Professional Development Units (PDUs) provide a means for recognizing and rewarding major activities undertaken by individual faculty members in order to stay current in their fields and/or grow professionally.
Non-probationary academic employees shall receive four (4) PDUs for each new year of service completed. In addition, non-probationary and probationary academic employees shall earn PDUs by meeting the criteria described below.
Activities shall be completed beyond the base workload duties of the academic employee unless specifically approved by the appropriate supervising administrator. Faculty shall not receive PDUs for activities considered part of their regular workload, including activities for which faculty receive release time or activities in accordance with Article 601.6 College Obligation.
For details about PDU's, please see the Faculty Contract.
PDU Process
Revisit your Teaching Effectiveness Plan (TEP)
At the beginning of the academic year, revisit your TEP. Select PDU earning activities that will help you to meet the outcomes outlined in your TEP.
Prepare the PDU Application Form
Upon completion of the activity, the academic employee shall submit the required documentation to the designated administrative representative. All documentation must be submitted within one year of the completion of the activity. PDU documentation submitted after the first day of summer quarter will be evaluated the following academic year
Important Note: Pre-approval is required by your dean for craft performance or research & development activities.
Gather Documentation
To receive credit for PDU generating activity, you must provide supporting documentation. This documentation might be a conference agenda, a transcript, a time log, a calendar, a written report, or even an email from your dean with required pre-approval. Please see the PDU Application Form to decide which documentation is required for your activity.
Submit the Completed Form
Submit your completed PDU form and supporting documentation to your dean.
Maintain Records
Faculty are encouraged to maintain copies of their PDU documents. Human Resources will send out a notice at the end of each academic year with a summary of your approved PDU's.
What to do if your PDU Application is Denied
Documentation for PDU's must be submitted within one year of the completion of the activity. PDU documentation submitted after the first day of summer quarter will be evaluated for the following academic year.
PDUs will be evaluated and approved by the appropriate vice president or dean. If a PDU application is not approved or is altered, the Office of Instruction will notify the applicant by email or in writing including reasons for alteration.
Disputes over the validity or acceptability of an activity will be resolved by a Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) consisting of three faculty and three administrators selected by the Vice President for Instruction.
Reasons PDUs get Denied
Sufficient documentation is not provided with the PDU submission
Check the PDU form to see what documentation is required for your 'PDUable' activity. Typical documentation includes transcripts, conference brochures, and time logs. Research and development PDUs require the submission of a comprehensive report & prior approval from your supervising administrator. What should you do? Gather the appropriate documentation and resubmit the PDU form the following year.
The chosen PDU activity doesn't fit the faculty member's teaching effectiveness plan
If the activity was undertaken because it indeed has value to the faculty member and/or program, perhaps the teaching effectiveness plan needs to be updated. The teaching effectiveness plan is a dynamic document. Revisit it with you dean to see how the plan might be updated to better reflect new directions that could include the desired activity.
Prior approval was not obtained
What can you do? Prior approval is important because it helps avoid misunderstandings about correlation between work completed and the teaching effectiveness plan, funding, and required documentation. However, if an oversight occurs, connect with your dean. If the activity is related to or specified in the teaching effectiveness plan, it has a good chance of being approved.
PDUs were not submitted by the required deadline
You may only apply for PDUs for one year after completing the activity. Submit the PDU application immediately after completing the PDU activity, or prior to the first day of summer quarter.
Funding PDUs
Foundation Exceptional Faculty Grants
Faculty members who are interested in participating in faculty development activities that strengthen the college mission and/or Annual Priorities have the ability to make written requests directly to the Vice President of Instruction. These are one-time-only funds, but the funds can have wide-ranging application. Funds may be used for a specific professional development activity, such as a conference or workshop; or funds may be used for an event or activity, such as an art gallery show, campus speaker series, or arts magazine debut.
Grant Applications are released towards the end of winter quarter and are due in early spring to fun activities occurring the next academic year.
Carl Perkins Funds
Carl Perkins professional development funds, available only for professional technical faculty, are intended to fund activities that either help faculty stay current in their given field or promote program improvement. Applicants must write a short narrative in which they describe:
- the proposed activity
- expected outcomes including how the activity benefits the professional/technical program
- a breakdown of how the funds will be used
The application is submitted to the Dean for Workforce, and is review by the Workforce Education Team. Funds are allocated on a first come, first serve basis, although consideration is given to how funds have been dispersed among eligible program faculty. Additionally, recipients of these funds must submit a short written report before the end of the academic year summarizing the actual outcomes of the activity including the actual or expected impact on the professional/technical program.
Exceptional Faculty Grant
Exceptional Faculty Grants provide for projects or services that promote student learning. Projects may relate to existing or to new programs, courses, or services. Awards can be used by full and part-time faculty to pay for in-service training, temporary or replacement costs directly associated with faculty development programs, conferences, travel, publication, and dissemination of exemplary projects; to supplement the salary of the holder; or to pay expenses associated with the holder’s program area. Applications are reviewed by the Exceptional Faculty Committee consisting of at least three faculty, an LCC Foundation member, and a dean who serves as chair of the committee.
Except under unusual circumstances, grants are not funded on a continuing basis. Recipients must submit a brief report to the Office of the Vice President and Dean of Faculty or their designee when their project is complete as well as share the results of their project with the general faculty. The project must be completed and all paperwork and required documentation must be turned in before June 30th of the award year to receive grant funds.
Faculty Development Committee
The Faculty Development Committee disperses funds to full and part time faculty for activities that promote professional
growth. The Committee is composed of one representative from each department and is
chaired by the Vice President of Instruction. The Vice President of Instruction's
Executive Assistant is the secretary for the Faculty Development Committee. The Committee
meets at the beginning of the academic year and creates an updated set of guidelines
for disbursement of funds as well as quarterly due dates for applications which are
shared with full and part time faculty.
Faculty who apply for funds must fill out two documents:
- Process Prior Approval for Travel Form from Forms A-Z page. Form must be signed by the appropriate dean
- Complete Faculty Development Application
If the applicant wants to travel outside Washington State, the prior approval must be signed by the President of the college before submitting. Once a travel request has or has not been approved by the Committee, the applicant will receive a letter from the Vice President outlining the action taken by the Committee.