This document complements the Annual Performance Review (APR) process.

General Principles

1. As a center, we aim to support and promote professional and personal development amongst the academic team.
2. It is the responsibility of each individual academic team member to actively seek out, identify and request relevant development opportunities.
3. It is the responsibility of the academic management team to promote all types of relevant professional development opportunities.
4. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to assist supervisees to plan and pursue professional development objectives through the Annual Performance Review (APR) process.
5. Any staff member benefiting from support for staff development events may be required to run internal training sessions to pass on information to the rest of the academic team.

Pre-Approved External Events

This section outlines annual or biennial events which will be factored into the staff development budget each year. The level of support and number of places available for each event will be clearly stated when staff are contacted about the event.

For each event, there will be a fair selection process. Priority will normally be given to staff who have proposals for papers accepted at the event, although having a proposal accepted will not automatically qualify a staff member for funding. Other factors will also be taken into consideration such as the amount of support received by an applicant for previous events and development opportunities.

Once the information about the event has been released, the member of staff will normally apply for these events by submitting an application for funding request to their supervisor. Proposal submissions will follow the rules and deadlines of the specific conference. Members of the academic team receiving support for these events may be required to submit requests to other sources of funding available within the OSU community.

To propose events to be added to this list, staff should contact their supervisor who will then take the proposal to the academic team meeting.

Pre-Approved External Events

Event	When	Notification to Staff
TESOL annual conference	April each year	April to May
INTO annual conference	April – June each year	September to March

Event:BALEAP biennial conference
When:April every 2 years (2011/2013/2015/2017 etc.)
Notification to Staff: October/November (every 2 years)

Event: ORTESOL annual conference (or Tri-TESOL)
When: October/November each year
Notification to Staff: August/September

Application for funds to other External Events

Every staff member has the right to apply for financial assistance for an external or internal professional development opportunity that is not on the pre-approved list. To apply for such events, the member of staff should submit an application for funding request to their supervisor. This request will then be taken to the Director of Academic Programs and given full consideration.

Approval will be based around a discussion focusing on: (1) the benefit for the professional development of the individual; (2) the benefit for the center and the academic team; (3) the relevance to the needs of the INTO OSU Center; (4) the cost; (5) the previous support given to the individual during that financial year; (6) the amount of funding available in the staff development fund and (7) the ranking in importance against other submissions. If successful, the resulting offer may be one of full or partial funding and certain conditions may be applied.

Internal Professional Development Sessions

The Center is committed to providing and enabling the delivery of high-quality internal professional development sessions. Internal staff development sessions may be delivered by OSU academic staff, INTO OSU staff, external visitors or invited speakers. Internal sessions include, but are not limited to:

1. Termly ‘Professional Enrichment Days’ (PEDs): These are internal mini-conferences which will take place once per term on a teaching day approved by the academic management team.
   PEDs may vary in focus and length from term to term. They offer the opportunity for staff:
   • to share and disseminate expertise and areas of interest.
   • to lead a workshop on a topic of interest for them.
   • to gain experience in delivering a session or leading a workshop to a group of peers.
2. Internal professional development Sessions: These are similar to the type of session found in the PEDs but are individual sessions timetabled and delivered at lunchtimes or at other times of the day when colleagues may be able to attend. As well as being within the INTO OSU Center, these may also be in the wider OSU community.
3. The INTO OSU Professional Reading Group: This is an informal development session led by a member of the academic team. The aim is to distribute articles and then meet informally to discuss them.

Proposals, requests or suggestions regarding internal professional development sessions should be submitted to supervisors.

Other Internal Professional Development Opportunities

As well as sessions, there are many other opportunities for professional development internally. These include, but are not limited to:

1. Orientation checklist and procedure
2. Observations and feedback
3. Peer observations and feedback
4. Student Evaluations
5. The My TESOL Books project
6. Job shadowing
7. Participation in committees, task forces and special projects (OSU and INTO OSU)

Suggestions for other internal professional development opportunities that could be added to this list should be submitted to supervisors.

