Thriving in the Academy | NCFDD Resources

Cal Poly faculty have access to professional development resources focused on enhancing scholarly productivity and successfully navigating life in academia. These resources are available online through an institutional membership in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), courtesy of the Provost's Office. The offerings include self-paced resources for individuals and scheduled collaborative-style workshops and events for groups of participants. Below are previews of the range of resources offered along with easy access links to account activation.

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)

Program Overview

The NCFDD's programs and events are designed for campus faculty (and staff in educational roles) to support scholarly productivity, effective navigation of academia, and improved work-life balance.

Highlights of the offerings are listed below to encourage faculty to activate their individual accounts as part of Cal Poly's institutional membership and take advantage of these resources.

Resources Overview

The professional development resources available online through the NCFDD site generally align with one of the following areas:

• Core Curriculum
• Inclusion and Equity
• Writing Productivity
• Navigating Academia
• Teaching Effectiveness

Below are samples of associated titles to illustrate the topics available in each area. All faculty are welcome to explore the entire site in depth to better understand the wide range of on-demand resources and topics and to learn about monthly events.

In addition, faculty can:

Core Curriculum

This collection includes 10 webinars the NCFDD selected as critical skills to help faculty in any discipline thrive in the academy. Each recording of a live event is 1 to 1.5 hours. You can also register for upcoming live webinars scheduled throughout the year. Examples of webinar topics include:

• SKILL #2: How to Align Your Time with Your Priorities
• SKILL #6: The Art of Saying No
• SKILL #7: Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors, and Collaborators
• SKILL #8: Overcoming Academic Perfection

Inclusion and Equity

Among the collection of guest webinars and multi-session courses are titles of particular interest to those seeking to strengthen their knowledge and skills to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable campus culture. Sample titles include:

• "Cultivating Compassion and Collectivism: A Multi-Week Course to Facilitate Healing from Racial Trauma"
• "Bracing for and Embracing the Fall as a Black Academic"
• "Turning Chutes into Ladders for Women Faculty: A Roadmap to Equity in Academia"
• "Re-Thinking Mentoring: How to Build Communities of Inclusion, Support, and Accountability"
• "Parenting and Productivity"
   

Scholarly Writing Productivity

Among the collection of guest webinars and multi-session courses are resources and support opportunities to help you be more productive and successful in academic publishing. Sample titles include:

• 14-Day Writing Challenge
• "How to Develop a Daily Writing Practice"
• "Building A Publishing Pipeline"
• "From Project to Publication—the Art of Manuscript Revision"
• "How to Craft and Submit a Winning Book Proposal in 4 Weeks"
• "Scholarly Journal Writing: An Editor's Perspective"
• "Everything You Need To Know About Grant Writing"
   

Navigating Academia

Among the collection of guest webinars and multi-session courses are titles and topics that matter for advancing in academia. Sample titles include:

• "Preparing Tenure and Promotion Materials"
• "Navigating Faculty Career Transitions: Getting to Mid-Career and Beyond"
• "Moving from Associate to Full Professor"
• "Managing Multiple Roles: How to Be a Faculty Member and an Administrator"
• "Resting to Rise: Reduce Burnout, Find Your Joy for Writing and Life, and Create a Just Academia"
• "Protecting Your Boundaries and Well-Being"
   

Teaching Effectiveness

Among the collection of guest webinars and multi-session courses is a modest list of titles that center on teaching-related topics. Sample titles include:

• "Teaching with Empathy and for Equity at the Graduate Level"
• "Empowered Teaching Toolkit" (multiple topics)
• "Strategies for Centering Instructor Identity in STEM Education"
• "Creating an Inclusive Classroom: Students with Disabilities"