Professional Development
Through our institutional membership, all graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty have access to the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), which provides professional development, and training, NCFDD resources are broadly applicable across academic disciplines and include a range of topics such as time management, overcoming academic perfectionism, developing a daily writing plan, writing grant proposals, and more. These resources offer concrete guidance that could increase your productivity and your sense of well-being.
NCFDD resources geared specifically toward professional development include:
- Monday Motivator Newsletter – includes productivity tips
- Webinars - topic based and led by Kerry Ann Rockquemore or a guest expert
- Multi-Week Courses – led by expert facilitators
- The Library – slides and audio recordings of webinars from the year
Magna Commons Professional Development Courses
The University of Houston offers all faculty a subscription to Magna Commons, an online, cloud-based professional development resource for faculty and administrators. All faculty have on-demand access to a library of the best Magna Online Seminars. Because all seminars are online, users can access this resource whenever and wherever they are. Watch seminars at home, at work, in a group, on a tablet, or even on a smartphone.
See a list of Magna Commons Courses below, grouped by topic. Learn how to access your course subscription on the Magna Commons page.
Legal Issues
- Advanced Online Seminar: Transgender Students and Creating a Safe, Inclusive, and Legally Compliant Environment
- How Recent Copyright Court Cases Affect Distance Education
- How to Track Out-Of-State Activities and Stay in State Authorization Compliance
- Legal Issues in Hiring, Promotion, and Tenure: How Colleges and Universities Can Hire the Right Faculty and Reduce the Risk of Costly Litigation
- Legal Landscape of MOOCs: 5 Issues that Belong on Your Radar
- Social Media in Higher Education: Legal Considerations
- The Copyright Case We've Been Waiting for: Key Lessons & Policy Changes
- The Higher Ed Act Reauthorization: What's at Stake for You?
- The Latest GSU Ruling: New Fair Use Standards
Leadership
- 10 Skills to Increase Your Community's Diversity Competence
- 15 Practical Strategies to Re-energize Mid-career Teachers
- 23 Practical Strategies to Help New Faculty Thrive
- Academic Freedom and Free Speech: What You Need to Know
- Academic Restructuring: Guidelines for Academic Leaders
- Campus SaVE Act: What You Need to Know
- Considering the Courage and Practice of Teaching
- Faculty Evaluation and Review: Guidelines for Getting it Right
- Fostering a Collegial Environment: Guidelines for the Department Chair
- Giving Peer Feedback on Teaching: Trust, Reciprocity & Data
- How Can I Better Manage Difficult Conversations with Faculty?
- How Can I Give Negative Peer Feedback That Leads to Change?
- How Can I Measure My Faculty Development Center's Impact?
- How Good Is Good Enough?: Setting Benchmarks or Standards
- How Should I Coach an Underperforming Colleague?
- How to Effectively Lead Change in Higher Education
- How to Evaluate the Impact of Faculty Development Programs
- Improving Financial Management in Academic Programs
- Leading Change: A Framework for Department Chairs
- Measuring Learning: The Ultimate Teaching Evaluation
- Negotiation and Conflict Management for Academic Leaders
- Nine Essential Traits of the Effective Professor
- Outcomes-Based Assessment of Teaching & Learning Centers
- Policies, Practices for Supporting Non-Tenure Track Faculty
- Recruiting a Racially Diverse, Culturally Competent Faculty
- Seven Steps for Dealing with Problem Faculty
- Successfully Implementing Your Strategic Plan
- Three Keys to Effective Decision-making for Academic Leaders
- Using Motivational Interviewing to Engage & Motivate Faculty
- What Can I Do About Feeling Tired, Stressed, and Burned Out?