NTID Professional Development (PD) Program

Professional Development at NTID is a process of self-directed continuous improvement to increase one's knowledge, understanding, vitality, and effectiveness on the job and in the classroom.

Mission

The mission of NTID’s Professional Development (PD) Program is to initiate and facilitate professional growth opportunities for all faculty and staff.

Our goal is to foster the continued growth of faculty and staff as they progress through various career stages. We achieve this through collaboration with many professional development organizers within and external to RIT.

The Professional Development Team designs programs that address the following areas:

  • Teaching
  • Workplace Skills and Productivity
  • Communication
  • NTID Culture and Diversity
  • Leadership
  • Technology
  • RIT/NTID Policy
  • Mentorship
  • Scholarship/Research/Grants

Visit the PD Archives for annual reports of professional development programs and outcomes.

Opportunities for Professional Growth

In addition to NTID's PD program, the university has many professional development resources, including:

Welcome New Faculty and Staff!

Photo of the metal cube structure in front of NTID LBJ

Welcome to NTID! As a new member of our community, we hope you will have a positive and productive experience. RIT/NTID provides employees with many opportunities for professional growth and development. Development can occur in a variety of ways including workshops, seminars, and individual research.

To help you become acclimated to the university, we have prepared guidebooks with some essential information. We hope this information will help you get off to a good start as you begin your career at RIT.

Getting Started at RIT

Onboarding Checklists
  • Onboarding Checklist for New Employees (Faculty and Staff) (pdf) (docx)
  • Full-time Faculty Onboarding Checklist (pdf) (docx)
  • Adjunct Onboarding Checklist (pdf) (docx)
  • Onboarding Checklist for Managers/Supervisors/Chairs (pdf) (docx)
Welcome Guides - Essential Info about RIT/NTID
  • New Staff Guide - (pdf)
  • New Faculty Guide - (pdf)

Workshops

All faculty and staff are invited to any programs listed below. Please make sure to register for these programs.

Check weekly email announcements for new workshops!


SAISD Professional Development Series:

Current Trends in Substance Use Disorders

Wednesday, March 6, 2024
CSD/SDC 2102
Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Presented by
Susan Demers-McLetchie, Counselor, SAISD
Keven Poore, Director, SAISD

Substance and Addiction Intervention Services for the Deaf (SAISD), located at the August Center, will be providing a professional development opportunity for NTID faculty/staff on Current Trends in Substance Use Disorders. This is the first of three professional development workshops for this spring.

Susan Demers-McLetchie and Keven Poore will discuss the continued evolution of the world of drug and alcohol use. We will touch on the opioid epidemic, legalization of cannabis, and new drugs hitting the streets, among other topics.

At the end of the workshop, you will be able to identify potential consequences of misusing alcohol and drugs, and some tips on being an effective support resource for those struggling with Substance Use Disorders.

Click here to register

Light refreshments will be offered.
This workshop will be conducted in ASL. To request interpreting services, submit a request at http://myaccess.rit.edu.

For more information, contact Keven Poore.

Workshops Archive  
(Requires RIT Login  )

Grants and Funds

graphic of calculator and graph

Mini-Grants

Mini-grants provide NTID lecturers and exempt staff with an additional source of funding to facilitate their participation in innovative professional development activities, such as conference registration and/or skill development training. Awards are not to exceed $500.

NOTE: If you have received FEAD funding for an activity, you are ineligible to receive a mini- grant for the same activity.

Application Form: ( PDF | DOC )

FEAD Grants

Tenure-track faculty, senior lecturers, principal lecturers, and lecturers with multiple-year contracts are eligible for Faculty Education and Development Grants.

Faculty Evaluation and Development (FEAD) grants provide monetary assistance to NTID faculty members for the purpose of pursuing areas of professional development that address the university’s priorities and/or department, college, or university’s strategic plans. Priorities cover the following five areas: 1) academic excellence; 2) student success; 3) research, scholarship, creative work and innovation; 4) faculty and staff success; and 5) global and multicultural education.

