Augusta University faculty can utilize a number of resources for professional development

Free resources are available for Augusta University faculty looking to get ahead professionally and expand upon their working knowledge.

The Office of Faculty Affairs provides unlimited access to digital developmental resources such as Magna Digital Library and Go2Knowledge, while the Faculty Inclusive Excellence Initiative offers membership to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, all of which provide a vast variety of tools for faculty.

Magna is an on-demand resource center providing campus-wide access to a digital library of more than 400 educational development programs. It also features guest lecturers from different universities.

“Magna is specifically for faculty and leadership staff,” said Brittany Hatcher, MPA, faculty affairs specialist. “It does focus more on the leadership and administrative component. It also offers different educational development programs within the scope of teaching and within different sectors of interests.”

Go2Knowledge is similar to Magna in there are hundreds of online resources, including webinars on administration, student success, campus safety and security, teaching and learning, and more.

To access Go2Knowledge or Magna resources, faculty can register with their NetID.

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The NCFDD provides on-demand mentoring, tools, and support needed to be successful in the academy. One of the programs they offer is the Faculty Success Program, a 12-week on-line program to help faculty with the skills necessary to increase research and writing productivity while maintaining healthy work-life balance. Last year the FIEI sponsored the enrollment of seven faculty in the Faculty Success Program.

“The faculty success program was incredible,” said Marcel Ramalho, DA, director of choral activities and professor of voice in the Department of Music in Pamplin College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. “I think the biggest takeaway is related to how we extensively discussed and practiced creating a work/personal life balance. When I first started the program, I didn’t really know what to expect, but the organizational skills we developed were a big help for me. I use them to this day.”

FIEI is accepting applications for the summer Faculty Success Program. For information and accessing your free institutional NCFDD membership or applying for the summer program, visit the FIEI NCFDD webpage.

“All three are very simple to use and they get unlimited access to a variety of different resources. Each website has different features. I would say all of them are focused on professional development or development on the faculty outside of the classroom, so it’s a great opportunity for them,” said Hatcher.