Flex - Flexible Calendar Program

What is Flex?
Merced College Blue Devil mascot flexing his muscle with a T-shirt that reads "Merced Flex" The Flex program consists of staff development activities “in-lieu-of” regular instruction.

  • Full-time faculty with a full contract teaching load are required to fulfill four (4) flex days per academic year at six (6) hours per day, totaling twenty-four (24) flex hours per year.
  • Part-time faculty will be compensated for participating in up to 3 hours of approved flex activities for each semester in which they have a current for-credit teaching assignment.

Explore the links below to learn more.

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FAQs

Flex reporting is now a 2-step process using Laserfiche:

  1. submit a plan on Laserfiche and wait for approval
  2. complete the flex activity and submit documentation to Laserfiche.

All flex plans and documentation will be tracked through Laserfiche.

If you attend an activity that is in the VRC, then you will need to submit documentation to Laserfiche.

If you attend an activity that is not in the VRC (such as committee meetings) you only need to use the Laserfiche form.  It is not necessary to add external activities into the VRC.

We are implementing Flex Plans to better align with Title 5 Regulations and ASCCC Guidelines.

Title 5 regulations:

  • “the district shall enter into an agreement with such employees specifying the following: (1) the professional learning activities the employees will perform in lieu of normal job duties during the designated days; (2) the number of hours of normal job duties being substituted with the professional learning activities”

ASCCC Guidelines:

  • ​”each faculty member is responsible for the development of his or her individual plan for professional and/or personal growth for the purpose of instructional improvement.  The plan should include
    • measurable objectives that the faculty member anticipates accomplishing during the time period
    • a statement that relates the objective to the intent of the flexible calendar program
    • a list of activities to carry out the stated objectives
    • the number of flexible calendar program hours needed to complete the individual activities”

Fall Flex plans are due Nov. 1

Spring Flex plans are due April 1

Flex documentation is due May 1 unless summer flex is planned and approved.

***Flex documentation can be uploaded anytime during the academic year.    

 

email your questions [email protected]

Faculty Flex Committee 

“The advisory committee is responsible for making recommendations on staff, student, and instructional improvement activities (title 5, section 55730(e)).  The recommendations should be based upon a comprehensive planning process that includes needs assessment and evaluation. The comprehensive planning process should be determined by the local shared governance mechanism. The advisory committee may assist the flexible calendar coordinator in the tasks necessary for implementation of the flexible calendar program.”

–excerpt from the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Flexible Calendar Program, ASCCC

Title 5 Section 55730

A district conducting an approved flexible calendar shall do all of the following to ensure effective use of resources during the designated flexible calendar days:

  1. every three years, conduct and update a survey of the most critical professional learning needs in the district;
  2. develop and carry out a plan of activities to address the critical needs;
  3. maintain records on the description, type and number of activities scheduled and the number of district employees participating in those those activities;
  4. evaluate annually the effectiveness of conducted activities and update the plan to reflect needed changes;
  5. appoint and hold regular meetings of an advisory committee composed primarily of faculty with adequate representation from other employee groups and other interested persons to make recommendations on professional learning activities to the college president or chief executive officer

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Area 4 Allied Health, Child Dev., Kinesiology, & Public Safety

Area 5 Social Sciences, Child Development, & Fine Arts

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Area 9 Business