Professional Development Communities (PDCs)

PDCs: What They Are

Professional Development Communities are a platform for graduate teaching assistants to discuss, in a small-group setting, issues related to teaching and professional development. Each PDC is made up of approximately eight TAs, often led by a faculty member or a seasoned TA. All TAs are required to join a PDC group. If you are assigned to a group and the meeting time does not work for your schedule, please contact Dr. Gu so that you can be placed into a different group. Please note that such re-placement requests are granted only if your class schedule conflicts with the PDC meeting schedule, not because you just don't want to come to campus on a particular day.

Purpose

PDCs are designed to enhance teaching and professional development among graduate teaching assistants, instructors, lecturers, and faculty through conversations focused on issues of interest among the community. The primary goal for TAs and faculty in these communities is to emphasize multiple views and methods for teaching in the lower division, both composition and literature. Graduate students who are not currently teaching in the Department may also join a Professional Development Community.

Discussion Topics

Conversation topics include observations and feedback, teaching portfolios, annual reports, general and specific conversations about teaching, learning, building syllabi, assessment, lessons and teaching activities, as well as how to juggle teaching and professional writing, getting a job, developing a CV, and other professional development topics.

Format

The PDCs are small groups that include a faculty member or experienced TA, and approximately 8 community members. The goal is for the communities to meet at least once a month during the academic year at a time and place convenient to the community. Each semester, the community will include, among other things, the following in its discussions:

• Sharing of syllabi, teaching goals, outcomes, assessment, and ideas for classroom activities
• Organize observations of teaching whereby each TA observes another member of the community and is observed by at least one other member of the community. Each observation will be described in writing and discussed in the group. These observations will be included in your teaching portfolio
• Review teaching portfolios and annual reports and suggest revisions
• Discuss issues of professional development and teaching important to members of the community
• Write a response at the end of each semester reflecting on the community’s experience

PDC Groups and Meeting Times

Dan Marshall (Teaching Focused) Sabrina Abid Deborah Stefani Perry Dantzler Shelley Stevens Sophie Weeks Yvonne Richter Bob Pfeiffer Lewis Whitaker Laura Barberan Dan Mills Meeting Times Meeting Dates	Jennifer Lawrence Brennan Collins (Lit--Early) Lindsay Burton Sonya McCoy-Wilson Tara Causey Benjiman Barrett Amber Estlund Shannon Finck Sarah Higinbotham Karen Gentry Chad Burwick Meeting Times Meeting Dates	Melissa McLeod (Lit--Mid) Jennifer Apgar Muriel Current Rhianna Carusi Sarah Cantrell Jennifer Bayse Lindsay Burton Shauna Kirlew Julie Hawk Vickie Willis Meeting Times Meeting Dates	Bobby Burns (Lit--Mid) Yoon Nam Emily Myrick Matt Brinsmaid Andrew Davis Damien Schlarb Meeting Times Meeting Dates	Mark Noble Crystal O'Neal (Lit--Advanced) Natasha Walker Tamara Gosta Afag Fazlollahi Carla Chwat Crystal O'Neal Judith Irvine Florian Schwieger Liz Stoehr Pete Rorabough Meeting Times Meeting Dates
Jennifer Bowie (RhetComp--Early/Mid) Jennifer Forsthoelfel Jeremy Godfrey Orianna Gatta Diana Sullivan Danielle Tillman Jin Zhao Jeanne Bohannon Meeting Times	Mary Hocks (RhetComp--Advanced) James Shimkus Cara Minardi Juliette Kitchens Alice Myatt Crystal Wright Melanie McDougald Meeting Times	Sherri Joseph Beth Gylys Jody Brooks Laurah Norton (Creative Writing) Kevin Adler Peter Fontaine Dionnne Iriving James May KB Kincer James Miller Kara Eidsvik Calaya Reid Sara Winterfield Robin Kemp Jessica Hand Candace Nadon Austin Segrest Sara Hughes Michelle Rozga	Baotong Gu Angela Hall-Godsey (New GTAs) Laura Beasley Mark Benedict Kristin Goddard Constace Hinds Stephanie Horton Laura Howard Katie Huie Laura Johnson Molly Livingston-Martin Thomas Mapes Shane McGowan Anne Melfi Mark Michaelson Ellen Murray Burnes Ray Emily Schulten Benjamin Solomon Amanda Sperry Christine Swint William Taft Lisa Ulevich Ashleigh Whelan