Standard 26. The unit must require and document for each teacher educator: 

(1) completion of ongoing professional development opportunities related to the teacher educator's area of instruction focusing on research-based best practices;

With the purpose of enhancing professional vitality and ensuring faculty model effective delivery of instruction, Metro State and the UED encourage and expect its faculty to engage in ongoing professional development, including PD related to research-based best practices in faculty’s area(s) of instruction. Criterion 3 in the IFO Contact (see Article 22) for tenure and promotion along with ongoing performance reviews includes “Evidence of continuing preparation and study.” Thus, faculty members document their professional development as part of their regular Professional Development Reports according to their tenure status and rank. For each year starting in 2022 and beyond, the UED collects and documents examples of ongoing professional development related to research-based best practices in each teacher educator’s area of instruction. The UED Coordinator of Assessment, Reporting and Accreditation sends an electronic form to all faculty requesting them to state their professional development experiences, and the UED Department Chair and Dean follow up with any faculty who need to provide information or need to complete such PD.

The University offers various opportunities for faculty professional development that includes guest speakers and panels, cultural events, and conferences focused on research-based best practices for teaching diverse, adult learners. The Center for Faculty Development (CFD) regularly offers many programs and resources aimed at supporting teaching excellence, championing scholarly teaching, and fostering connections among faculty, staff, and advisers. The CFD even compensates Community Faculty members for participating in qualifying CFD activities. The objectives are to improve teaching, build community, compensate for time spent in development activities, and recognize their important contribution to the university.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused all teacher educators to make drastic changes to their instruction; in a matter of weeks UED courses were converted to virtual learning experiences. While 95% of UED courses were face-to-face in person prior to the pandemic, 95% of courses since have remained online, synchronous through an abundance of caution. The Center for Online Learning (COL) supports faculty in their design of online courses and the use of technology. The Faculty Peer Mentor Program offers a team of faculty who are a part of the Instructional Support Group, in the Center for Educational Innovation. Mentors support and advise faculty on best practices in course design, building courses in D2L, and teaching strategies. Mentors provide professional development opportunities related to:

• Teaching modalities: online, hybrid, hyflex, in-person
• Alignment of objectives to learning activities and assessments
• Universal Design for Learning
• Active learning and student engagement
• Course development, in partnership with an instructional designer and instructional technologist.

The UED also encourages faculty to attend the Minnesota Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE) professional development and networking opportunities three times per year. These conferences serve to support faculty in learning about research-based best practices in teacher education.