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I know you’re probably thinking, “There’s nothing Zen about managing professional development. It’s stressful, time-consuming and when last minute changes arise due to classroom fumigation, it can feel quite maddening!” What if I were to tell you that there is a way to run professional development programs at your Higher Learning Institution that is efficient, effective and will leave you feeling at ease? The purpose of this blog is to elucidate how a professional development management system like PD Place can do wonders for your organization.
It’s a well-known fact that there are a plethora of challenges associated with managing the logistics behind the professional development days; from tracking, to reporting, to online registration, handling the sheer volume of professional development course registrations can at times seem daunting. With respect to Higher Education Institutions, this challenge is all too real, as staff professional development involves managing, tracking, and informing large numbers of employees from a variety of employment sectors. Coupled with the issues associated with scheduling changes, even the most Zen-like administrator may be left feeling exasperated. Surely, there must be a way to eliminate this needless suffering.
Why PD Place?
Fear not my friends! A professional development management system like PD Place allows you to retain your peace of mind! Meditate on this mantra: With PD Place, professional development programs are streamlined, keeping everyone “in the information loop,” processes are expedited, saving valuable time and money, and most importantly, staff feel empowered to take charge of their own professional development. In addition, frantic last minute phone calls and emails due to storms, leaky classrooms or any other course scheduling changes become a thing of the past. PD Place revolutionizes the way you run your professional development programs, facilitating a paradigmatic shift in the perception of staff professional development at your Higher Education Institution. Consider it a “transformation” into a new way of thinking and acting.
When professional development programs are not streamlined, staff are less informed. A highly motivated employee may actively seek out the information they desire, but generally-speaking, this is not universally the case for all staff. Instead, the burden of responsibility is passed off from the employee to a member or members of administration, who must ensure that staff are enrolled in the appropriate professional development, that they have the appropriate prerequisites, and that they are “up to date” on any course scheduling changes (among a variety of other criteria). If the inevitable scheduling change does come to fruition, administration are left with the tedious task of contacting all registrants for a particular professional development course to inform them of the changes.
A professional development management system like PD Place will make these challenges, but a reverie. Administration can simply update new course details in PD Place and all registrants for that course are instantly notified of the scheduling changes via email. Staff are kept “in the information loop” and up to date on current course details, which may include a new location map or new parking information.
It is important to note, the burden of responsibility for contacting registrants to inform them of the new course details is now managed and automated by PD Place. It is no longer the duty of an administrator to contact all registrants, nor is the onus is placed on the registrant to contact the appropriate department/instructor to find out if a professional development course is still being offered. For those of you who have dealt with the dreaded “storm,” you’ll be all too familiar with this scenario – a barrage of phone calls and emails from staff, all inquiring about the same thing, “whether the course will take place.” You can feel comfortable knowing that with PD Place, all of these tasks that were previously managed manually are automated, streamlined, and expedited by the system.
How does Higher Education Benefit from PD Place?
You may be asking yourself, “apart from ‘keeping everyone in the loop,’ what other benefits can Higher Education Institutions expect from a professional development program that is streamlined and expedited?” At the expense of sounding trite, “the benefits are endless,” but to be more specific, professional development programs that are streamlined and expedited will save you time and money (and there is a direct correlation between the two). When members of administration are no longer bogged down with the duties associated with professional development (registering staff, informing them of course scheduling changes/room changes, providing instructors with class lists/providing senior administrators with PD reports, pursuing staff for forms for PD reimbursement, etc.), they can focus their time on more pressing matters. Since administration is no longer required to put in the clerical hours to manage the professional development processes now automated by a system like PD Place, this will save you time and consequently, save you money.
The biggest benefit stemming from a streamlined and expedited professional development system like PD Place is that your staff will feel empowered to take charge of their own professional development. Staff feel motivated to actively seek out professional development specific to their portfolio, knowing that all it takes to find a course is an internet connection and a few clicks. Staff simply log into PD Place, search for professional development and then register with one-click. Gone are the days of having to contact a member of Information Technology to assist in a simple procedure like registering for a course.
With a highly intuitive system like PD Place, instructors and other senior administrators can advertise their professional development course offerings to specific employee groups or departments, by notifying them via email through PD Place that a new course pertaining to their job title is available. This process is automated by PD Place, as the system instantly contacts all members of staff from the program area (ex. Math Instructors) or target group (ex. all staff) associated with the newly created course. A well-organized professional development program will relieve the frustration associated with “finding” and “registering” for professional development, leaving staff feeling content with the overall experience. Additionally, PD Place gives staff the ability to pay for courses online (if payment is required), while senior administrators (with the appropriate authority) can reimburse staff for expenses incurred while attending specific professional development courses.
So there you have it. Breathe in… Breathe out… And relax. There is a way for you to track and manage professional development at your Higher Learning Institution that at the end of the day will leave you feeling at peace. Everyone at your organization will be “in the information loop” and up to date on all professional development opportunities offered. With PD Place, your organization will reap the benefits of a streamlined and expedited professional development program that provides increased efficiency throughout all levels of your Institution. This high level of organization will save you time, resulting in money saved. In addition, a streamlined and expedited professional development program will empower your staff to take charge of their own professional development. Your staff will immediately benefit from the increased efficiency and organization of a professional development management system like PD Place, providing your students with the optimal learning experience, which should result in an increase in graduation rates. Ultimately, the utilization of a professional development management system like PD Place will leave all parties at your Higher Learning Institution feeling enlightened.
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