Our courses are designed to help you build your skills. Participants should expect to spend about four hours per week completing coursework. Each course is focused on a single topic, and draws on curated research in the field as well as academic expertise.
|
Plan your summer PD; registration is now open. Participation in online courses is an Association benefit. All Academic Leaders at member schools can participate at no cost.
Generative AI
Student Mental Health
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Teaching & Learning
|
Workforce Development
Leadership Development
Civil Discourse
|
Explore The Rest Of Our Online Courses
AI Considerations for Academic Leaders
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objectives:
AI conversations have exploded and resources and information abound, overwhelmingly so. In this course, we'll offer Academic Leaders a list of highly curated resources to share with their communities. Then we'll offer a framework for Academic Leaders to use as they lead decision-making conversations around the role of AI in the school's curriculum, pedagogy, and professional responsibilities in alignment with their school's mission and values.
By the end of this course, you will be prepared to help lead your schools decision-making process around the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the coming academic year and beyond.
- Provide an overview of the current status of generative AI and the implications for independent schools
- Understand the three critical elements to developing a strategic approach to managing your campus response to generative AI
AI conversations have exploded and resources and information abound, overwhelmingly so. In this course, we'll offer Academic Leaders a list of highly curated resources to share with their communities. Then we'll offer a framework for Academic Leaders to use as they lead decision-making conversations around the role of AI in the school's curriculum, pedagogy, and professional responsibilities in alignment with their school's mission and values.
By the end of this course, you will be prepared to help lead your schools decision-making process around the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the coming academic year and beyond.
Building Trust as an Academic Leader
Dates Offered: April 29 - May 3, 2024
Objectives:
Participants will learn processes for developing better systems for understanding and supporting those they lead who may be challenged during times of change. The course will share strategies for holding coaching conversations to support other campus adults in their roles. Participants will learn tools that make difficult communication more productive.
- Acquire coaching skills for engaging with individuals that engender better trust in both parties.
- Develop systems of communication that help build trust within groups.
Participants will learn processes for developing better systems for understanding and supporting those they lead who may be challenged during times of change. The course will share strategies for holding coaching conversations to support other campus adults in their roles. Participants will learn tools that make difficult communication more productive.
Competency-based Learning: A Primer for Academic Leaders
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objective:
This course is a primer in competency-based learning. It is designed for Academic Leaders who are curious about this pedagogical approach. Participants will leave with an understanding of competency-based learning and ideas about how to start the conversation within their school community.
- Evaluate whether competency-based learning is an appropriate pedagogy for your school
This course is a primer in competency-based learning. It is designed for Academic Leaders who are curious about this pedagogical approach. Participants will leave with an understanding of competency-based learning and ideas about how to start the conversation within their school community.
Personalized Learning: A Primer for Academic Leaders
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objectives:
Personalized learning is a learner-driven, identity-centering pedagogy. This course is a primer in personalized learning. It is designed for academic leaders who are curious about this pedagogical approach or those considering bringing it into a school community. Participants will leave with an understanding of personalized learning and a tool to assess where teachers are located on the teacher- to learner-driven continuum.
- Evaluate whether personalized learning is an appropriate pedagogy for your school
Personalized learning is a learner-driven, identity-centering pedagogy. This course is a primer in personalized learning. It is designed for academic leaders who are curious about this pedagogical approach or those considering bringing it into a school community. Participants will leave with an understanding of personalized learning and a tool to assess where teachers are located on the teacher- to learner-driven continuum.
Preparing for Schedule Changes
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objectives:
Daily schedules in schools must serve the needs of multiple constituent groups and programming needs in schools. As needs change and evolve over time, so must the schedule. But the process of choosing or developing a new schedule (let alone then implementing the change!) can be fraught with anxiety-inducing elements and unforeseen complications. In this course, participants will learn to design a process designed to meet the curricular needs of their school
- Approach schedule change with a mission-centered mindset.
- Develop awareness of principles that can guide or derail the process of schedule change.
Daily schedules in schools must serve the needs of multiple constituent groups and programming needs in schools. As needs change and evolve over time, so must the schedule. But the process of choosing or developing a new schedule (let alone then implementing the change!) can be fraught with anxiety-inducing elements and unforeseen complications. In this course, participants will learn to design a process designed to meet the curricular needs of their school
Preparing to Lead a DEIB Curriculum Audit
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objectives:
Academic leaders will learn to differentiate between diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice audits and determine which is best for their school. We’ll share frameworks for leading equitably and strategies for managing and evaluating the audit process that can be adapted for use in a division, department, or school-wide.
