Establishing, Expanding, and Strengthening Your Professional Network
Wednesday, May 25, 1–2:30 pm EDT, Zoom, Register via Eventbrite
Facilitators: Brian Nairn (St. Clair College), Samantha Chang (University of Toronto)
Panelists: Shaya Golparian (University of British Columbia), Natasha May (York University), Neil Silcox (Maple League of Universities)
Given the many non-linear paths into educational development, being able to establish and lean on your professional network is essential to support the various on-the-job training that so often occurs in the field. In this session, we will examine a variety of forms of networks that support the growth of those working in educational development (ED) through asynchronous and synchronous group discussions, as well as panelist conversations. Our panelists will consider informal and formal pathways for developing your own network, and opportunities for establishing, expanding, and strengthening your professional network. Participants will also have the chance to network with their colleagues from across the country via Zoom.
Session Outcomes
- Examine various formal and informal networks to support ED work.
- Discuss diverse pathways and their role in shaping our networks.
- Connect with colleagues from across other institutions.
Pre-Reading Material
Donnell, A. M., Fulmer, S. M., Smith, T. W., Bostwick Flaming, A. L., Kowalik, A. (2018). Educational Developer Professional Development Map (EDPDM): A tool for educational developers to articulate their mentoring network. Journal on Centers for Teaching and Learning, 10, 3–23.
Padlet Activity
As identified by Donnell et al. (2018) in the pre-reading article, networks and communities come in many shapes and forms. We invite you to share your recommendations, observations, and experiences in the relevant columns on Padlet.
- What are the various types of mentors, mentees, and mentoring programs available to educational developers?
- What internal (formal and informal) communities or collaborations are available, or wish to be made available, to you within your institution?
- What external (formal and informal) communities or collaborations are available, or wish to be made available, to you from outside of your institution?
- What professional organizations and conferences do you know of?
- What do you identify as barriers to establishing a professional network? What solutions/suggestions do you have to the barriers identified?
- Are there any other forms of network or professional development opportunities you identify or seek?
Session Material
*To download the PPT file, right-click on the hyperlink text below and select “Save link as…”
Additional Resources
- Bahlmann, G. (n.d.). Networking for People Who Absolutely Hate Networking. tribemineblog.com.
- Donnell, A. M., Fulmer, S. M., Smith, T. W., Bostwick Flaming, A. L., Kowalik, A. (2018). Educational Developer Professional Development Map (EDPDM): A tool for educational developers to articulate their mentoring network. Journal on Centers for Teaching and Learning, 10, 3–23.
- Greenwald, C. S. (2020). No More Excuses! Build a Contact List to Fuel Your Career. American Bar Association.
- Guido, A. (2019). Why Being Kind Is Your Best Networking Strategy and How To Do It. Career Protocol.
- Popovic, C. (n.d.). Connections. Educational Developers Thinking Allowed.
- Includes subpages about professional organizations, conferences, journals and other publications, listservs, social media, internal connections, exchanges and visits, mentoring and consultancy.
- Zack, D. (2019). A Networking Survival Kit for People Who Hate Networking. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
ED Networks
- BCcampus
- Council of Ontario Educational Developers (COED)
- eCampusOntario
- Educational Developers Network of Alberta (EDNA)
- Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network
- Rencontre des professionnelles et professionnels en pédagogie universitaire du Québec (PPUQ)
- Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA)
Session Panelists
Shaya Golparian
Shaya Golparian, Ph.D., is an educational developer at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology at UBC-Vancouver, where she currently supports the teaching development of graduate students and TAs. Shaya develops and coordinates the TA Development Program and supports faculties and departments at UBC to develop discipline-specific teaching training programs for their TAs. This includes consulting with departments to plan, design, deliver and evaluate department-specific TA teaching skills development. Shaya has a Ph.D. in Education from UBC.
Natasha May
Natasha is a teacher at heart and has taken every opportunity to be involved in teaching and learning. She completed a number of different programs and took on various roles as a graduate student to develop herself and support her peers in teaching. After completing a PhD in mathematics, Natasha transitioned into her current role as an Educational Developer in the Teaching Commons at York University. She feels like one of the luckiest Educational Developers because a major part of her role is overseeing all of the support programs offered for graduate students, co-teaching the accredited courses offered to graduate students and getting the opportunity to interact with graduate students about teaching as well as professional and Educational Development.
Neil Silcox
Neil Silcox is the Faculty Excellence Lead at the Maple League of Universities, where he draws on his two decades of expertise in teaching and creating theatre in creating virtual events where faculty and staff can connect and share with one another. Neil has degrees from York University, Western University, the University of Toronto, and Sheridan College and has served as Artistic Producer for Shakespeare in Action and Artistic Director of the Toronto Youth Theatre. Neil has recently moved to the Atlantic region, where he continues to create and teach theatre alongside his work as an educational developer.