Faculty Professional Development Policy
Classification: Academic
Responsible: School Managers, Faculty Instructors
Executive Sponsor: Vice President, Operations and Academics
Approval Authority: Robertson College Leadership Team
Date First Approved: October 17, 2022
Date Last Reviewed: July 29, 2024
Scheduled Review Date: June 1, 2026
A. PURPOSE
This policy outlines expectations and support offered to the ongoing development of instructional and professional competencies at Robertson in alignment with the college’s mission to provide our students with the most relevant training and up-to-date industry insights for the modern work environment
B. SCOPE
This Policy applies to instructors who instructor courses who teach in a provincially licensed program at Robertson.
C. DEFINITIONS
Term Definition
Professional Development Professional learning opportunities are intended to further strengthen an instructor’s professional capacities to provide exceptional instruction of Robertson courses and programs. Professional Development opportunities at Robertson could be instructor-initiated or college-initiated
College Initiated Professional development opportunities are facilitated by the Education Team through consultation with School Managers and the instructor. Development opportunities could be provided by internal College staff or external individuals, organizations, agencies, etc.
Instructor-Initiated Professional Development which is initiated by the instructor related to self-identified areas of development in alignment with instructional competencies, or industry expectations/standards, or professional designation
D. POLICY
1 Instructors are encouraged to obtain 20 hours of professional development per year.
2 All instructors at Robertson are eligible for instructor development as below:
1.1. College Initiated Development: The Education Team provides development opportunities, and consultation, and develops instructor training for all college programs. For workshops and training developed by the College, the Education Team will provide a summary of the eligible hours and competencies addressed.
1.2. Instructor-Initiate Development: Instructors may undertake development related to instruction, industry, or professional designation. These activities can contribute toward the 20 hours of development per year. Instructors should consider the eligibility criteria questions (Appendix A) and be able to report on the eligibility of the development in their yearly instructor report (see ‘Tracking’, below)
1.3. All instructor professional development will be tracked by the School Manager of Operations as per Robertson’s internal tracking procedure
14 Any fees for instructor-initiated development are incurred by the instructor unless approved by the College. College approval must be obtained before the instructor registers for the PD opportunity
15 At Robertson, Instructors are eligible for financial support related to professional development as outlined in the Faculty Professional Development Guidelines document
16 Instructor development guidelines may vary for accredited programs as dictated by the accreditation body as per the Faculty Professional Development Guidelines document
E. RELATED POLICIES N/A
F. RELATED MATERIALS AND DOCUMENTATION
Faculty Professional Development Guidelines
H. POLICY AUTHORITY
The Vice President, Operations and Academics is responsible for this policy. Questions regarding the interpretation of this policy should be directed to robertsonpolicies@robertsoncollegeca
I. POLICY HISTORY
Change Made
Version Number Signing Authority Date of Signature
Updates made to section B. 2.0
Terena Caryk VP, Operations and Academics
Julian Hallett, VP, Workforce ly 29, 2024
October 17, 2022
Policy initially approved 1.0
Terena Caryk VP, Product and Operations
Belinda Loschiavo VP, Global
Jason Locke VP, Business Development