FILII - Faculty Innovation and Leadership Investment Initiative

Purpose

The Faculty Innovation and Leadership Investment Initiative is a program developed by the Kern Community College District to invest in faculty projects that have potential benefits to other faculty across the district, and to provide opportunities for faculty to work with, share, and learn from their faculty colleagues at each of our colleges. This initiative is overseen primarily by the Office of Educational Services, but involves input and participation from administrators, faculty, and staff from across the district. These investments come primarily in the form of faculty reassigned time or stipends to work on proposed projects without adversely impacting their primary teaching/service assignments, contractual duties or other employment obligations. Faculty are selected from a pool of applicants, reviewed by a cross-section of stakeholders drawn from within the district, assigned a mentor to help guide their progress, and meet periodically with their faculty cohort and the Office of Educational Services leadership.

History

A pilot version of this initiative began in the 2021-22 academic year as the Faculty Leadership Initiative. Faculty members from the three Kern CCD colleges were given reassigned time to invest in the projects in their proposals. All faculty met periodically as a group with administrators from the Office of Educational Services to provide updates on their progress. These meetings provided the opportunity for the District Office to ask questions, as well as for faculty from the three colleges to learn about each other's projects and ask each other questions. The positive responses and feedback from the faculty participating led to this plan to develop this initiative as an ongoing investment in Kern CCD faculty.

Eligibility

All faculty employed within Kern CCD in the academic year of the program are eligible, but must be available to participate in all required meetings. Full-time faculty selected will receive re-assigned time for their investment initiatives. Adjunct faculty will receive stipends. Faculty should confirm with their supervisors that acceptance of their application and its requirements will not adversely impact their instructional areas of responsibility. We encourage Chairs and Administrative supervisors in the faculty member's area to support selected faculty members' participation in the program and help ensure that any other responsibilities of the faculty member will not be adversely impacted or prevent them from participating in the program.

Application

Faculty will be required to submit a formal application describing:

  • the proposed nature and scope of the project
  • their prior knowledge and experience with the project content or area • the work they are proposing they will be able to do during the semester participating in the initiative
  • the implications of this work for their own faculty area
  • the benefits of this work for other faculty within the district
  • how the project will benefit our students, and lead to enhanced student success with equity

Subject matter of the applications should relate to at least one of the following areas:

  • Teaching-and-Learning Innovation (i.e. classroom pedagogy, instructional design and technology, etc.)
  • New Programs Innovation (i.e. proposals for new programs or initiatives)
  • District Processes Innovation (i.e. improving or reforming current processes, improving efficiency, removing obstacles, etc.)

Review of Applications

A panel of KCCD employees representing different areas and colleges within the district will review all applications and discuss the merits, benefits, and challenges each may present. Faculty appointments to the review panel will be made by the respective college Academic Senates, and ensure that selected faculty do not have a conflict of interest with the applicants. Based on factors including the number of applicants, available funding to support faculty, timeliness of the subject matter of the proposal, and feasibility of the proposal, the panel may choose to support some, all, or none of the applications in a given year.

Process

In the fall semester, a message will be sent to all district faculty informing them of the opening of the application process for the year, and the deadline for applications.

The approximate timeline will be as follows:

General Fall semester timeline:

  • Request for applications message sent in Week 8
  • Deadline for applications in Week 10
  • Review of applications in Week 11
  • Notification of acceptance of applications in Week 12
  • Special compensation contracts drafted in Week 13
  • Signatures for special compensation documents submitted in Week 14
  • Initial meeting of new cohort and district personnel occurs in Week 15

Spring semester activity:

  • Oversight
    • Each faculty member is assigned one administrator to supervise their work and schedule regular ‘check-ins'
    • Each faculty member will produce a statement outlining the scope of project, deliverables, and timeline for work
  • Team schedules monthly group meetings to share, ask questions, and receive feedback
  • Each faculty member provides updates to their supervisor during their scheduled check-ins
  • Faculty draft final reports of their projects, submitted two weeks prior to end of semester

Sharing of work within the district

  • Participants will present work near the end of spring semester at:
    • Consultation Council
    • Chancellor's Seminar
  • Summary report prepared by the Office of Educational Services presented at Board of Trustees Meeting, posted to District Office webpage
  • Local campus presentations at appropriate venues (i.e. Flex Day, College Council, or other special presentations as determined by each college)
  • Arranging for seminars/workshops for each college led by the faculty leaders to allow for training, questions, and deeper discussion, as appropriate and as determined by each college

Expected Outcomes

  • Ensuring Kern CCD remains innovative in the higher education landscape
  • Innovations can be shared and benefit faculty district-wide
  • Faculty leaders are rewarded for their creativity, innovation, and effort
  • Faculty and administrative leaders develop stronger relationships and mutual understanding
  • Finding new ways to achieve student success with equity

Requirements

  • Support of Chairs and Administrators at each college
  • Sustainable financial impact of faculty reassigned time and stipends
  • Participation of district employees in being aware of the work of participating faculty and recognizing its potential value for themselves other faculty and colleges across the district