PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

Professional development workshops for faculty and staff fall into three categories:
     - Teaching Improvement Program (TIP)
     - Orientation for New TAs, UAs, SAs, and Faculty
     - Just-in-time workshops

Both TIP and Orientation are held during the week prior to the beginning of each semester, traditionally known as Welcome Week. TIP is on Thursday while Orientation is on both Wednesday and Thursday of that week. A list of all workshops by date and videotaped workshops are available in the Engineering Learning Center.

A brief history of the workshops demonstrates the College of Engineering support. In January, 1990, the COE began to sponsor workshops each Welcome Week for all teaching assistants. Sandra Shaw Courter began working with the College of Engineering Education (COEE) Committee to approve and advise in coordinating the program. Prior to that time, COEE sponsored an occasional workshop. In August, 1993, the College began to sponsor two programs, one for new TAs and one for continuing TAs and faculty. This differentiation followed a quality improvement project that focused on COE training and development as part of a course in the Department of Educational Administration, School of Education. Beginning fall, 1990, up to two workshops were videotaped and made available through the Kurt F. Wendt Library.

COE initiated a collaborative effort with the School of Business in 1994-1995. Despite the various benefits of this cross-disciplinary approach, both COE and SOB agreed that independent programs would allow more focus given the challenge of over 200 teaching assistants. The collaborative effort helped SOB create their own program which started fall, 1995.

In August, 1995, COE initiated an Orientation for New Faculty to compliment the UW-Madison Orientation hosted by the Chancellor. Designed to address the needs of individual faculty, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Courter host a private round table discussion with one or two faculty at a time.

In August, 1995, COE also initiated five percent appointments for three TAs to chair the Welcome Week events: one TA serves as chair of the Orientation for New TAs, UAs, SAs, and Faculty, a program that consists of four workshops, and two TAs serve as co-chairs for the Teaching Improvement Program, which consists of six to eight workshops. Nominations and applications for TA chairs are due May 1 of each year.