Programs & Events

The Office of Faculty Development (OFD) offers a range of programming during the academic year. Our programming aims to be relevant and inclusive, covering topics related to scholarship, teaching, and faculty life at UMass Dartmouth as well as current topics in higher education.

All programs and events are held in the OFD suite on the second floor of Claire T. Carney Library (Room 212). We encourage you to join our workshops and programs in person, especially if you are already on campus. If you are not, know that our programming will remain accessible through the continued offering of virtual participation.

Every Friday, all faculty receive a “Next Week @ the OFD” email digest that provides detailed descriptions and registration information for upcoming programs and events. If you are not receiving these emails, please contact Ellen Mandly at emandly@umassd.edu.

OFD programming evolves to meet faculty needs of the moment: if you would like to see a particular topic represented in our offerings, or would like to offer an OFD workshop or program, please email ofd@umassd.edu.

Workshops & dialogues

OFD workshops focus on both teaching and scholarship. Teaching workshops provide opportunities for evidence-based discussions of pedagogical theories, teaching and learning skills and techniques, implementation of instructional technologies, and modes of assessment across modalities (face-to-face, blended, and fully online). Workshops on scholarship offer insight into academic writing; strategies for the publication of scholarly monographs, edited volumes, and peer-reviewed journal articles; writing grant applications; and engaging in creative work.

Faculty reading groups

Reading groups draw faculty together from across disciplines for in-depth, engaging conversations about a topic and title drawn from current work in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Writing Retreats

The OFD offers virtual writing retreats each semester along with periodic day-long, in-person writing retreats to help faculty make progress on articles, conference papers, grant applications, creative work, and other forms of scholarly activity.

Share your research

As part of its mission to promote the professional success of faculty at UMassD, the OFD’s “Share Your Research” series encourages faculty members to share work in progress with colleagues across disciplines. The form of presentation can range from the discussion of pre-circulated work in progress (i.e. article manuscript, book chapter, grant proposal, book proposal) to the formal presentation of a conference paper or poster. All sessions include the opportunity for discussion and feedback among participants.

Tour my course

Each semester, UMassD faculty members offer their colleagues a tour of their online and blended course sites. “Tour My Course” provides insight into key pedagogical techniques, course organization and communication, creation of online lectures and discussions, and modes of assessment within the MyCourses platform.

Action dialogues

“Action dialogue” is a process of identifying inequities in organizational policies, structures, and cultures; mapping out resources and strategies to remedy those inequities; and taking concrete actions towards inclusion and the disruption of unjust practices.

Annual conference

In cooperation with CITS Instructional Development, the Office of Online and Continuing Education, and the Provost’s Office, the OFD sponsors a day-long New Approaches to Teaching and Learning conference each January. The free conference, open to all UMassD faculty, features concurrent panels on pedagogical innovations by UMassD faculty, an invited keynote speaker, and the presentation of UMassD’s annual Provost’s Award for Teaching with Technology.