Faculty
About
This page is dedicated to sharing professional learning opportunities and resources for faculty at San Diego City College. Learning activities are developed by the Office of Professional Learning in collaboration with the Professional Learning Council and specifically the Faculty Professional Learning Workgroup.
Instructional Design Support
Faculty can request instructional design support from the amazing staff at SDCCD Online Learning Pathways. Instructional design is the practice of creating effective, engaging, and accessible learning experiences by intentionally planning course goals, materials, activities, and assessments to support student success. Explore ways you can enhance your teaching practice today!
📆 Book with an Instructional Designer
The Week of Professional Learning (WOPL) is a conference-style week of learning opportunities to meet the unique needs of the campus community. WOPL is part of City’s commitment to the Instructional Improvement Program (Flex) to meet state requirements for offering faculty and staff a flexible range of instructional improvement activities (a.k.a. “flex”).
Convocation anchors each WOPL and is an excellent chance to hear updates from the leadership team and learn what is coming up at City and beyond. Most sessions are hosted in the Elva Salinas Professional Learning Center (PLC). The PLC is located on the first floor of the R-Building (Library). The entrance is on the Park Blvd (West) side of the building and accessible from Lot 8.
First Fridays are designed to meet faculty professional learning needs. Themes and activities are created by Professional Learning in collaboration with your faculty representatives. Details can be found in the flex system and on the Professional Learning Google calendar. Visit the website and look out for reminder emails.
The Career Pathways Series is a professional learning initiative open to all City College employees. It provides opportunities to learn or enhance workplace skills while fostering collaboration and a sense of belonging across campus. Events aim to inspire and equip participants with the knowledge and motivation needed for career advancement and leadership roles within the campus community and beyond. Please view the Career Pathways Series page for more info. Topics include:
- Career advancement and tenure-track process
- Hiring panels
- Leadership development
- Financial wellness & retirement planning
- Workplace skill development
- And more!
Faculty communities of practice (CoP) are created in alignment with the college mission, professional learning strategic plan, and initiative goals when funding is available.
These cohorts provide a collaborative and supportive space where educators come together to share ideas, reflect on their teaching, and grow professionally. Rooted in research, CoPs have been shown to improve instructional effectiveness by promoting reflection and experimentation (Dancy, 2019), build trust and collaboration among colleagues (Tinnell et al., 2019), and sustain meaningful, long-term professional development (Trust & Horrocks, 2017). Faculty who participate in CoPs are more likely to adopt inclusive, evidence-based practices that enhance student engagement and success. Ultimately, CoPs empower faculty to innovate, connect, and lead positive change in their classrooms and institutions.
Information about each cohort is updated here during the Week of Professional Learning. Cohorts typically meet four to eight times in person with asynchronous work in-between. Compensation to participate and/or credits for salary advancement are announced at the launch of the cohort.
Fall 2025
Unlocking Potential: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
- Flyer
- Dates: Oct 3, 17, 31, and Nov 14
- Time/Location: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM in R-109
- Hours: 20 hours total (8 in-person, 12 asynchronous Canvas)
This CoP is funding by the Yo Soy STEM Title III grant and compensation for participating is reserved for eligible math & science faculty. HOWEVER, the cohort is open to ALL faculty and can be taken for UCSD Extended Studies units and professional advancement.
This course is designed to train faculty, especially in STEM, on the principles and practical tools of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), with approaches that are also applicable across other disciplines. Faculty will come away with strategies to make math, science, and related subjects more accessible, engaging, and meaningful for all students, with a particular focus on Latina/o/x students. We provide actionable strategies that leverage students’ “funds of knowledge” to create learning environments where students see themselves as capable scholars, scientists, and mathematicians. Using the critical lens of CRP we will review instructional materials and develop new resources to apply in your courses.
Past Cohorts
- Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Fall 2023)
- Embedded Tutoring (Spring 2024)
- Equitable Grading (Fall 2024)
- Math Literacy Project (Spring 2025)
- Accessibility & Universal Design for Learning (Spring 2025)
- Innovative Pedogological Practices for Minimizing A.I. Abuse (Spring 2025)
References
Dancy, M. H. (2019). Faculty online learning communities: A model for sustained educational
change. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 15(2), 020147. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020147
Tinnell, T. L., Ralston, P. A. S., Tretter, T. R., & Mills, M. E. (2019). Sustaining pedagogical change via faculty learning communities. International Journal of STEM Education, 6, 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-019-0180-5
Trust, T., & Horrocks, B. (2017). “I never feel alone in my classroom”: Teacher professional growth within a blended community of practice. Professional Development in Education, 43(4), 645–665. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308666353