  • FEAD Guidelines ( PDF | DOC )
  • FEAD Application ( PDF | DOC )
  • FEAD Statement from Department Chair ( PDF | DOC )
  • FEAD Award Evaluation Report ( PDF | DOC )
  • FEAD Funds Reimbursement Procedure ( PDF | DOC )

For more information about FEAD Grants, contact Todd Pagano at tepnts@rit.edu.

Funds for Individual Professional Development

Do you need funds for a professional development activity, such as a conference or non-credit course? NTID has an annual allotment of funds for each faculty or staff member.
Learn more  
(Requires RIT Login  )

Ronald D. Dodge Memorial Endowment Fund

A grant of up to $1,000 is offered annually to RIT faculty for financial assistance in supporting research and development efforts conducted during the academic year. Projects must have as their purpose improving the effectiveness of faculty engaged in educating deaf and hard-of-hearing students at RIT.

  • Application Deadline: Friday, March 29, 2024
  • Application Form: ( PDF | DOC )
  • Dodge Grant Report Form ( DOC )

2023-2024 - Sorim Chung
Assistive Technology for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) Students

2022-2023 -
Trisha Gard-Thompson
Enhance Visual Aid in Manufacturing for Deaf Community
Michael Kane
Student-Generated Curriculum Videos: Personal Finance Course

2021-2022 - No grant awarded

2020-2021 - Austin Gehret
The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

2019-2020 - Jennifer Swartzenberg
Organic Chemistry in ASL

2018-2019 - Linda Bryant
Evaluating Video Features for Online Learning at NTID

2017-2018 - Linda Gottermeier
Mobile Applications to Enhance Communication in Learning and Business Environments

2016-2017 - Lea V. Michel
Quiet Chemistry: Working with Deaf Students in a Chemistry Lab

2015-2016 - Kaiqi Xiong
Engaging NTID Student Learning and Research by Exploring the Features of Smartphones

2014-2015 - Sandi Connelly
Implementing Full Access Video Lectures to Improve Understanding and Performance of All Students in a Large Science Classroom

2013-2014 - Linda Rubel, Rose Marie Toscano and Dianna Winslow
Writing Together: Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing and Hearing Students in a Conjoined First Year Writing Class

2012-2013
Kurt Stoskopf
Graphic Storytelling as Part of the Classroom Curriculum for Deaf Students

F. Harvey Pough
Online Technologies to Facilitate Access for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students in Lab Courses

2011-2012 - No grant awarded

2010-2011 - Bonalyn J. Nelson and David Crumb
Methods of Adapting Case Teaching for Deaf and Mixed (Deaf and Hearing) Student Groups

2009-2010 - George Slack and Dino Laury
Dynamic Keyboard

2008-2009 - Cheryl Herdklotz
Online Caption Error Reporting System

2007-2008 - Deborah Blizzard
Teaching Teams: a Dialogue Between ASL Interpreters, C-print Captionists, and CLA Faculty

2006-2007 - Catherine Beaton
Backchannel Chatter, Divided Attention and Learning

2005-2006 - Rose Marie Toscano and Simon Ting
Multimedia Authoring Tool and Training Resources for Developing Sign Language and/or Captioned Video Lessons and Tutorials to Support Classroom Teaching and Distance Learning

2004-2005 - No grant awarded

2003-2004 - Allen Austin
Online E-mail Etiquette: A Multimedia Version

2002-2003 - Sharon Rasmussen
Promoting Access for Deaf Students in College of Science Courses

2001-2002 - Allen Austin
Online Email Etiquette: A Job-Related Perspective for Students

2000-2001 - Simon Ting
Web-based Remote Tutoring System

1999-2000 - Simon Ting
Web-based Instructional Testing and Evaluation System

1998-1999 - Stephanie Polowe and Simon Ting
Computerized Instruction for Academic Reading

1997-1998 - No grant awarded

1996-1997 - Robert Paine
Using Voice Recognition Techniques to Provide 'Instantaneous' Closed Captions for Videotapes

1995-1996 - Roberley Bell
Design Through Culture

1994-1995 - Jeff Porter
RIT and Learner Diversity: Teaching Each and Every Student

