The Professional Development Initiative seeks to support student success and help increase enrollment and persistence through strengthened teaching and learning excellence and exceptional student support.
Faculty Fellow Initiative
Faculty Fellows will develop and/or support several professional development activities (e.g., curriculum development).
Mental Health First Aid Certification1
A "train the trainer" initiative will introduce a college-wide Mental Health First Aid Certificate Program to student success personnel and faculty. To achieve this, three LSC-NH personnel (from both student support and academics) will attend the "train-the-trainer" Mental Health First Aid Certification program. This training course instructs participants about mental health and substance-use issues, compounded by the pandemic, and hypothesized factors. In subsequent years, the trainers will provide this course to LSC-NH faculty and staff who have interactions with students.
1Mental Health First Aid is managed, operated, and disseminated by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the Missouri Department of Mental Health"Choose Learning" Professional Development Initiative
As a part of the "Choose Learning" Initiative, starting in year one, ten professional development sessions annually on topics related to student success and increasing postsecondary education access, affordability, and completion for underserved students will be sponsored. One of the focus areas is to broaden training to student success professionals through new or enhanced professional development to enable equitable access for all students, especially low-income to non-academic and basic needs services and resources. This will include an introduction to the C.A.R.E Program to link students with college and area services. Another focus area is to assist "stop-out" students by providing strategies for faculty and staff to provide support and respond to this unique student cohort.
Faculty/Adjunct Certification Program
A new Faculty/Adjunct Certification Program will be created and implemented. This three-level program will integrate each of the following LSC Faculty Qualities of Excellence: (a) Student Invested (demonstrates a commitment to student success by maintaining academic rigor and fostering student accountability: (b) Content Expert; (c) Pedagogically Excellent; and (d) Institutionally Dedicated. Each level is designed to address the needs of new faculty and senior-level faculty: Level 1 Certificate, Awareness of College Teaching; Level 2 Certificate, Readiness to Teach; and Level 3 Certificate, Continues Engagement. Starting in Yr. 1 the SIP program will support the Manager of Professional Development and the LSC-NH Dean of Academic Affairs, and Faculty Fellows to develop the certification program curriculum. By the end of year two, the certificate program implementation will begin, and baseline data will be collected. In the following years, the implementation will continue.
Faculty Mentor Program
The Faculty Mentor Program will be redesigned and implemented. By the end of year one, LSC-NH will redesign a faculty mentor program (not active since the pandemic) which pairs an full-time faculty with a part-time adjunct. This collegial mentoring program will provide an inclusive and supportive scholarly community. The mentor/mentee will meet at least four times a semester (in person/virtual) and collaborate on the following: a) set of two to three goals for that semester that they would like to accomplish; b) collaborate on a team teaching experience for one of each of their classes - so they can explore different teaching and learning styles; and c) document their experience and share with the LSC-NH Adjunct Fellow and Manager of Professional Development to assist in further developing and expanding the program. As a benefit, the Mentee Adjuncts will have a preferential selection for the Adjunct Curriculum Development Program.