Professional Development Programs

The Malone Center for Excellence in Teaching sponsors a number of professional development programs designed to support faculty in the use of evidence-based instructional approaches, to promote the integration of innovative instructional technologies, and to foster students’ academic success. Information about these programs can be found below.

Did you miss a workshop that you were interested in? Resources from workshops prior to Spring 2020 can be accessed on the Past Professional Development Workshops page. Recordings of and handouts from workshops after Spring 2020 are available in the Malone Center’s Instructional Resources Canvas course. If you do not have access to this Canvas course, please email the Malone Center and request access.

Toolbox Talks

Beginning in Fall 2021, our primary professional development series will return to its previous format of Toolbox Talks. These monthly lunch workshops present a how-to guide and hands-on demonstration of an innovative instructional tool or pedagogical theme.

New for 2021, all Toolbox Talks will be offered in a hyflex format. Participants will have the choice to participate in-person, synchronously through Zoom, or asynchronously through the Instructional Resources Canvas page. If you know you want to watch a recording of an event, you may register and select that modality, and we will send you a link to the recording as soon as it is available.

Lunch will be provided for in-person participants who register by 10 am the Monday prior to the workshop. All Toolbox Talks are held in Wills G2, 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Upcoming workshops:

Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom- The Basics
March 22, 2023

ChatGPT is just one of the options students and instructors can access to generate basic level communications or starting points for other projects. In this one-hour introduction to available applications, ethical concerns presented by the technology and its use, the reliability of detection options, and finally recommended immediate steps to take as technology and awareness grow (along with the abilities of AI), participants will learn and have an opportunity to contribute to future programming on this subject. Participants are invited to join us in person, via Zoom, or asynchronously via Canvas Recording through the Instructional Resources hub.

Tenure and Promotion Panel Discussion
September 15, 2021
During this Toolbox Talk, a panel of recently tenured and/or promoted faculty will offer advice and answer questions related to their experiences of applying and going through the process. This year’s panelists will be Dr. Carolyn Garrity, Associate Professor of Marketing; Dr. Ray Ozley, Professor of Communication; Dr. Amy Samuels, Associate Professor of Instructional Leadership; and Mr. Michael Walker, Associate Professor of Theatre. Please note, due to the sensitive nature of this topic, this workshop will not be recorded. However, faculty do have the option to participate synchronously through Zoom.

Individuals needing disability-related accommodations during one of these events should contact the Malone Center (malonecenter@montevallo.edu) or Disability Support Services (205.665.6250, DSS@montevallo.edu) as early as possible. Efforts will be made to accommodate all access requests regardless of timing, but the University cannot guarantee that requests made with less than one week’s notice can be met.

Faculty Book Club

Faculty book club meets two times during the semester to discuss a text related to teaching and learning. Limited to 15 participants, book club provides an opportunity for deep discussion in a small group setting.

The Spring 2023 Book Club is a collaborative effort with the UM NAME chapter and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Greg Samuels will lead two workshop discussions on Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap by Paul C. Gorski. The initial cohort of the book club will meet on February 3 and March 3 of 2023 prior to Mr. Gorski’s keynote engagement at the NAME conference on campus in March.

Watch this space! A second cohort with this book will be offered in Fall 2023!

If you have book suggestions, please email them to Emily Gill at gille@montevallo.edu.

Foundations of Online Instruction

The Foundations of Online Instruction training is designed to familiarize instructors with the fundamental principles of quality distance education in order to prepare them for a variety of distance modalities including fully online, hybrid, and hyflex courses.

The training course consists of three instructional modules:

Module 1: Best Practices contains an overview of best practices in distance education, including pedagogical strategies and course accessibility.
Module 2: Policies provides an introduction to the policies put forth by SACSCOC, ACHE, and others to regulate online and distance courses.
Module 3: Building Your Distance Course introduces you to the instructional design process and allows you to practice applying what you learned in the first two modules to develop materials for a course of your choosing (or modify previously developed materials).

If you are planning to teach a distance education course at the University of Montevallo and you have not already completed Foundations of Online Instruction or the previously offered Teaching Effectively Online, you can register for Foundations of Online Instruction through the following link.

Faculty Research and Teaching Symposium

During this event, we highlight accomplishments of UM faculty in teaching and creative endeavor. The day will feature keynote addresses from the 2022 Outstanding Commitment to Teaching awardee and the 2021-2022 University Scholar as well as short oral presentations, artistic demonstrations, and posters. The event’s schedule will be organized around the University’s class schedule to allow faculty, staff, and students to come and go as needed. Mark your calendars to join us either as a presenter or a participant (or both)!

2022 Faculty Research and Teaching Symposium
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
J. A. Brown Room, Carmichael Library

2022 Symposium Agenda

Save the date for the 2023 Faculty Research and Teaching Symposium: Wednesday, October 11, 2023

New Faculty Orientation and Resources

The Malone Center for Excellence in Teaching hosts a two-day new faculty orientation each fall, which is required for all first year faculty. New faculty orientation introduces participants to the University’s policies and procedures that are pertinent to teaching faculty. This orientation is followed by regular meetings throughout the first academic year to better acquaint our newest faculty to the UM campus and culture.

2019 New Faculty Orientation Handbook