The ELITE Professional Development Team is proud to present the ELITE Professional Development Team’s Master Plan. This comprehensive plan is more than just a roadmap for the ELITE PD Team; it is a blueprint guiding us toward realizing our collective vision and aspirations over the next three years.
The Professional Development Master Plan has been developed in alignment with the President’s Strategic Goals and the College’s Refreshed Strategic Plan. This ensures that we are working toward our objectives and contributing meaningfully to the overarching goals of Montgomery College. This integration allows us to move forward with a united front, ensuring that each stride is a stride toward comprehensive progress for the students that we serve.
The Professional Development Master Plan is grounded in evidence and experience, built on an in-depth analysis of three years of feedback and data captured by ELITE. This empowers us to learn from the past and predict the future needs of Montgomery College, making our plan not just ambitious but also achievable and realistic.
The Professional Development Master Plan outlines strategic goals, objectives, outcomes, and indicators to guide our professional development offerings for the college community. It is designed to foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and growth within our institution, ultimately enhancing the overall performance of our team and ensuring our success in the years to come.
Professional Development Master Plan Goals
Strategic alignment includes integration with MC’s organizational strategies and across MC’s divisions, management strategies, and approaches. Grounded in access, equity, and equal opportunities for employee success, our goal is to support and navigate the chang-ing landscape of higher education by developing focused leadership, good communication, building new skills, and preparing a future-ready workforce willing to take risks and innovate.
Vision
Align all ELITE professional development opportunities to MC’s goals and strategic priorities defined by MC2025 and leadership priorities and goals.
Objectives
- Evaluate ELITE-sponsored professional development opportunities to ensure alignment with MC2025 goals and/or leadership priorities.
- Embed leadership, communication, skill building, and future-ready workforce competencies in all professional development opportunities.
- Expand professional development supports for MC’s Virtual and East County Campuses.
Outcome & Indicators
All professional development Is aligned to MC2025 goals and/or leadership priorities.
- ELITE professional development database reflects strategic alignment.
- Strategic alignment is included in all Workday descriptions.
MC community is aware of alignment to MC2025 goals and/or leadership priorities.
- Professional development participant evaluations assess participants’ understanding of strategic alignment.
Meet the professional development needs of the MC workforce.
- ELITE is represented in college-wide strategic planning.
- ELITE is provided with the funding to support identified professional development solutions.
Research tells us that professional development is an important factor in job satisfaction. Grounded in access, equity, and equal opportunities for employee success, our goal is to provide a coordinated system of professional development opportunities that address employees’ behavioral, technical, and leadership skills.
Vision
Cultivate an environment of collegiality and collaboration whereby all members of the MC community have the opportunity to increase their knowledge, impact, performance, and job satisfaction.
Objectives
- Engage the MC community in the identification and planning of professional development.
- Execute a wide range of employee professional development to address behavioral, technical, and leadership development.
- Provide multiple modes of professional development (e.g., virtual, face-to-face, etc.) to support employee agency.
- Routinely evaluate and share professional development satisfaction ratings with the MC community.
Outcome & Indicators
Professional development is centered on specific/identified content aligned with employee needs.
• Disciplinary faculty associates inform/support professional development planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Staff surveys and focus groups inform/support professional development planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Professional development opportunities are designed with contemporary learning theories and instructional best practices.
- Active learning, simulated, and/or experiential experiences are integrated into professional development opportunities.
- Participant satisfaction ratings (defined by (1) facilitator knowledge, (2) workshop outcomes met, and (3) workshop applications) remain above 90%.
All professional development opportunities are connected thematically to support the duration requirement needed to promote skill attainment and changes in behavior.
- MC’s required training includes adding up to six (6) hours of employee-selected professional development in support of performance goals. Requires collegewide approval.
- EAP requests are aligned with personalized professional development goals documented in Workday.
All professional development opportunities provide multiple ways for knowledge sharing and problem identification/solving to support of personal and professional growth.
- Employees self-select professional development based upon skill gaps and identified needs.
- Professional development opportunities are designed with TPACK and SAMR model integration.
Creativity and innovation are characteristics that employees seek to develop to help them look at the world in new ways and form ideas to improve or add to it. Grounded in access, equity, and equal opportunities for employee success, our goal is to empower MC employees to generate ideas, take risks, and recognize opportunities through problem-solving, relationships, and self-expression.
