Professional Development Day
PDD is an orientation and training event for the two course-related writing programs, the Academic Writing Program (ENG101) and the Professional Writing Program (ENGL39X). Each program has their own separate meeting, usually occurring on the same day.
The Professional Writing Program's PDD is not required for ENGL39X faculty but is highly recommended.
The Academic Writing Program’s PDD is required for all new and returning ENGL101 lecturers. PDD consists of one main session of 3-4 hours, and 5-6 optional sessions, which will focus on pedagogy, assignments, and changes or additions to the curriculum. The main session often features a guest scholar to provide additional advice and expertise for faculty. AWP instructors are required to attend 2-3 opt in sessions.
Past session titles have included: Continuing the Conversation: Linguistic Justice in the English 101 Curriculum, Neurodiversity in the Classroom, and Mindful Reading as Civic Practice.
Note: Faculty who teach for both AWP and PWP are only required to attend one PDD session, either the PWP or AWP.
NIO (New Instructor Orientation)
The New Instructor Orientation session (NIO), scheduled one day before PDD, is required for AWP faculty who have not previously taught a semester of Academic Writing (ENGL 101) at UMD. The goal of the NIO is to prepare faculty for their first week or two of classes and to detail the mentoring process that they will receive both from an in-person mentor and from weekly or biweekly meetings that occur throughout the semester depending on whether the new faculty member is a graduate student faculty member or a lecturer.