues of interest primarily to faculty, its goals are to recommend collegewide professional development rules and procedures; suggest the activities and the resources necessary to carry them out; identify best-practice guidelines for professional development; find ways to link activities with needs identified in personnel evaluations; and address logistical issues such as scheduling, registration and tracking processes. The focus has shifted from faculty development to general staff development and monitoring activities.
ACC provides a budget allocation for staff development, meetings and travel for each of the dean areas. For 2002, the budget was $106,428 for academic deans and $116,723 for workforce. This budget is intended for faculty travel to conferences for professional development. These figures do not include additional funds provided to non-teaching faculty such as librarians and counselors.
To comply with the "intent" of the SACS requirement that faculty take the leadership in their individual professional development, some community colleges set aside funds specifically for faculty to distribute as they deem appropriate and useful for professional development. Limited funds for conference travel are often included in this set-aside, and faculty compete for or share resources, depending upon how they decide to allocate the funds.
In other colleges, faculty take responsibility for their own professional development programming with one discipline sponsoring a special speaker one year and another discipline handling the program the next year. Many colleges also retain a faculty development committee with set-aside funds, as well as a collegewide staff development committee, in order to comply with the intent of the SACS standard. Others ensure that the intent is maintained by developing a subcommittee of the general staff development committee that is dedicated to ensuring that the standard is satisfied.
Recommendation 37:
Ensure professional development initiatives comply with the intent of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' requirement.
As the new professional development committee organizes itself, develops procedures and makes assignments, it is important to ensure that faculty not only have input into its specific professional development activities but that they also share in how these activities are balanced across disciplines. A subcommittee of interested faculty could design parameters, research and suggest development alternatives and recommend a structure for allocating resources.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The president asks the associate vice president for Transfer Programs, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology and Faculty Development for recommendations for members to serve on the new Faculty Development Committee. The committee should consist primarily of faculty but may also include one or two deans. January 2003 2. The president works with the vice president of Business Services and the associate vice president of Instructional Technology and Faculty Development to re-allocate money to the Faculty Development Committee to plan programs for the next academic year. January 2003 3. The president appoints members of the Faculty Development Committee and charges them to discuss their concerns, make recommendations and create a program of activities and a structure for implementing them within defined financial parameters. February 2003 4. The committee meets and addresses issues related to coordination, information-sharing, criteria and evaluation, as well as how to allocate funds for programs. February - April 2003 5. The committee presents its recommendations to the president and the associate vice president of Instructional Technology and Faculty Development for consideration. May 2003 6. If approved, the president prepares an administrative rule that addresses faculty development, including the committee, criteria, guidelines, evaluation, requirements and resources. May 2003 7. The committee plans for fall in-service and additional programs for the upcoming academic year. June - July 2003 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
Faculty Evaluation
SACS requires all accredited institutions to conduct faculty evaluations and ensure that board policy and administrative rules support the process. Evaluation has been an ongoing part of the continuous improvement efforts at ACC since the early days of the college. The evaluation process is designed to provide feedback on teaching effectiveness, help in the development of both individual and college-wide faculty development and foster continuous improvement in teaching skill and practice. With respect to adjunct faculty, a successful evaluation is critical to placement on a subsequent "eligibility list."
Staff Development
The staff development section in the HR Department is responsible for coordinating the professional development program and assisting ACC non-faculty staff in identifying training programs offered by external vendors. ACC promotes professional development through a number of programs, such as credit and non-credit courses, tuition vouchers, workshops, seminars, online courses and audio-visual materials. Exhibit 4-24 presents a sample of ACC's staff development courses.
Exhibit 4-24 Source: ACC Human Resources Department.
