Professional Development Day Survey Results Final Summary
Professional Development Day at St. Louis Community College took place on October 16, 2012 at the Forest Park Gym. Employees received an online survey, via Campus Labs, on October 31st. The survey was closed on November 9th. Following are the quantitative results. Qualitative results are currently being analyzed. Total number of employees who registered on October 16:
1,239
Total number of employees who attended and responded to the survey:
861
Survey response rate :
69%
The job classification breakdown included: • • • • •
5% Administrative 32% Faculty 29% Office/Technical 4% Physical Plant 30% Professional
Employees rated the “Community College Survey of Student Engagement” presentation by the keynote speaker on the following: Knowledge of the subject Presentation of the information PowerPoint Slides Opportunity for participant involvement Usefulness of the information for your job
Excellent 32% 14% 10% 5% 9%
Good 41% 34% 28% 16% 22%
Fair 20% 30% 35% 30% 30%
Poor 7% 21% 27% 49% 39%
Employees rated the “Real World Customer Service” seminar on the following: Knowledge of the subject Presentation of the information Handout Opportunity for participant involvement Usefulness of the information for your job
Professional Development and Quality
Excellent 24% 21% 7% 14% 13%
Good 32% 29% 18% 29% 19%
Fair 25% 26% 27% 31% 25%
Poor 19% 25% 48% 26% 43%
Page 1
Employees rated their level of agreement on the following:
The communications received about what to expect on Professional Development Day were sufficient. Professional Development Day was well organized. Professional Development Day was a good opportunity for me to talk with my colleagues and to get to know other employees. The topics presented on Professional Development Day gave information about where the college is heading in the future. The topics presented on Professional Development Day were relevant and worthwhile. The day offered opportunities for me to participate and engage in the topics/activities.
Strongly Agree 2%
Agree 9%
Disagree 25%
Strongly Disagree 64%
3%
18%
32%
47%
6%
26%
25%
43%
4%
31%
32%
33%
3%
17%
32%
47%
3%
15%
29%
53%
Employees rated the logistics of the event as follows: Ease in getting to the Forest Park Gym Registration Process Set up and room arrangements Food and beverage quality and selection Overall rating of the facility for this event
Excellent 23% 23% 7% 9% 8%
Good 46% 46% 16% 26% 24%
Fair 22% 23% 30% 35% 36%
Poor 9% 9% 47% 31% 32%
EMPLOYEE COMMENTS Tell us ONE thing they you would change about Professional Development Day. Following is a summary of the themes and comments provided by employees who attended Professional Development Day on October 16, 2012. This list is in no particular order. • • •
Promote professional development for all classifications. The content did not lend itself to learning anything new. Shorten the day; it was too long. Provide an agenda for the day in advance.
Professional Development and Quality
Page 2
• • • • • • • •
Provide an agenda as a handout; the PowerPoint slide was not easy to see nor was is left up to see throughout the day. Make the day optional, not mandatory. Listening to continuous presentations was boring. Structure the day to a multi-session format allowing employees to select the topics/sessions that are most relevant to them. Treat employees with respect. The tone of the day was intimidating and controlling. Improve the speakers, PowerPoint presentations, and sound system. Make it comfortable – sitting for long periods of time in the chairs was uncomfortable. Do not let the Chancellor plan the event. Eliminate it.
What topics or activities would you like to see in a future Professional Development Day? Following is a summary of the actual topics/activities suggested by employees who attended Professional Development Day on October 16, 2012. This list is in no particular order. •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Teaching and learning issues (i.e. culturally responsive teaching, classroom management, adult education, andragogy, academic freedom in the 21st Century, making your syllabus more effective, dealing with student entitlement mentality, critical thinking methods, ways to deal with disruptive students; classroom management techniques) What’s really going on with ATD? Student outcomes for course/programs Assessment Student engagement and retention Curriculum matters to strengthening student discipline Outcomes and measurement Pathways to graduation Mock teaching MOOCs Using technology in teaching Counseling on special needs; teaching students with special needs Generational differences Communications Values and communications styles Customer Service Teamwork Legal topics like FERPA, ADA Organizational culture and structure at STLCC Improving the climate at STLCC Improving morale
Professional Development and Quality
Page 3
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
College initiatives – goals and strategies to institutional effectiveness; 5-year plans for departments What do departments do? (HR, Financial Aid) Collaborative management culture District-wide departmental meetings Honest conversations about discipline-based professional development, pedagogy College budget and financial projections; how the economy is affecting the college budget Politics and community colleges Grant management, and opportunities Pathways for upward mobility for all classifications Media literacy Diversity and leadership opportunities Globalization, studying abroad, and internationalizing our curriculum Development education redesign Technology/systems training (i.e. Banner, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, SmartBoard, Publisher, Lync, Windows 7, OAT) Project management First aid, safety training, CPR Anger management Direct marketing efforts in social media, TV, and radio advertising aimed at increasing STLCC presence in our community Faculty presentations from college-related travel or sabbaticals projects/presentations Stress release techniques and healthful living Topics for staff, housekeeping, and grounds
We welcome additional comments about Professional Development Day as we work to make sure future events meet your needs. Following is a summary of additional comments, (those not mentioned earlier), provided by employees who attended Professional Development Day on October 16, 2012. This list is in no particular order. • • • • • • •
Would have liked to hear and see the Power Points that were presented. Affinity Group was not useful; it was too long. Employees needed to be engaged and the topics relevant. The Chancellor’s “heavy-handed approach” resulted in treating us like children. Have relevant breakout sessions; give employees choices; and provide opportunities for networking with our peers. The day allowed employees to develop skills to improve their job performance. Not having enough water in the afternoon, and air conditioning, made it uncomfortable.
Professional Development and Quality
Page 4
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
The manner in which we were dismissed at the end of the day, and turning in name tags for attendance purposes, was offensive and demeaning. There is a disconnect between Administrators at the Cosand Center and Faculty out at the campuses. People were falling asleep during the day. The agenda shouldn’t be a secret. There were too many affinity groups in the gym; you couldn’t hear. The event was poorly planned and we didn’t get advance communications. This day was a new format and it was refreshing. But the day was only productive for the first few hours. We’re not a corporation with customers and deliverables. The stickers on the name tags was childish. Some individual responses indicated that they responded to the NEA survey. It was good to get all full time employees at one event hearing the same message. We should eliminate Professional Development Day. Many indicated they would not come to a future Professional Development Day. Involve the CTLs in the planning. People enjoyed the events in the past. Much of the anger about Professional Development Day was an expression about the tone of the college has shifted. Do not make Professional Development Day mandatory; let us have a choice to attend or take the day off/personal day. Requests for time off were denied. This is the worst Professional Development Day I’ve attended. It was a huge waste of time and money. Many of the booklets were left on the tables at the end of the day. Consider staff and faculty with disabilities. The safety video was the best of the entire day. This is the same menu we have every year; allow food choices for people who have special dietary needs.
Professional Development and Quality
Page 5