Vision
Identify and address employee skill gaps and knowledge needs through ideation, collaboration, and ongoing assessment.
Objectives
- Explore the combination of facilities, skills, and technologies to produce, deliver, and support MC products or services.
- Leverage communities of practices to explore technological advancements, changes in employee requirements, or outdated professional development opportunities.
- Differentiate and diversify the levels of professional development offered by the ELITE Professional Development team.
Outcome & Indicators
A collegewide cross-functional/departmental planning committee.
- Disciplinary faculty associates integrated in ELITE’s Return on Learning Committee (ROL).
- Strategic partnerships between the ELITE Professional Development team and other MC Divisions/Units (e.g., HRSTM, OCRE, OEI, OIRE, etc.).
A future-ready workforce defined by industry standards and trends in higher education.
- A full suite of professional development opportunities throughout the fiscal and academic years designed to address behavioral, technical, and leadership skills and competencies.
A formalized mechanism to capture employee professional development needs across all operational aspects of MC.
- ELITE professional development sub-team projects aligned with identified needs.
- ELITE representation across the various committees and voluntary governance opportunities.
Technology is utilized to support employee job functions across all operational aspects of MC.
- Technology is integrated into the context of all pedagogical methods.
- Technology is utilized by staff to increase productivity and resource management.
FY23 Goal Progress
- Redesigned PD Master Plan in alignment with the Refreshed Strategic Plan.
- Realigned all PD opportunities with the President’s FY23 Priorities and Refreshed Strategic Plan.
- ELITE representation in the following areas: Strategic Plan Refresh, Governance, Collegewide Committees (e.g., Collegewide Assessment Committee, Hispanic Serving Institution, PACEI, PT Faculty Institute, MC Pride, Humanities Days, Employee Experience and Climate Survey Group, Required Training Committee, Annual MC STEAM event, Presidents Inauguration Committee, etc.), and MCRPA.
- Designed, developed, and delivered the Fall, Spring, and Spring Closing Professional Week Professional Development Days (60 sessions, 35-speed sessions, and five external guest speakers).
- Designed, developed, and delivered New Faculty Orientation (Fall and Spring).
- Co-designed, developed, and delivered Navigating Ethical Dilemmas with the Office of Compliance, Risk, and Ethics.
- Co-designed, developed, and delivered a self-paced version of Journey to Becoming an Anti-Racist Institution with the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
- Co-designed and developed Using Blackboard Analytics to Support Student Engagement and Instruction with the Data Asset Management Team – to be delivered in Fall 2023.
- After a successful pilot in FY22, established an annual Facilities and Public Safety Institute (FAPSI) with the Office of Facilities and Public Safety.
- Co-designed a four-phase blueprint for MC’s Search Advocate Program with HRSTM – development and program implementation to begin Summer/Fall 2023.
- Completed a complete redesign of Digital Fundamentals for Teaching and Learning
- Co-designed a two-phase blueprint for ATPA Programming and Support with ATPA – development to begin Fall 2023 with program implementation Spring 24.
- Began a complete redesign of Online Teaching Training – work to be complete Summer of 23.
- Designed and developed the Erick Grosse Memorial Fellowship for the PT Faculty Institute – to be delivered throughout the Summer of 23.
- Developed self-paced training with various departments/divisions across the college (e.g., governance, HRSTM, compliance, student Affairs, etc.).
| 2023* | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Total Number of Workshops | 368 | 767 | 656** | 882*** |
| Total # of Participants | 6,350 | 13,471 | 17,118** | 5,276*** |
| Workshop Satisfaction Rating | 92% | 92% | 92% | 91% |
*as of 4/30/2023
**includes the Summer PD Institute – a paid opportunity funded by COVID Relief funds.
*** includes Structured Remote Teaching (SRT) training funded by COVID Relief funds.
- Restructured the ELITE Professional Development Team and updated job functions to include (1) general responsibilities, (2) team projects, (3) personal professional development, and (4) service to MC.
- Recruited and onboarded two new Instructional Designers.
- Instituted quarterly internal ELITE PD Team Professional Development Days.
