Know Your Rights: Scheduled Development Time

Hi Continuing Faculty Members!

This is by no means the “official” version of this clause. But until we do have one, it seemed wise to publish a clean version for readability since Scheduled Development Intents are due Feb 1! Remember that once you’ve created your Intent in Faculty Connect, you’ll have to wait for your Chair AND Dean or Director to approve it before you can submit your Proposal. I always put a brief summary of what I plan to propose in the comments of my intent, just in case! If your account in Faculty Connect hasn’t been created by your Admin office, email your intent to your Chair and CC your Dean or Director to ensure you meet the timelines. If you have any trouble getting through the process or understanding what you need to do, get in touch with us!

-Lynelle

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Clause 10.01 Scheduled Development Time for Faculty – Updated & Reorganized 2022-2025 Collective Agreement

Scheduled development time for faculty is based on the recognition of the need for continuous development of Faculty Members, of educational practice, and of the organization. Scheduled development time and activities support Faculty Members in the development of their own learning related to their current or potential role(s) at the College and in the application of their knowledge, skills and awareness to the ongoing development of the College as a learning-centered institution. Scheduled development time and activities support Faculty Members in responding to identified learning and development needs of students, departments, community groups, the College, and the individual Faculty Members themselves. These activities may include but are not restricted to formal or private study, either for credit or not for credit; research; industrial or community liaison; work experience; relevant travel; course, curriculum, and/or program development, review, and revision; exploration and development of new course materials; development of instructional innovation; and participation in the planning or governance procedures of the department, school, or College.

• Categories of Scheduled Development Activities

While scheduled development activities vary broadly, projects should be classified among the following three general categories:

Professional Development focuses on the Faculty Member’s development of knowledge, skills, and awareness related to the Faculty Member’s educational practice, area(s) of professional expertise, and current or potential college role(s).

Instructional Development focuses on the development of instruction, courses, and programs, with the purpose of enhancing student learning.

Organizational Development focuses on the development of department, school, or College operations or procedures as a means of providing an effective learning and teaching environment.

While scheduled development projects may include any or all of these categories, over time approximately half (1/2) of a Faculty Member’s activity shall focus on professional development. With approval from their Dean or Director, Faculty Members may increase their proportion of professional development.

• Entitlement to Scheduled Development Time
  • Continuing, probationary, indefinite term (as per Clause 1.02(d)), and post-retirement (as per Clause 18.03) Faculty Members, with the exception of International Education Project Officers, Senior Analysts, and Program Developers in Professional Studies and Industry Training, shall be granted annually two (2) months’ time, or the equivalent, free of regular duties, for approved scheduled development activities (except when reductions apply as per Clause 10.01(d) or where the conditions of Clause 10.0l(b)(iii) are not met). Part-time Faculty Members are entitled to two (2) months’ time at their normal rate of pay.
  • Except for activities which are approved by the Dean or Director for deferral as in Clause 10.01(g), scheduled development activities are conducted within a twelve (12) month period, commencing May 1st. This twelve {12.) month period is referred to in this agreement as “the development year.”
  • New probationary, continuing, indefinite term, or post-retirement Faculty Members must have been employed as term, probationary, or continuing Faculty Members on term, probationary, continuing, post-retirement, or indefinite term appointments by the September preceding the development year in order to be eligible for scheduled development in that development year.
  • Term top-up assignments to part-time continuing appointments do not lead to increased Scheduled Development time.
  • International Education Project Officers, Senior Analysts, and Program Developers in Professional Studies and Industry Training are each entitled to one {1) month of scheduled development time annually, normally to be taken as a two (2) month scheduled development activity every second year.
  • Chairs are entitled to scheduled development time on the basis of their entire assignment, which includes their Chair duties and their instructional or student development duties.

• Combining Scheduled Development Activities and Professional Development
  • With the approval of the Dean or Director, Faculty Members shall be entitled to take their scheduled development time as part of an extended development project which includes a period of paid or unpaid professional development leave. The criteria for approval of such proposals shall be consistent with the criteria normally used in relation to applications for scheduled development time. Such proposals shall not be unreasonably denied.
  • If such a leave is greater than one (1) year, a Faculty Member is eligible for scheduled development time in connection with that leave one time only.
  • Time taken on brief professional development activities, approved and funded by the Professional Development Committee, and taken outside the scheduled development period, is not considered part of the Faculty Member’s scheduled development time.
  • Faculty Members on scheduled development projects may apply for Professional Development Committee funds or other College funding for expenses incurred in their projects.
  • Scheduled development time may be used in combination with regular assigned duties.

• Reductions in Scheduled Development Time
  • Scheduled development time for Faculty Members, including Faculty Members in their year of retirement, is based on their employment in the previous development year, as defined in Clause 10.01 (b)
  • The following provisions do not apply to approved scheduled development activities taken in combination with paid or unpaid professional development leaves as described in Clause 10.0l(c).