1993-1994
Harry Lang -
A Study of Teaching and Learning Styles

Bob Menchel -
Deaf Students Enrolled in Regular Colleges and Universities

1992-1993 - Ari Ogoke and John Sweeney
Evaluating Accessibility of NTID Student/Staff/Faculty Instructional Computing Resource Center (ICRC)

1991-1992 - Geri Stanton
The Rape and Sexual Assault Training Program for Counselors

1990-1991 - No grant awarded

1989-1990 - David C. Templeton and Lisa M. Davenport
The Use of Concept Maps for Science Instruction

1988-1989 - Pam Ng and John Sweeney
The Evaluation of Existing Personal Computer Software for the Macintosh Such as Spelling and Grammar Checkers by NTID Students

1987-1988 - Paula Brown and Patty Russotti
The Development of Domain-Specific Concepts: Novice vs. Expert Photographers

1986-1987 - Del Dagel
Student Retention

1985-1986 - Greg Connor
Using Reality Therapy with Deaf College Students

Other Funding Opportunities
RIT and NTID Fellowships, Leaves, and Grants

Several funding opportunities exist at RIT for faculty and staff development, or for special projects that support RIT's teaching and learning activities:

  • Faculty Leave for Professional/Career Development
  • Provost's Learning Innovations Grant for Faculty Projects
  • Provost's Cultural Diversity Grant
  • Interactive Learning Grants
  • NTID Faculty Evaluation and Development (FEAD)
  • FYE/NTID Extracurricular Opportunity Grant

For more information, visit the RIT Office of the Provost’s Grants and Funding.

Staff Assistants and Specialists

RIT has identified key behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that impact your success:

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Do you need funds for a professional development activity, such as a conference or non-credit course? NTID has an annual allotment of funds for each employee. The current allotment for staff assistants is $325.00. Please see your department chair/manager to discuss accessing these funds.

Employee Development Plans (EDPs) for Staff

roadway with hand holding compass

Employee Professional Development Plans: A Blueprint for Professional Growth

An Employee Development Plan (EDP) can guide you in setting goals for developing skills or knowledge to enhance your career. To engage in professional development activities that are relevant and rewarding, you are encouraged to design an action plan tailored to your unique needs, job requirements, and career goals. EDPs may reflect individual, department, and/or university goals. By collaborating with your manager/department head, mentors, and other colleagues, you can evaluate professional development opportunities and identify those that can help you achieve your goals.

To be effective, your EDP should be:

  • developed jointly by you and your manager/department head
  • linked to your job description or Plan of Work (POW)
  • periodically reviewed by you and your manager/department head

Please note that EDPs are not to be used to address performance issues. Your supervisor is responsible for working with the HR Services Manager to initiate a performance improvement process.

Staff are encouraged to use, or customize, one of the following forms:

For questions or assistance regarding EDPs, please contact Hope Williams, Director, NTID Professional Development Program.

Faculty should contact Todd Pagano for Individual Development Plans for faculty.

Faculty Mentoring

Mentoring is a powerful tool to help you define and achieve your career goals. Individuals at all career stages can benefit from mentoring! NTID uses a network-based mentoring model that is initiated by the development of Individualized Development Plans. Submit a request today and a member of NTID’s mentoring committee will contact you to get the process started.

Request Mentoring
(NTID)

Teaching Observations

Teaching observations can help you enhance your instructional strategies and classroom management techniques. While you should reach out to your department Chair for formal annual observations, you can request a peer teaching observation below, and an NTID representative will contact you to help you achieve your professional development goals!

Request a Teaching
Observation (NTID)

Resources

NTID provides many resources for faculty, staff, and presenters. Resources include information on working with interpreters, material prep, general tips for presenting to deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, and physical spaces for meetings and lectures.

More information on resources  

Archived Reports

The Archives contain Professional Development year-end reports and other historical documents. You must login with your RIT DCE account to access the archives.

Archived Reports Portal  
(Requires RIT Login  )

Contact Us

Professional Development Team

We are available to work with you to achieve your professional development goals. Contact us today! Or if you have a recommendation for PD programming, let us know!

Todd Pagano
Exec Director, NTID Professional and Student Scholar Development
585-475-4539
Hope Williams
Director NTID Professional Development Program
585-475-6335