Professional Development Experiences

Created by: James Cawthorne and Dr. Audeen Fentiman, Purdue University

This list offers some suggestions for experiences you can seek out during your graduate career.
How many have you had?

Teaching Development

  1. Conducting a classroom lecture
  2. Conducting a laboratory class
  3. Designing a classroom lecture
  4. Classroom management
  5. Developing a teaching philosophy
  6. Developing a portfolio – teaching
  7. Addressing academic dishonesty
  8. Promoting academic integrity
  9. Assessing Students – formative
  10. Assessing Students – summative
  11. Integrity technology into the classroom
  12. Preparing a syllabus
  13. Designing a course
  14. Designing the laboratory course
  15. Integrating a class and lab
  16. Distributed learning / Distance learning
  17. Teaching ethics
  18. Managing student-teaching relationships
  19. Recognizing student differences in learning
  20. Active learning techniques
  21. Learning communities
  22. Team teaching

Research and Scholarship Development

  1. Responsible Conduct of Research
    1. Research integrity
    2. Human subjects research
    3. Responsible data management
    4. Plagiarism
    5. Copyright
  2. Conducting Research
    1. Developing a research plan
    2. Literature review
    3. Collaboration and teamwork
    4. Laboratory management
    5. Intellectual property
  3. Disseminating Research
    1. Conference or journal paper
    2. Conference presentation
    3. Non-academic
  4. Writing grants / proposal for funding
    1. NSF
    2. Non-NSF government agencies
    3. Industry
  5. Providing peer review – conference or journal
  6. Managing a research grant
    1. Carrying out the proposed study
    2. Budgeting and financial management
    3. Selecting research assistants
  7. Developing a research philosophy
  8. Developing a portfolio – research

Engagement / Service

  1. Service on departmental / college committee
  2. Service in disciplinary activities
  3. Leading service learning activities
  4. Taking research to practice
  5. Extension service
  6. Performing community service
  7. Consulting

Networking

  1. Get to know people within your discipline
  2. Get people within your discipline to know you
  3. Identifying future collaborators
  4. Identifying interdisciplinary connections
  5. Identifying potential funding sources

Personal Development

  1. Developing communication skills
    1. Written / Oral / Graphical / Interpersonal
  2. Charting a course – graduate school
  3. Charting a course – career
  4. Conflict management
  5. Understanding diversity
  6. Conducting a job search
  7. Interviewing
  8. Developing an effective CV / Resume
  9. Negotiating the job offer
  10. Developing leadership skills
  11. Developing management skills
    1. Managing meetings effectively
    2. Supervision of others
  12. Developing a career portfolio

Work / Life Balance

  1. Finding your balance between work and life
  2. Managing stress
  3. Develop a support network
  4. Helping your family or significant other understand the demands of your work

Mentoring

  1. Identifying potential mentors
  2. Identifying the mentoring you want / need
  3. Approaching someone to be your mentor
  4. Roles and responsibilities in a mentored relationship
  5. Mentoring others

Professional Development

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