Length of unassisted leave of absence based on continuing workload equivalent	Reduction in Scheduled development time in Faculty Members’ next Scheduled Development period
Two (2) months or less	No reduction
More than two (2) and up to six (6) months	One (1) month reduction
More than six (6) months	No entitlement to Scheduled Development

• Faculty Members who incur a reduction in scheduled development time will carry out their regular duties or other assigned duties per Clause 7.01 during the remainder of their scheduled development period. These duties may be done in combination with the remaining scheduled development activities as agreed upon by the Faculty Member and Dean or Director.
  • When a Faculty Member takes a partial leave of absence for a full year, the scheduled development time will be at the percentage of salary that applies during the rest of the leave of absence.
  • Faculty Members returning from STD and LTD leaves will have no reduction in their entitlement to scheduled development time. When possible and appropriate, the scheduled development activities for such Faculty Members may be incorporated with their overall return to work plan.

• Scheduling of Development Activities

Scheduled development activities shall take place in one (1) uninterrupted block of time free of regular duties, unless the Faculty Member and the Dean or Director agree to another pattern.

The scheduling of the block of development time and arrangements for other patterns will be established by the agreement of the Faculty Member, the department Chair, and the Dean or Director.

• Planning of Scheduled Development Activity
  • Prior to each development year, Faculty Members applying for scheduled development time shall submit intents and proposals according to the table below: 

SD Period	Summer	Fall	Winter
Submit intent to Chair and Dean	February 1	February 1	February 1
Submit proposal to Chair	February 1	June 1	October 1
Submit proposal to Dean/Director	February 15	June 15	October 15

• If a Faculty Member does not submit a formal proposal by the relevant submission deadline, the Faculty Member is deemed to have forfeited their scheduled development time for the coming development year unless an extension is agreed to by the Dean or Director.
  • The Dean or Director shall formally respond to all proposals within one month of the deadline for submission to the Dean or Director.  Proposals which do not receive a response by the approval deadline will be deemed to have been approved.
  • Proposals for the use of scheduled development time shall not be unreasonably denied. The rejection of a proposal by a Dean or Director does not result in the forfeit of the scheduled development time, but results in discussions between the Faculty Member and the Dean or Director to reach agreement on the Faculty Member’s scheduled development activity. Should the Faculty Member and the Dean or Director be unable to agree on a mutually acceptable development activity, the matter shall be referred to the Dispute Resolution process (Clause 21.01 and 21.02).

• Deferral of Scheduled Development Time
  • When the Dean or Director and the Faculty Member agree that the Faculty Member’s College assignment prevents the Faculty Member from utilizing all or part of the Faculty Member’s scheduled development time, the Faculty Member shall defer all or part of the scheduled development time for future use. In other instances, deferrals of scheduled development time are limited to two (2) months, except in the case of specific projects which require a longer period and meet the approval of the Dean or Director.  Such projects may include, but are not restricted to, university programs and work or other experience relevant to the Faculty Member’s current or potential role(s) at the College.
  • Proposals for deferral of scheduled development time shall not be unreasonably denied, but shall be planned where possible and applicable, to occur in periods of reduced student activity. In cases where programs have limited or no periods of reduced student activity, the College’s operating plan will contain a commitment, within the limits of available resources, to provide replacement faculty for Faculty Members taking scheduled development time.

• Accountability for Scheduled Development Activities
  • Approved scheduled development activities constitute legitimate work assignments that are subject to the same standards and expectations of any normal professional activity undertaken by Faculty Members. Albeit the nature of these activities reflects development needs and goals of individual Faculty Members, scheduled development activity constitutes College work that is supported by College resources for the ultimate benefit of the students served. Deans/Directors and individual Faculty Members are responsible for ensuring that scheduled development activities are conducted in accordance with approved plans and standards.
  • Faculty members are responsible for submitting a report to the Dean or Director summarizing the results of each year’s scheduled development activity by the last day of their approved scheduled development period unless an extension is agreed to by the Dean or Director.
  • Days of illness during development projects must be reported as sick days in the normal fashion. There is no carry forward of development time lost as a result of illness. When illness interferes with the completion of a scheduled development project, the Faculty Member, with the agreement of the Dean or Director, is freed in whole or in part for responsibility for completion of the Faculty Member’s project. In cases of disagreement on the impact of the illness on the Faculty Member’s ability to carry out Scheduled Development activity, the matter will be resolved through the Dispute Resolution process (Clause 21.01 and 21.02).
  • Although some minor variations are to be expected, each Faculty Member is obligated to carry out the general plan described in the Faculty Member’s approved proposal. The developmental and exploratory nature of some projects may result in not all of the stated goals being achieved. However, major changes must be reviewed and approved by the Dean or Director in advance of the change.

Delete LOA 2 Re: Joint Committee on Scheduled Development