Activities Offered
The Center for Faculty Development and Innovation offers a wide variety of activities designed to help faculty succeed in their academic careers. Contact us if you have ideas for activities.
- Book Clubs - In book clubs, small groups of faculty meet a few times over one semester to discuss a book. The books are typically (but not always) related in some way to teaching or academia. We provide the books and they’re yours to keep. Book club participation is limited so we ask that participants commit to attending each meeting. Check the Events link for current book clubs.
- Conferences - Conferences provide professional development and networking opportunities for faculty. SIUE co-sponsors the Fall Focus on Teaching and Technology conference hosted by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. During the Spring semester, the Provost's Office and Faculty Development Council organize the Continuous Improvement Conference. You can learn about other teaching conferences, here Teaching Conferences Directory.
- Faculty Learning Communities - Small groups of interdisciplinary faculty who meet to discuss topics of interest. Learning communities meet regularly throughout the semester to discuss topics focusing on a specific area chosen at the beginning of each semester. For an overview of the topic for this semester and the schedule for the learning communities click here.
- Midweek Mentor - Midweek Mentor meets online on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays for one-hour sessions between 12:00p.m – 2:00p.m. Midweek Mentor sessions typically involve a brief faculty presentation or video from the Teaching Professor Digital Library (formally known as the Magna Library) followed by a group discussion. You can access past videos, presentation, and supplemental materials through our past events page or the on-demand viewing collection.
- New Faculty Onboarding - The New Faculty Onboarding Program provides a foundation for new faculty success at SIUE. During their first year at SIUE, new faculty meet once a month on Fridays throughout the academic year. These sessions are designed to address the concerns of new faculty and help new faculty develop a community of scholars outside their academic unit. Typical sessions include: Teaching Challenges, Submitting a Promotion and Tenure dossier, Submitting Research Grants, Making a Service Contribution, Keeping Your Writing on Track.
- Workshops - Workshops cover a broad range of faculty topics and provide hands-on opportunities to develop new skills. Workshops typically last between one to two hours and can be in-person, hybrid, or virtual.
- Writing Groups-The Center for Faculty Development and Innovation supports a variety of writing group activities including writing groups and retreats. Some writing groups meet to provide protected writing time to help members meet their individual writing goals. These writing groups are an opportunity for faculty to work on their writing in an engaging environment outside of their normal workspace. The groups meet at the beginning and the end of the session to talk about their writing goals and progress. Writing groups can also be organized to provide informal accountability for writing projects. Accountability writing groups offer support for each other’s writing processes, successes, and failures, in hopes that the group members continue to pursue their individual research initiatives. If you're interested in starting or joining a writing group, email bripete@siue.edu.
- Writing Retreat - We typically host an annual 3-day writing retreat at T-REX in May. T-REX retreats provide opportunities for idea generation, community building, and dedicated writing time. Watch for a writing retreat email with an application during mid-spring semester.
