Middlesex Community College

The Middlesex Community College Professional Development Home Page describes the numerous opportunities available to full and part-time employees. Click on the Professional Development calendar to find information about upcoming Professional Development workshops and events and information about the next MCC Professional Day for faculty and staff, plus much more. The calendar site offers an automatic registration process for workshops and events. For more information, contact the Office of Professional and Instructional Development at 781-280-3661.

Center for Teaching, Learning, and Reflection (TLRC)

In fall 2004, MCC opened the Center for Teaching, Learning and Reflection located in the Bedford campus library. In fall 2005. another center opened in the Lowell Federal Building. The Center is the hub for many of MCC’s professional development activities. Its mission is to support and advance effective teaching practices that enhance and expand student learning. The Center supports innovation, best teaching practices, collegial collaboration, and research on teaching and learning. Serving as both a place and a catalyst connecting all MCC faculty and students, it works towards fostering a community of inquiry among faculty, staff, and students. The Center also strives to extend the network of faculty committed to the scholarship of teaching and learning by serving as a focal point for the exploration and discussion around new modes of teaching, learning, and assessment. For further information, call the Bedford TLRC, located in AR-1, rm. 5, at 781-280-3772 or the Lowell TLRC, located in LFB, rm. 002 at 978-656-3274.

Class Lists

Class lists are always available to faculty through MiddleNet on the MCC Portal. During the fall and spring, class lists are available on the first day of classes for the semester. Class lists for faculty teaching day classes are placed in their mailboxes.

Each semester, faculty and staff gather for intensive discussion, workshops and presentations addressing a topic of shared concern and interest. Often, guest speakers focus attention and stimulate thinking on the issues being considered. A Planning Committee, drawn from MCC faculty and staff work with the Professional Development Office to develop these programs. Attendance, required for full-time faculty and professional staff, is also open to part-time faculty and staff.

Travel

Prior approval is required for reimbursement of college-related travel expenses. Mandatory travel (e.g., to clinical sites) must be authorized by division deans. Discretionary travel requests (e.g., to attend conferences) are handled through the college-wide staff development process. Contact: Professional Development Office, Bedford Campus, Building 4, 781-280-3582 for application forms or log on to the MCC Portal and select Professional Development.

Grant Proposals

The Resource Development Office provides leadership and assistance to faculty and staff in researching and writing grant proposals that support new initiatives or strengthen college programs and services. Proposals are submitted to federal and state agencies, as well as to private corporations and foundations.

The college frequently partners with community or business organizations seeking grants to support workforce development, K-12 programs, or cultural, health, and social service activities. For further information, call the Office of Resource Development, 781-280-3580.

Mini-grants

Proposals for mini-grant projects, to be carried out over a semester or an academic year, are awarded for curriculum development or enhancement projects that directly affect student learning experiences. Many practices and programs that originated as minigrant projects have been fully implemented and integrated into classrooms and student service areas.

Examples of recently completed mini-grant projects include the adaptation of an introductory psychology course for self-paced studies format, with activities and exercises on CD-ROM; web-based courses or modules created by faculty, with syllabus links utilizing the Internet; and workbooks and study guides developed for a number of courses in various disciplines. Proposals are due during the spring semester. For mini-grant applications, visit the Professional Development Home Page to download the forms.

Perkins Grants

Middlesex receives an annual allocation from the Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act, a portion of which is designated for professional development to support activities related to career programs. Activities considered include:

• Expanding faculty knowledge of subject matter, or knowledge of standards-based curriculum, instruction and assessment
• Increasing student achievement
• Developing new courses, capstone courses, or enhancement of current courses based, in part, on research (industry contact, workshops, conferences and review of other courses and pedagogies)
• Training faculty in the use of technology
• Faculty externships in business and industry

Eligibility

All full and part-time faculty and professional staff are eligible to apply for Perkins professional development funds after one year of employment at Middlesex. Applicants should discuss their proposed project with their department head or division dean. The Perkins Grant application and funding cycle is the same as for minigrants. Visit the Professional Development site to download the application form. For further information, call 781-280-3582.

Professional Development Grants

Full-time faculty, adjunct faculty (after one year's service), administrative, professional and classified staff are encouraged to apply for professional development grants. These grants provide full or partial funding support to: attend conferences, workshops, training programs; enroll in work-related or discipline-related course work; conduct research or pursue curriculum and materials development; present on-campus workshops with guest consultants; or engage in other activities that contribute to the individual's professional growth and the college's overall effectiveness.

Proposal Review and Funding Process for Professional Development Grants

A college-wide advisory committee comprised of members from each division and employee category reviews professional development proposals twice a month throughout the academic year. The committee may vote full or partial support for proposals.

The application requires complete details of the proposed activity or project. In order to be reviewed by the committee, proposals must be submitted on the formatted application form available from the Professional Development site.

Full reports or approved follow-up of all funded activities and projects are a requirement of each grant. For further information and applications, visit the website and download the forms, or contact the Professional Development office, 781-280-3582.

Academic Technology Training and Consultation

To support flexibility in teaching and learning systems across disciplines, the Academic Resources and Instructional Technologies Division offers workshops and individual consultation on adapting technology to pedagogy. Information and training is available for developing and incorporating technology into online as well as face-to-face courses. The Academic Resources and Instructional Technologies Division also provides training in the use of office productivity software. The dates, times, and locations are announced in the News folder and posted on the Middlesex Interactive site. For further information, call 781-280-3716

Internationalizing the Curriculum

A number of activities contribute to infusing courses with international content and raising awareness of global issues among students and the entire college community. Faculty may participate in special institutes, and visiting scholars from many countries are frequent guest lecturers and campus speakers. The college's increasing numbers of international affiliations provide opportunities for faculty and staff to study and teach both on campus and abroad, through institutes, exchanges, fellowships and international/intercultural organization memberships. For information on international activities and applying for fellowships, call 978-656-3133.

Sabbatical Leave

The MCC Board of Trustees has authorized a maximum of six sabbatical leaves per year. The MCCC/BHE Agreement, pages 31-35, provides details of the criteria, eligibility, limitations, duration, process, and post-sabbatical report of activity and accomplishment requirements. For more detailed information about the Sabbatical application process, faculty and staff are advised to consult their division deans.

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)

WAC was established at Middlesex in 1988 to emphasize the importance of writing in every discipline and to encourage and improve student writing in the widest possible range of courses. The WAC committee sponsors workshops and special programs to help faculty incorporate writing assignments into their course work. Membership on the committee is open to interested faculty and professional staff from all divisions. For further information, call Associate Professor Tom Laughlin, 781-280-3839.

Common Book

Every other year, the WAC committee solicits suggestions and recommendations for the common book throughout the college. The selected work must be considered potentially effective across the disciplines and capable of being integrated into courses in many ways. WAC presents guest speakers, films and annotated guides to promote awareness and use of the common book by faculty and students.

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