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| New Contract language is in italics. |
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What are Flex days? |
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As allowed by Title 5, Flex Days are days set aside in the calendar for professional development rather than for meeting with classes. A total of four (4) days shall be identified for Faculty Development (Flex) on the academic calendar. A Flex day shall consist of six (6) hours. [Faculty Contract, Section 21(a)].
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If we didn't have Flex days, would we have more days of vacation? |
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No, we would have additional days of class.
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What kind of activities are considered "Professional Development" activities? |
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The term "Professional Development" includes activities which increase knowledge in the discipline or which directly enhance teaching skills, but also activities which improve working relationships with students and staff in and out of the classroom as well as activities which enhance an individual’s physical and mental ability to perform his or her job.
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Do all professional activities have to occur on certain days? |
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No, but for accountability purposes, certain days are labeled “Flex days” on the academic calendar. However, attendance on designated days, for which Flex credit is given, may be required by the district.
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What is "Flex Credit"? |
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Flex credit is the state’s way of insuring that faculty engage in professional development activities equivalent to the amount of time that they would be spending in class without a Flex program. One hour of time spent on professional development equals one hour of Flex credit.
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How much Flex Credit do I earn if I present or facilitate an activity? |
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Individual presenters and individual workshop organizers of on-campus Flex activities earn triple Flex credit. For example, if you present a 3 hour activity, you will receive 9 hours of Flex credit. Multiple presenters and brown bag facilitators earn double credit.
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Are any activities mandatory at ECC? |
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ECC requires attendance at the activities occurring all day August 21, 2008 and three hours on February 11, 2009. A total of 9 hours of Flex credit are given for these days. The August 22nd and February 12th days listed on the School Year Calendar are optional days and do not require your presence on campus. The first day of the fall semester shall be a Flex day, with six (6) hours of scheduled activities mandatory for all Full-Time Faculty Members. The morning of the first day of the spring semester shall be three (3) hours of scheduled Flex activities mandatory for all Full-Time Faculty Members. [Faculty Contract, Section 21(b]).
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What happens if I am sick or have a personal emergency on a mandatory day? |
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If a Faculty Member misses a mandatory Flex Day, he/she shall be charged under the appropriate leave account in proportion to the missed Flex time and may not make up the absence. Six hours of Flex time shall be equal to one day of absence. Any portion of the six hours missed shall be considered a partial absence and shall be charged accordingly. [Faculty Contract, Section 21(b)(1)].
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What are my Flex obligations if I am on Sabbatical leave or pre-retirement? |
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Faculty members on extended leave (e.g. sabbatical, study abroad, faculty exchange, catastrophic illness, etc.) shall have their twenty-four (24) hour Flex obligation proportionately reduced for that academic year. [Faculty Contract, Section 21(c)].
If you are participating in the Pre-Retirement Program your Flex obligation is based on the load you are teaching for the year.
(Example: If you are teaching 3 classes total for the year (either semester) your flex requirement is 60% which equals 14 hours. Two classes for the year is 50% of the Flex requirement which is 12 hours, etc.)
If you are teaching in the fall, you should include the mandatory fall Flex day. If you are teaching in the spring, you should include the mandatory spring Flex day.
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What options are available for satisfying the remaining 15 hours of my Flex obligation? |
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The additional 15 hours of Flex activities will be required of all 10-month Faculty. [Faculty Contract, Section 21(b)]. Faculty may satisfy this obligation through a variety of professional activities:
- You can attend workshops or programs offered on campus throughout the academic year.
- You can attend off-campus workshops and conferences. The maximum Flex credit for a single day is 6 hours.
- You can design your own individual or group activities with the approval of your dean.
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You mean we can design our own activities for Flex Credit? |
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Yes. If you wish to receive credit for an individual or group activity, fill out an Individual/Group Flex Activity Proposal and submit it to your dean for approval.
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What kinds of individual or group activities are acceptable for Flex Credit? |
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Any activities that result in faculty, student, or instructional improvement are acceptable.
- Major design or redesign of courses
- Subject area research and course update
- New course/program development
- Development of new materials for use in course/program evaluation
- Exploration of alternate instructional methods
- Review of library and media holdings
- Assessment of community needs and preferences as they relate to instruction at the community college
- Academic projects involving student groups
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How does the college keep track of faculty Flex Credits? |
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Attendance is taken at the mandatory on-campus activities. Sign-in sheets are used to track on-campus programs.
If you are doing an Individual/Group Flex Activity Proposal, complete Part A, submit to dean for approval. When your project is finished, fill in Part B with signatures and dates, and send completed form to Staff Development. Retain a copy for your files.
All other Flex activity (e.g. off-campus workshops, conferences) can be reported to Staff Development on the Flex Reporting sheet.
All completed forms must be returned to the Staff Development Office by May 15, 2009.
If you will not be completing your Flex credit activities by this date you need to complete a Flex Completion Extension Form. This form must be returned to the Staff Development Office by Friday, May 15, 2009. All Flex credit must be completed by June 30, 2009.
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When can I earn Flex Credit? |
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You may earn Flex credit during any non-duty hours (hours you are not scheduled to be in class or in your office) throughout the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).
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What about Adjunct Faculty? |
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ECC has no Flex requirement for adjunct faculty members. However, they are welcome to attend any scheduled activities.
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What about classified staff and management personnel? |
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Classified and management employees are not required to attend; however, they are welcome to participate in any of the scheduled activities. Classified staff need to make prior arrangement with their supervisors in order to coordinate office/area coverage.
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Do participants have to pre-register to attend an activity? |
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In order to assure space availability and enough handout materials pre-registration is required for most programs. Confirmation will be acknowledged by email or campus mail. Registration for classes may be made by email to: staffdev@elcamino.edu, by campus mail, or by the automated telephone option at Ext 3872.
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What if I don't complete my Flex obligation? |
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Absences on the mandatory Flex Days (9 hours) will be charged to leave and cannot be made up. If a Faculty Member does not complete any portion of the additional 15 hours of required Flex activities by May 15*, his/her pay will be deducted for any of the Flex hours not completed. [Faculty Contract, Section 21(b)(2]).
*A Flex Completion Extension Form must be submitted to the Staff Development Office by May 15, 2009 for any activities to be completed after May 15.
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If you have questions please call Ext 3871.
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