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What is the FLEX
Program? |
The purpose of professional development is to provide
opportunities for faculty and staff to increase their knowledge and skills and to improve teaching, student learning, and
student success. The Faculty Development Committee is pleased to announce an exciting menu of professional
development workshops and activities that we hope will meet your professional growth needs.
If we can be of any assistance to you in your professional development planning, please call the Professional Development
Office at ext 3100 or visit us in UCEN 386. You may also contact one of the committee members directly. |
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What is
FLEX? |
The flexible calendar program was initiated by six California
community colleges in 1976 as a pilot project authorized by Assembly Bill 2232 (1975). The six pilot colleges were El Camino,
Grossmont, Cosumnes River, Saddleback, San Jose City, and Evergreen Valley. These six pilot colleges were allowed to reduce
the number of required instructional days from 175 to a minimum of 160. The bill provisions allowed the colleges the
opportunity to replace up to fifteen days of regular instruction with alternative activities such as course and program
development and revision, staff development activities, development of new instructional materials, and other
instruction-related activities. In fall 1980, El Camino College withdrew from the pilot program and was replaced by College
of the Canyons.
Implementation of the flexible calendar program at the pilot colleges involved reforming the instructional calendar to
accommodate instruction-free days for faculty development activities. Legislation (AB 1149) was drafted in 1981 that
allowed all colleges the option of adopting a flexible calendar program. In addition, the following bills relevant to the flexible
calendar were passed:
AB 1657 (1983) which provided a no-loss/no-gain in funding and conversion of days to hours. It also allowed flexible calendar activities to be performed during the fiscal year and added
matriculation as an approved flexible calendar activity.
AB 836 (1985) which provided technical change to formula to adjust ADA as a way to further assure a no-loss in funding. |
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 FLEX
Policies and Procedures
Adopted by the Academic Senate
- May 2013
To view the FLEX policies and
procedures, click
HERE.
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FLEX at
College of the Canyons |
| The Faculty Development Committee consists of
representatives from each division and the Professional Development Director. The committee meets
monthly and is
responsible for developing the FLEX schedules and activities based on the provisions of the law. (Title 5, section 55730e). |
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Faculty Obligation |
Based on the law (Title 5, section 55726b and 55728) each full
time permanent faculty member is obligated to complete 41
hours of FLEX activities per academic year. FLEX activities must not overlap with any accountable hours during the regular
academic term or special assignments for which the faculty
members are regularly compensated. Faculty members can
meet their FLEX obligation by attending or participating in
scheduled and/or unscheduled activities. Independent Projects
can account for a maximum of 50% (20.5 hours) of the FLEX
obligation. |
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Registration |
| A FLEX contract is required twice per year, once in the fall and
once in the spring. FLEX hours can be completed throughout the year, from July 1 through June 30. |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
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What are FLEX days?
FLEX credit is the State’s way of ensuring that faculty are engaging in professional development activities equivalent to
the amount of time they would be spending in class without a FLEX program. One hour of time spent on professional
development equals one hour of FLEX credit. As allowed by Title V, FLEX days are set aside in the academic calendar for faculty
to participate in professional development activities related to staff, student, and instructional improvement. At COC., full time faculty have an obligation of 41 FLEX hours per year.
What kind of activities are considered professional development activities?
The term professional development includes activities that 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 that enhance an individual’s physical and mental ability to perform his/her job. The Faculty
Development Committee uses the following guidelines to evaluate activities for flex credit:
•The primary goal of the activity must be professional growth and
achievement of the mission of the college, its vision, and the mission
of professional development in staff improvement, student improvement,
or instructional improvement.
•Accomplishment of the activity must be of sufficient benefit to justify
the time spent.
•The activity must be designed to foster an analytical or reflective
approach to professional development.
•You must not be compensated in any other way for this activity.
•The majority of the event must not be recreational or social.
•The activity must fall outside expected departmental and other
contractual faculty duties. |
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How much FLEX credit do I earn if I facilitate a workshop?
Workshop facilitators for FLEX activities earn double FLEX credit. For example, if you facilitate a three hour workshop, you will receive six
hours of FLEX credit. |
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What options are available for satisfying the 41 hours of my
FLEX obligation?
Faculty may satisfy their obligation through a variety of methods, including the following:
• Attend scheduled workshops during fall and spring FLEX weeks.
• Attend FLEX workshops and activities throughout the year.
• Attend off-campus workshops and conferences (outside regular working
hours). The maximum FLEX credit for conferences is 20.5 hours per year.
• Design your own Independent Project with the approval of the Faculty Development Committee.
• Participate in the FLEX Exchange Program by attending FLEX activities and workshops at regional community colleges. |
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| What if I need to make changes to my FLEX contract? |
| Please notify the Professional Development Office of any changes to
your FLEX contract by emailing
Leslie Carr at
leslie.carr@canyons.edu or by calling x3100. |
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What kinds of
Independent Projects are
acceptable for FLEX credit?
Your Independent Project proposal must meet the established FLEX criteria listed
above. The work on your project must be completed outside regularly
scheduled working hours. |
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How do I go about getting FLEX credit for an
Independent Project?
If you are planning to do an Independent
Project, you need to complete the following steps:
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Complete and submit an Independent Project proposal form, available on
this website under "Forms" or click on the following link:
https://www.canyons.edu/offices/pd/Forms/AppCreditFlex.asp
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Obtain approval from the Faculty Development
Committee PRIOR to beginning
work on the project.
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After getting approval for your project, complete the project.
*Projects that have not been pre-approved will NOT earn FLEX credit.
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Submit the project to the Professional Development Office by June
30th.
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Projects will be posted to the Professional
Development website.
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If we didn’t have FLEX days, would we have more
vacation days?
No. We would have additional days of class instruction. |
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When can I earn my FLEX credit?
You may earn FLEX credit during any time you are not scheduled to teach or hold office hours. |
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How do I receive FLEX credit?
Be sure to sign the sign-in sheet at each workshop you attend. |
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Can adjunct faculty attend flex sessions?
Yes. Adjunct faculty are encouraged to attend any flex workshop or activity they like. Adjunct faculty
who have a teaching assignment in the semester they attend a FLEX
workshop, will receive up to
3 hours pay per semester for attending flex workshops. This is in addition to the 2 hours pay they receive for attending their
department retreats each semester. Therefore, adjunct faculty can be compensated for up to 5 hours of flex per semester.
Compensation for adjunct faculty is limited to FLEX workshops held at College of the Canyons. |
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FLEX Guidelines
A FLEX workshop or activity must have, as its principal goal, one or
more of the following:
·
The
primary goal of the activity must be professional growth and achievement
of the mission of the college, its vision, and the mission of
professional development in staff improvement, student improvement, or
instructional improvement.
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Accomplishment of the activity must be of sufficient benefit to justify
the time spent.
·
The
activity must be designed to foster an analytical or reflective approach
to professional development.
·
You
must not be compensated in any other way for this activity.
·
The
majority of the event must not be recreational or social.
·
The
activity must fall outside expected departmental and other contractual
faculty duties.
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