1. Orientation checklist and procedure
   An orientation checklist has been developed for staff new to the Center. It includes a number of developmental elements such as 15-minute meetings with key people throughout the Center that will help the new instructor to understand the context in which they are working. It also contains a number of important practical issues which need to be completed as soon as possible after arrival e.g. to obtain computer access.
2. Observations and feedback
   Observations should be viewed as developmental rather than evaluative.There will be a minimum of two observations per year for each instructor and these will be carried out by the supervisor. Additional observations may also be carried out by either supervisor or the relevant coordinator. Observations can be conducted in many different ways and staff may have input into the type and focus of the observation.Where the staff member has professional development objectives in the Annual Performance Review process that are focused on what happens in the classrooms, observations are an excellent opportunity for feedback and development. For example, if the objective is to develop classroom management skills, the staff member can ask the observer to focus specifically on giving feedback on classroom management.A standard procedure for observations is being developed. However, you can expect to have at least 48 hours notice before an observation; a brief meeting with the observer in the 24 hours before the observation; a feedback meeting within 14 days of the observation and a written record of the observation signed off by both parties. If you prefer short, spot observations without any notice, you should request this from your supervisor. These may be done in addition to or in place of full class observations.
3. Peer observations and feedback
   Peer observations are encouraged. A procedure and guidelines for conducting peer observations effectively has not yet been developed and suggestions are welcome. Peer observations involve an exchange where instructor A observes instructor B and vice versa. Both parties should agree on the aspect of the lesson that the observer is going to focus on in each case. There should be a feedback meeting within 14 days of the observation and a written record of the observation signed off by both parties.
   A proposed structure for supervisor and peer observation is as follows:
   

Fall term	Supervisor observation
Winter term	Peer observation (encouraged)
Spring term	Supervisor observation
Summer term	Peer observation (encouraged)

 

1. Student Evaluations
   Instructors can expect student evaluations to be gathered at the end of each term. Student evaluations of classes can also be used as a developmental tool. While the vast majority of student evaluations are positive, a pattern or significant number of comments that highlight an issue that needs to be tackled should be acted on without delay. In this case, the instructor should discuss with the supervisor the best way to tackle the issue. The program manager may also be involved.
2. The Professional Library
   We are developing a library of books which have been recommended by members of the academic team. Each person chooses the three books that have had the most influence on them as TESOL professionals. For each book, the person writes a commentary on the effect that the book had on them. These commentaries are kept in a folder with the books. The books are kept in the Learning Center and may be browsed or borrowed by staff members. Anyone can sign up to two books out at a time.
3. Job shadowing
   Staff interested in job shadowing should speak to their supervisor. This is where an arrangement is made to spend some time with another staff member in order to learn more about their roles and responsibilities. Job shadowing is an excellent tool to learn more about and develop an appreciation of the wider INTO OSU operation by spending time with a staff member that you would perhaps not work with on a normal daily basis. It is also an opportunity to learn about other roles within the academic team.
4. Participation in committees, task forces and special projects (OSU and INTO OSU)
   Staff may look for the opportunity to take part in committees, task forces and special projects both within the INTO OSU Center and outside in the OSU community. Participating in such activities can further develop understanding and appreciation of the wider community as well as helping to gain experience and develop additional skills.

INTO Center Exchanges

There are currently fifteen INTO centers in the UK and six in the US. The Center recognizes the benefits that spending time working in another INTO Center can bring to both the individual and the academic team as a whole. Staff are encouraged to express an interest in exchanging with colleagues in other INTO Centers. At the time of writing, this project is in its infancy and there are currently a number of practical legal and immigration issues to work through.

Work a Year Overseas

Academic staff are encouraged to seek out scholarships and opportunities to spend a period of time working overseas. The Center recognizes the benefits that working overseas brings to both the individual and the academic team as a whole. To support this, OSU will consider offering the security of returning to the same appointment after the period overseas. Each request of this type will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and the operational needs of the Center will always need to be taken into account.

Applying for Professional Development Funding

To apply for funding for both approved and non-approved events, staff complete an application for funding which is then sent to the supervisor. The form can be found on the staff info depot under the ‘Applying for Professional Development Funds’ section.

 

 

 Ver. 5, October 2014