ACC Staff Development Course Sampling
2001-02
Name Description Targeted Audience Creative Problem Solving Introduces employees to a framework for creative, dynamic problem solving all employees The Customer Connection Teaches employees strategies for providing exceptional customer service all employees Decision Making Skills Helps employees learn successful decision-making by evaluating the positive and negative aspects of the many alternatives all employees Documenting Effective Termination Explains the process for handling employee terminations all supervisors Effective Employee Terminations Discusses the policies related to terminating employees all supervisors E-mails Do's and Don'ts and Using Meridian Mail Provides guidelines to help send effective e-mail messages and use the telephone voice mail system all employees Got Time in Your Life? Shares ideas on best time management ideas all employees Hiring Committee Training Trains hiring committee members on the hiring process all employees International Education: What Should ACC Employees Know Helps employees learn to interact and provide service to international students all employees New Habits - Intentional Change Helps employees develop a personal plan for making lasting behavior changes all employees Sexual Harassment Prevention Focuses on recognizing harassment and determining appropriate action based on ACC policies all supervisors and employees Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Awareness Discusses issues related to requesting reasonable accommodations all supervisors and employees Proofreading from A-Z Teaches employees proofreading techniques all employees Web Treasures Teaches employees to use the Internet all employees Work Study Supervisor Orientation Educates potential work study supervisors in all aspects of work study employment all staffing table employees The objectives of ACC's professional development program are to help non-faculty employees:
- improve their job skills;
- obtain job-related knowledge;
- increase productivity and efficiency; and/or
- prepare for higher level positions.
ACC encourages and rewards its employees for completing professional development requirements. Supervisors are expected to meet with employees to discuss and identify professional development needs and opportunities. The supervisor records and approves the intended professional development on a Professional Development Report (PDR) form, of which the original and copy are kept in the departmental file, and the employee and the staff development section each receive a copy. As the employee completes each activity, the supervisor records this information on the form. The supervisor forwards the completed report to the HR Department, indicating whether the employee satisfied the professional development requirements for the fiscal year.
FINDING
ACC's professional development requirements link pay to activities and not to job performance. ACC requires employees to complete professional development programs to be eligible for annual salary increases.
Classified, professional-technical and administrative employees cannot receive the annual step increase unless they complete the professional development requirements. The annual requirements are:
- Each full-time staffing table employee is expected to complete activities totaling at least 24 hours;
- Employees in supervisory positions must complete at least 36 hours of professional development;
- Part-time employees (those employed 20 hours each week) are responsible for completing 12 hours of professional development;
- Employees who work less than 20 hours each week may complete a prorated portion of the required clock hours;
- Hourly employees are not considered staffing table employees and are not subject to this requirement;
- Employees hired after the beginning of the fiscal year may complete a prorated portion of the requirement;
- Employees hired after the first business day in April of any fiscal year are not required to satisfy this requirement and will not be eligible for the annual step increase; and
- Employees who are already at the top of the salary range for their position must still fulfill the requirement.
Adjunct faculty are required to complete four hours of faculty development activities to receive an $80 stipend. Full-time faculty must complete 12 hours of faculty development to be eligible for a step increase.
In addition to distributing and collecting class evaluation forms at the end of each class, the senior coordinator of staff development conducted a survey of professional development needs in November 2001. She e-mailed the survey to approximately 850 employees, but only 125 employees returned the completed survey. The survey consisted of eight questions. Employees were asked to identify the top six training topics that they felt would best support their performance evaluation goals. Exhibit 4-25 summarizes the top six training topics.
Exhibit 4-25 Source: ACC Human Resources Department.
ACC Top Six Training Topics
November 2001
Topic Number of
ResponsesDynamic Problem Solving 30 Microsoft Excel 28 Microsoft Access 26 Microsoft PowerPoint 26 Leadership Development 25 Emotional Intelligence 23 The survey results demonstrate that ACC employees need for computer training. The senior coordinator said that the HR Department does not have the capacity to provide computer training, and budget constraints limit outside training opportunities for ACC employees.
The survey presents employees an opportunity to identify what training they wished they could have taken when they first began working for ACC as well as their current training goals and needs. However, the survey did not question employees about their motivation or reasons for pursuing specific professional development courses. Also, the survey did not gather any information about the usefulness or application of the training or skills gained in the class.
Although written guidelines specify that professional development activities must be job-related, there are no requirements for employees to demonstrate new knowledge or skills acquired from training. According to ACC policy, the employee's supervisor is responsible for approving professional development and ensuring that activities are directly job related, achievable and will substantially improve the employee's ability to perform and add value to the area's operations. There is no indication that data are collected, analyzed or reported to assess impact of training results on department or college operations. In fact, the PDR only requires the supervisor list the course names, date taken and professional development hours earned. The net effect is that more emphasis is placed on time or attendance rather than on substance and relevancy. The staff development section affirmed that professional development activity increases as the August 1 deadline nears.
Model professional development programs are designed with specific strategies and outcomes. Professional development is viewed as an investment with expected returns.
Recommendation 38:
Strengthen the professional development program to include measurable performance results.
