Preparing Future Faculty Program
The UC PFF program provides instruction in modern teaching and learning and offers rich mentoring experiences that strengthen these career skills. Established in 1993, the UC PFF program was one of the founding group of national PFF programs. Active participation in a PFF program is widely recognized.
PFF is changing with the times!
UC's PFF program transitioned from a certificate program to a participatory professional development program, housed within the Graduate College. Students matriculated prior to the fall 2019 application deadline will adhere to previous program requirements, found under the Legacy Program page.
Prospective students can complete an updated application and submit one letter of recommendation to gradpff@uc.edu.
Is the PFF Program Valuable?
According to several prominent studies, the PFF program provides much-needed pedagogical skills to PhD candidates, giving them an edge over candidates who do not earn PFF certificates.
These studies show that:
- PFF prepares graduate students for academic careers at postsecondary institutions;
- it helps graduate students conduct productive job searches and achieve early career success; and
- the program provides professional development that does not extend time-to-degree.
Elements of PFF Participation
- Reading Groups: Join a multi-disciplinary group of your peers to discuss teaching-related issues.
- Workshops: Participate in workshops across campus, hosted by various organizations, in order to gain effective teaching skills, explore pedagogical methods, and more.
- Courses: Register for PFF courses to better support your abilities as a teacher and to effectively navigate the academic job search. The three semester-credit Teaching Effectiveness course is offered each fall (PD8041). The two semester-credit Academic Job Search course is offered each spring (PD8042).
- Mentoring: Gain teaching experience and work closely with a faculty mentor at an affiliated institution through the PFF mentoring experience.
Summary of PFF Tiers
Find more information on the PFF Participations Tier page.
PFF Participant: Completes 15 activity points, including the following required activities:
- Participates in one PFF reading group
- Attends one PFF-approved workshop
PFF Fellow: Completes 75 activity points, including the following required activities:
- Completes the PFF Participant tier
- Participates in one PFF reading group (two groups cumulatively)
- Attends one PFF-approved workshop (two workshops cumulatively)
- Takes and passes PFF courses (Teaching Effectiveness and the Academic Job Search)
PFF Graduate: Completes 150 activity points, including the following required activities:
- Completes the PFF Fellow tier
- Participates in one PFF reading group (three groups cumulatively)
- Leads one PFF reading group
- Attends one PFF-approved workshop (three cumulatively)
- Takes and passes PFF courses (Teaching Effectiveness and the Academic Job Search)
- Completes the mentoring experience
PFF Program Manual and Checklist
The updated program manual and supporting documents are currently under review and will be coming soon!
Students matriculated prior to the fall 2019 application deadline can find the previous program manual and program elements on the Legacy Program page or by contacting the program coordinator at gradpff@uc.edu.
Get PFF News and Updates
To get news and updates for the Preparing Future Faculty program, email gradpff@uc.edu to be added to the Outlook group and Canvas page.
Questions?
Contact the PFF program coordinator, Abby Link:
110 Van Wormer Hall
513-556-4335
gradpff@uc.edu
Office Hours, Spring 2023
Virtual and in-person office hours are available upon appointment.