Teaching Development Plan

What is the Teaching Development Plan (TDP)?

The TDP is a way for EPIC participants to set goals, monitor progress towards those goals, and reflect on accomplishments. The TDP was developed based on the cyclical nature of Individual Development Plans for graduate students like myIDP and ImaginePhD. Participants conduct a self-assessment through completing the skills inventory, use the TDP to document their goals, and periodically reflect on this plan to acknowledge successes, barriers toward success, and set new goals.

The TDP encourages participants to adopt a reflective teaching practice and intentionally identify areas to improve their teaching. This document was created for graduate students in the context of the EPIC program. However, we believe that this tool could be useful for instructors of all stages.

TDP structure and prompts

The frequency with which participants reflect on and resubmit a TDP will likely depend on how often you are meeting and how long your version of EPIC will last. At minimum, we suggest having participants complete a TDP at the start of EPIC and revise it at the conclusion of EPIC. For example, in the year-long model, participants complete three TDPs throughout EPIC: one at the beginning of their time in the program, one at the beginning of the second semester of EPIC, and one at the conclusion of their time in the program. The general format of the TDP remains the same throughout, but subsequent TDPs ask participants to reflect on their previously articulated goals and identify if they have accomplished them.

Initial TDP

Mid-program TDP

Final TDP

Research summary

This section will be updated when pilot findings are available.

Participant testimonials

"I found creating and reflecting on my own personal Teaching Development Plan incredibly useful. Attending this seminar forced me to be self-aware and self-reflective about my teaching in a way I would not have been otherwise. Being "forced" to take just 15 minutes to think actively about what my teaching is like and what I want my teaching to be really helped me find perspective on my growth and goals."

"Looking back at my first Teaching Development Plan made me realize how much I had learned throughout the semester. The Teaching Development Plan that I made at the end of the semester focused more on student needs and addressing different dynamics in the classroom that I had not thought as much about."

"I thought they [the TDPs] were useful, just in the sense that I could sort of have these goals that I set for myself and then I was able to see a progression of each and make sure that I was working towards those goals. A lot of the goals I set were like things like finding someone in my program who will support me in my teaching goals and things I can start doing now to prepare for this upcoming year and the years following, so that was helpful."

"I think it was really helpful to think about and make specific goals, and try to spend a little bit of time each semester. It wasn't too time consuming or anything. But I think it was really helpful to spend a little time thinking about where you are, where you want to go, and then reflecting back on whether you were able to address what you set out to do."