Offering a variety of training opportunities is only one aspect of an effective professional development program. Collecting and using training evaluation results is also critical to determining if training needs and objectives have been met. ACC should implement a plan to evaluate whether or not employees are gaining new knowledge, skills and competencies that translate into improved employee and organizational performance.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The associate vice president directs the senior coordinator to share the survey results with the collegewide professional development committee. January 2003 2. The committee reviews the data and drafts a plan and recommendations to tie the professional development programs to job performance. February 2003 3. The committee submits its recommendations to the ASC for review and input. March 2003 4. The ASC reviews, approves and submits the recommendations to the president for approval. April 2003 5. The president approves the plans and the associate vice president implements the plan. April 2003 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
FINDING
Severe budget constraints reduce the quality and availability of professional development opportunities. Overall, the HR Department allocates a portion of its budget each year to sponsoring and underwriting certain professional development activities. For example, the department usually holds a Professional Development Day in which employees can attend classes all day during normal work hours. This function includes a continental breakfast, lunch and an array of courses for employees to attend. The staff development coordinator stated that her original cost estimate for the function was $3,500, but her budget was revised to $1,800 in view of the budget constraints.
To increase opportunities for professional development, ACC permits employees to audit continuing education classes and receive professional development credit.
There is very little funding for outside speakers or trainers. The staff development coordinator solicits ACC employees who are considered subject matter experts to share their skills and knowledge by conducting a workshop in their area of specialty.
Exhibit 4-26 shows that in a TSPR survey, the ratings of professional development at ACC reflect that only a little better than half of the participants agreed that their staff development improved their job performance.
Exhibit 4-26 Source: TSPR Faculty, Staff and Administrator Survey.
TSPR Faculty, Staff and Administrator Survey
ACC Written Survey Results
Survey Questions Strongly Disagree Disagree No Opinion Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know Staff development I have received has improved my job performance. 8% 11% 17% 43% 11% 10% Technology-related staff development has helped me do my job better. 6% 12% 16% 39% 15% 12% On the other hand, verbatim comments expressed in the survey strongly suggest dissatisfaction with the professional development program. Verbatim responses are shown in Exhibit 4-27.
Exhibit 4-27 Source: TSPR Faculty, Staff and Administrator Survey Verbatim Responses.
TSPR Faculty, Staff and Administrator Survey
Sample Verbatim Responses
- More training related to my field of work, not "feel good" training.
- Offering better professional development classes that are pertinent to our jobs. Too many touchy-feely classes, more technical training would help.
- Offer more courses and not the same ones all the time.
- Reduce the number of professional development hours required for classified.
- There needs to be better orientation and training for new employees, especially the classified staff.
- There is no higher-level technology-related staff development program.
- The required staff development hours I need to receive a pay raise mandated by HR are totally useless. A waste of time.
- Not enough technology-related staff development offered.
- Staff development at ACC doesn't really exist except as a "band-aid" approach to SACS requirements.
- Expand technology training opportunities particularly applications training. Offer more online training.
- Faculty development hours have not helped.
- Better professional development. Most of the classes are pretty lame.
- Staff and faculty development that I've attended have been rather mediocre. I understand budget restraints have limited external consultants and trainers, but the sessions I've attended have really been a waste of time.
- Fewer and longer workshops. Workshops need to have more content instruction and hands-on training. Need follow-up to evaluate use of training and expand or extend training to upgrade skills.
- There are not enough technology-related development classes for staff.
The motivation to complete professional development requirements for salary increases and the lack of quality professional development opportunities may result in employees enrolling in meaningless classes just to satisfy the requirements.
Recommendation 39:
Reassess the effectiveness of the professional development requirements.
The HR Department should reassess the effectiveness of the professional development requirements. An analysis of class attendance trends and professional development goals attained would help ACC determine if the number of required professional development hours is meaningful and practical. The department will be able to recommend modifications to professional development requirements when appropriate. A review of the data would provide opportunities for ACC to offer classes that would contribute to employees' specific professional development goals and address skill gaps within the college.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The associate vice president of HR directs staff to compile and analyze data on class attendance trends and professional development goals attainments. January 2003 2. HR staff present findings to the associate vice president of HR. February 2003 3. The associate vice president of HR reviews the data with the ASC. March 2003 4. ASC reviews the data and recommends appropriate action to continue or modify the professional development requirements. March 2003 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
