Community college faculty attitudes on professional development attendance and incentives

The full-time teaching faculty of the Community College of Southern Nevada responded to a survey designed to gather their views on internal professional development activities coordinated by the Faculty Center for Learning & Teaching (FCLT). The survey items elicited what types of activities or attitudes interfered with faculty attendance at such activities and what potential incentives or rewards were attractive to them in return for their participation in the activities; Significant findings for reasons that faculty do not participate in professional development primarily revolved around the faculty demographic characteristics of gender or teaching area (vocational or academic). This was true when considering teaching obligations, scheduled training times, content of sessions not serving to improve teaching, and no desire to participate; In regard to incentives for participation in professional development activities respondents generally favored a paid subscription to a professional publication or paid dues for membership in a professional organization. Paid travel expenses (with limitations) to professional conferences also had a lucrative overall response; Written comments from faculty included suggestions for other types of incentives, scheduling professional development activities, better marketing strategies for the FCLT, and training topics to be offered