Learning & Development
Professional development is beneficial at any point in your career and intended to foster continued growth and engagement. We encourage all faculty to explore the resources offered.
- There are many professional development opportunities on campus that are free and short time commitments.
- PDR (Professional Development Reimbursement) can cover expenses related to professional development, including conference attendance, workshop costs, and materials.
- There is mandatory training for all employees in the following areas:
Academic Leaders refers to deans, associate deans, academic chairs and directors, division heads in library
Academic Leaders Portal (via Teams)
A dedicated space for academic leaders. If you need access, please reach out to Rebecca Sum (frlearn@sfu.ca)
Workshops and Lunch n' Lunch sessions
Sessions with subject matters experts covering key topics for administering academic units. The workshop schedule is shared directly with academic leaders.
- Centre for Educational Excellence (CEE) workshops and programs designed for teaching, TAs and educational leaders, 1:1 consultation for teaching development, assessment strategies, curriculum design and renewal, assistance with online or blended course design (CANVAS) and more.
- Communities of Practice: are groups of people who share a common area of interest and meet regularly. There are a few at SFU, on topics including Artificial Intelligence (AI COP), EDI Community of Practice (EDI-CoPr).
- Research Support Sessions provide information on the research priorities at SFU and various research support resources available. The sessions are held twice a year: Fall and Spring term.
- RESPECT Program is designed to teach cultural safety and anti-racism for all employees (including faculty members) at SFU with a focus on the implications of such skills for engaging with Indigenous faculty, staff and students and engaging in reconciliation as an institution more generally.
- Scholarly Publishing & Open Acesss: learn how to publish research, promote your work, explore open access, and boost your online scholarly presence with Library resources and support.
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NFCDD) institutional membership
SFU has an institutional membership with NCFDD to support the academic and career goals of our faculty members, graduate students and post-docs. The NCFDD is an independent professional development organization dedicated to supporting academics throughout their careers by providing professional development, training, and mentoring resources.
How to activate your NCFDD Account
To activate your NCFDD account, please complete the following steps:
- Go to SFU's NCFDD membership page
- Select “Activate my Membership”
- Complete the registration form using your SFU institutional email address (ex. john_smith@sfu.ca)
- Go to your SFU email to find a confirmation/welcome email. Click “Activate Account” in the email.
If you have any questions about the membership, please contact Suman Jiwani, Specialist, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Faculty Relations at suman_jiwani@sfu.ca.
If you have any technical questions, please email the NCFDD at Membership@FacultyDiversity.org.
NCFDD Programs
1. 14 Day Writing Challenge – covered by the institutional membership, a free opportunity for faculty members to experiment with daily writing, online community and supportive accountability on their platform.
2. Faculty Success Program (FSP)– an online program (not covered by membership). The Faculty Success Program is open to all non-tenure-track, tenure-track, and tenured faculty members. It helps tenure-track and tenured faculty with the skills necessary to increase research and writing productivity while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
3. Department Chair Success Program (CSP) – an online program (not covered by membership). The Department Chair Success Program is an immersive 12-week program explicitly tailored for department chairs. This transformative program is designed to empower department chairs with the skills, strategies, and support they need to thrive in their leadership roles. Register here
NCFDD Webinars and Live Zoom presentations
The webinars and Zoom presentations are free and available to all members through SFU insitutional membership. An NCFDD account is required to access the webinars.
Events schedule: https://www.ncfdd.org/events
Upcoming Live Zoom Presentations
May 15 - What I Wished I Would Have Known About Being an Interim Leader - Live on Zoom
Webinars for academic leaders via NCFDD