Professors receive many perks of their jobs such as free books, extended vacation time and paid vacations to conferences. One of the things that become a vital part of professor’s work that is often volunteer work to improve their skills is professional development.
Professional development can take on many forms. It can include becoming acquainted with new technology that the school is offering that helps in teaching, such as electronic podiums, to understanding the Blackboard or grading system that helps a professor to manage their course.
Many schools keep track of the number of hours a professor will spend in professional development. Sometimes the professional development can also include teleconferencing networks with other schools to learn new software such as Adobe, or even go away on a retreat to learn how to become a better teacher. These opportunities are excellent for any professor to take part of and to improve their skills.
When a new professor starts at a school, there is often an orientation session that makes it possible to understand the particulars of their college or university at a faster rate. These orientation sessions are also a terrific way to network and get to know the other professors, coordinators and chairs on campus – as well as the all-important support staff and administrative staff.
