The PFF Certificate Requirements were updated in Spring 2024. These new requirements apply to everyone who begins the PFF program in Fall 2024. Graduate students who began the program before Fall 2024 are welcome to use the previous PFF Certificate Requirements (Fall 2017 version).
What are the requirements for the PFF Certificate?
Beginning Fall 2024, the requirements are:
| 1 | Develop a CV, obtain feedback from a faculty mentor, and revise the CV based on feedback. |
| 2 | Develop an ePortfolio that, at a minimum, will include your CV, reflections on your participation in the 6 professional development activities (one reflection per activity), and a reflection on your mentored teaching experience. |
| 3 | Complete a semester-long mentored teaching experience (minimum of 6 weeks). The teaching-related experience must be a mentored experience lasting a minimum of 6 weeks during which the student works with a faculty member to focus on teaching issues and processes. |
| 4 | Participate in and reflect on 6 professional development activities related to preparing for an academic career, three of which must be Career Pathways events.* |
| 5 | Document completion of PFF Certificate requirements in your ePortfolio |
| 6 | Send an e-mail to Dr. Wie Yusuf (jyusuf@odu.edu) indicating you have completed the PFF Certificate requirements along with a link to your ePortfolio |
Complete details about PFF Certificate requirements are available in this downloadable document.
How can I complete the mentored teaching-related experience?
This mentored experience must be for a minimum of six weeks, during which the student works with a faculty member to focus on teaching issues and processes.
You must document completion of the mentored teaching experience by posting to your ePortfolio a description of the teaching activities completed and your reflection on the experience.
The requirement may be met in ONE of the following ways:
| Serving as a Teaching Assistant or Course Instructor (teaching a course or serving as a TA for a lecture, discussion group, or lab session). |
| Working under a teaching mentor for one semester (including activities such as developing a course syllabus, identifying course readings, developing assignments or class activities, giving guest lectures, visiting classrooms at ODU and other institutions, and reading teaching-related literature). |
Completing a course on teaching in your discipline. The course should be related specifically to the process of teaching and not to specific content in the discipline. Pre-approval to count a course towards the PFF certificate should be obtained from the Career Pathways Steering Committee Chair. |
The Career Pathways Steering Committee is aware that not all graduate students serve as GTAs involved in teaching. Students who want to complete the PFF Certificate should identify a teaching mentor in their department who would be willing to work with them to complete the PFF Certificate requirement. The Career Pathways Steering Director may assist students in identifying or arranging a mentored teaching experience.
Where can I find more information about the Professional Development Activities?
At least two Career Pathways events are offered each semester. You can also use the recorded Career Pathways events available on the Career Pathways YouTube channel. You may use more than three Career Pathways events to fulfill the requirement of six professional development activities.
Other events may include any of the following:
- Attend the ODU Graduate Teaching Assistant Institute organized by the Graduate School (restricted to funded GTAs)
- Attend workshops offered by the Office of Research, University Libraries, Center for Faculty Development, Graduate School, ODU Global, Research Institute for Digital Innovation in Learning, or other ODU organizations.
- Attend teaching or research workshops offered in your discipline such as at conferences organized by your discipline’s professional association. Approval to count an event towards the PFF Certificate should be obtained from the Career Pathways Director.
- Serve as a student representative on a departmental, college, or University committee such as a search committee or conference planning committee. Pre-approval to count such service as an event towards the PFF Certificate should be obtained from the Career Pathways Director.
- Complete GRAD700: Professional Development, a 1-credit hour faculty development course offered by ODU’s Career Pathways program, or an equivalent course offered by an accredited doctoral institution. Completion of GRAD700 will count as two events for the PFF
- Complete a faculty development course offered by an accredited doctoral institution. Approval to count a non-ODU faculty development course should be obtained from the Career Pathways Director.
Information about Career Pathways events are included in the monthly Professional Development Newsletter for Graduate Students. This newsletter is shared with all ODU graduate students via email.
Follow our Announcement and Upcoming Events to stay up-to-date on Career Pathways and related professional development activities.
What information do I need to provide for the Professional Development Activity Reflections?
*To receive credit for attending PFF events, you must post a short reflection in your ePortfolio.
Your reflection must address the following:
| A | What three lessons/key points did you take away from this event? |
| B | What one question remains unanswered? If you have no unanswered questions, what one key piece of advice would you offer a colleague about the topics and issues addressed in this event? |
| C | How has this event better prepared you for the research, teaching, and service expectations and demands of a faculty member? |