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Standard 5.7
The unit has policies and practices that encourage all professional education faculty to be continuous learners. For example, professional development in the COE is accomplished through support from the vice president for academic affairs for faculty members who make presentations at national conventions/conferences, or through support from grant activities and individual faculty members' support. Annually, the university sponsors 2-3 university-wide workshops for faculty members on issues such as accreditation, advisement, and retention. The COE also sponsors 4-5 in-service workshops for COE and Arts and Sciences faculty on matters relating to advising candidates in COE, assessment, evaluation processes like PEPE and
Praxis II
Professional development for faculty members in the COE occurs at several different levels from departmental meetings to national and international conferences. On informal levels, each department has regular meetings where faculty members share information about what is occurring in their disciplines and the impact this will have on teacher education programs and programs in the local school districts. At the collegiate level, monthly COE faculty meetings often provide speakers and consultants to apprise the faculty of current happenings and the impact on the unit. The COE also offers workshops and
retreats
At the university level, all faculty members attend half-day sessions/convocations sponsored by the office of academic affairs 2 to 4 times annually where invited speakers discuss issues of national interests related to education. The office of development also offers workshops on how to write proposals for grants and on increasing computer literacy for all faculty members. At the local level, faculty members have access to meetings and workshops sponsored by different professional organizations/associations such as Montgomery Area Mental Health, Head Start, Alabama Education Association, Alabama Federation for Council for Exceptional Children, Reading, Health and Dance. Each of these organizations sponsors conferences, meetings, and workshops that faculty attend and/or are actively involved in presenting and/or organizing. At the state and regional levels, faculty members attend and/or make presentations at these meetings. Since these meetings and conferences are local or within driving distance, they are cost-effective to attend. Every faculty member is encouraged to participate at the national level, and those who make presentations are provided financial support. Every full-time faculty member will be provided financial support to attend a regional and/or national conference or convention every year. This frequent exposure will keep the COE faculty on the cutting edge about where changes can be made or incorporated when and where needed. Experienced College of Education faculty mentor new faculty by providing encouragement and support for developing scholarly work relevant to teaching, inquiry, and service. For example, experienced and tenured faculty in the college informally mentor new faculty by informing them of the do's and don'ts and assisting them in networking with the COE, the university, and at the local and state levels. A more formal plan for mentoring is being developed which will involve pairing new faculty members with experienced faculty for (1) establishing a plan for publishing on a regular basis, (2) making presentations at conferences on the local, regional, and national levels, (3) doing workshops at local schools upon requests, and (4) consulting. |
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, standards on NCATE, INTASC, National Board Certification, No Child Left Behind legislation, and other teacher-education issues. Each department recommends faculty members to attend workshops and conferences on local and state levels where they have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with their colleagues across the state. Each faculty member is requested to keep a “reflection journal” and to submit a professional development plan for the year to their department chairs, who discuss the annual evaluation process with the faculty member. 
for one to two days where faculty members have the opportunity to listen and interact with consultants on a one-on-one basis or in small groups. Information is provided on such topics as PEPE training, certification requirements, National Board Certification, and No Child Left Behind legislation. These workshops are ongoing.