How should professional development opportunities be planned?
During goal setting, each individual charts future career directions and plans appropriate support activities in conjunction with the department, college, and university missions. A faculty member could plan a series of activities to learn about and implement a “new” teaching strategy. A granting agency may be initiating a new program, and one or more faculty members could be funded to attend workshops aimed at improving their level of competitiveness. Through the evaluation process, a faculty member working toward tenure could be advised to participate in certain activities to strengthen specific skills. A person who is weak in some area could be assigned to pursue activities to improve performance within a set time period. A faculty member who is doing exemplary and innovative work could be asked to share that expertise with others.