- Established an internal Return on Learning Committee to assess ELITE programming and to make recommendations and changes to future team efforts.
- Developed an employee Professional Development Survey to be launched during Professional Week in Fall 23.
- Redesigned Professional Development Evaluation Survey and Processes.
- Designed, developed, and delivered a full suite of professional development opportunities throughout the fiscal and academic years to address behavioral, technical, and leadership skills and competencies for all employees.
- Established a full program of professional development offering around ChatGPT to build faculty awareness and provide employee support.
- Established ELITE professional development sub-team projects to help identify and address needs across the college community. To date, three projects have been completed in partnership with the Biology Department and WDCE. (Three additional projects are in development and scheduled to be completed by June 30 with the Universal Design Center, Dual Enrollment Program, and Travel Abroad Program). Additionally, the 4 C’s project, which was developed and completed as part of the Communications Professionally in the Workplace Learning Pathway, also meets the needs of the general college community. This class meets the needs of the general college community.
- Designed, developed, and launched the ELITE Professional Development Catalog (Fall and Spring).
- Designed, developed, and facilitated the COVID-Inspired Faculty Research Fellowship.
- Awarded Innovation Grant: Student Training and Resource (STaR) Network – Offering PD to Student Employees.
- Co-designed, developed, and submitted micro-credential applications for Data-Informed Instruction and Culture Conscious Business (in partnership with WDCE).
- Offered two Love of Teaching Conferences (Fall 22 and Spring 23).
- Established the Universal Design Center’s bi-annual Inclusion by Design Summit.
- Wrote a $250,000 grant to the Hewlett Foundation to scale up the Social Justice Ambassadors Program. In negotiations for funding.
- Supported the IUSE Grant on Quantitative Reasoning in Biology federal grant that involves ongoing collaborations among five institutions to create modules to teach quantitative reasoning in biology to prepare transfer students from AACC, CCBC, HCC, and MC for the rigors of 300 and 400-level course work in Biology at UMBC.
- Led the Maryland H5P Collaborative Network for the second year (nationwide enrollment – 346).
- Designed and developed a Guide to Meeting QM Standards for the common course development teams and faculty seeking QM certification.
- Co-established the Decolonizing Community of Practice – an extension of the ELTIE Social Justice Ambassadors Innovation grant awarded in FY22.
- Designed, developed, and facilitated a collegewide rollout for Yuja – a video platform that addresses accessibility and compliance.
- Published two journal articles and one book chapter.****
- Continue to populate the Hub with unique articles, videos, and other content to support pedagogy, technology, and content knowledge.
- Continue to adapt the Academy for Teaching Transformation to include college focus areas (e.g., Trauma Informed Teaching Practices, Technology Integration in the Digital Age, etc.).
- Partnered with the World Languages Department to create an OER for Italian 101 (building off of the successful Spanish 101 and 102 models).
- Designed and developed programming for Summer Staff Professional Development Days for MC employees throughout the Summer of 23.
- Established the Microsoft Essentials and Microsoft Essentials Plus programming to support all MC employees using various Microsoft applications.
- Presented at regional and national conferences on ELITE work (AFACCT, MDLA, MOL, MOST, Digital Storytelling Conference, The National Council for Workforce Education Conference, etc.).
- Developed and began recruiting for the International Dialogue for Excellence in Academic (IDEA) Collaborative set to launch in the Fall of 23.
- Led Tech it Out, a monthly community of practice designed to support faculty use of technology in the classroom.
****Publication References:
Miller, P., & Mills, M. (2022). Supporting Open Education through a Coordinated Network of Support. Teaching and Learning Excellence through Scholarship, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.52938/tales.v2i1.2381
Miller, P. D., Mills, M. A., & Ford, S. (2023). A Systems Approach to Change: Putting Inclusion and Accessibility into Practice through the Development of a Universal Design Center. In Mancilla, R., & Frey, B. (Ed.). Guide to Digital Accessibility: Policies, Practices and Professional Development (pp. 43-59). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
Awaiting Publication:
Miller, P.D. (2023). Effective Leadership in Higher Education Requires a Comprehensive Approach to Technology Integration. Education Technology Insights.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Paul Miller at paul.miller@montgomerycollege.edu