- Learn to define the objectives in accordance with the school’s mission and priorities.
- Develop a DEIBJ process for your school’s community.
Academic leaders will learn to differentiate between diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice audits and determine which is best for their school. We’ll share frameworks for leading equitably and strategies for managing and evaluating the audit process that can be adapted for use in a division, department, or school-wide.
Preparing to Lead a Mission-Aligned Curriculum Audit
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objectives:
Academic Leaders will learn to do the preliminary work necessary before a team can audit and evaluate curriculum. We’ll share frameworks that can be adapted for use in a division, department, or school internal audit. Participants will come away with a template they can use in engaging a team in a mission-driven curriculum audit this summer or next year. This course is designed to help leaders new to a department leadership role in planning their approach to their first year. We’ll share strategies designed to help new leaders begin the year with confidence in themselves and their network of support.
- Participants will learn to do the preliminary work necessary to audit and evaluate curriculum. We’ll share frameworks that can be adapted for use in a division, department, or school internal audit.
- Participants will come away with a template design they can use to begin an internal, mission-driven curriculum audit.
Academic Leaders will learn to do the preliminary work necessary before a team can audit and evaluate curriculum. We’ll share frameworks that can be adapted for use in a division, department, or school internal audit. Participants will come away with a template they can use in engaging a team in a mission-driven curriculum audit this summer or next year. This course is designed to help leaders new to a department leadership role in planning their approach to their first year. We’ll share strategies designed to help new leaders begin the year with confidence in themselves and their network of support.
Solve Your Substitute Problem
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objective:
Students don’t have to default to working on long-term projects or assignments when teachers are absent for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. In this course, learn how to apply best, inclusive practices in asynchronous learning to ensure students remain actively engaged in learning and teachers are supported. Participants will leave with a template to share with teachers or build into their Learning Management System (LMS).
- By the end of this course, you will develop a model for managing short-term distance teaching and learning.
Students don’t have to default to working on long-term projects or assignments when teachers are absent for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. In this course, learn how to apply best, inclusive practices in asynchronous learning to ensure students remain actively engaged in learning and teachers are supported. Participants will leave with a template to share with teachers or build into their Learning Management System (LMS).
Student Survey Design
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objectives:
- Learn how to design and evaluate survey questions that help you understand the impact of initiatives.
- Determine how to effectively use surveys in your school’s decision-making process.
Supporting Faculty Wellbeing As An Academic Leader
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objectives:
In this course, Academic Leaders will learn how to support a healthy professional culture—centered around empathetic interactions—within their department, division, or whole school. Each community member’s unique set of perspectives and coping strategies are part of their professional lives, and academic leaders can take concrete steps to help each individual bring their best and authentic self to school.
- Identify ways of better connecting with individual faculty members to better support them.
- Begin to plan how to improve support systems for faculty on campus
In this course, Academic Leaders will learn how to support a healthy professional culture—centered around empathetic interactions—within their department, division, or whole school. Each community member’s unique set of perspectives and coping strategies are part of their professional lives, and academic leaders can take concrete steps to help each individual bring their best and authentic self to school.
Wellness for Academic Leaders
Dates Offered: Future Dates Coming Soon
Objectives:
Academic Leaders need to learn to "put their own oxygen masks on first!" when it comes to wellness. In this course participants will learn about three important aspects of wellness; rest, mindfulness, and exercise. Participants will consider these three within the context of academic leadership. The course will encourage participants to reflect on their current practices that support their wellness and consider what changes they may want to make that can increase their ability to model and encourage wellness in their school communities.
- Understand three essential elements of personal wellness
- Consider which wellness strategies might be beneficial and achievable
Academic Leaders need to learn to "put their own oxygen masks on first!" when it comes to wellness. In this course participants will learn about three important aspects of wellness; rest, mindfulness, and exercise. Participants will consider these three within the context of academic leadership. The course will encourage participants to reflect on their current practices that support their wellness and consider what changes they may want to make that can increase their ability to model and encourage wellness in their school communities.
"As a current department chair moving into an assistant division head role, I found the Preparing to Lead a Mission-Aligned Curriculum Audit course to be quite valuable in terms of giving me a starting point for thinking about broader curriculum work. I especially enjoyed reading about the experiences of peers at other schools, to hear what did and did not work for them when they engaged in similar work." "Once again, One Schoolhouse and the Association for Academic Leaders deliver on its promise of robust professional development. I leave the Onboarding (and Keeping) New Faculty course with a new, inspiring perspective on faculty onboarding." |
More about online courses at the Association for Academic Leaders
At the Association for Academic Leaders, we know these two things about our members: their time is short and their interests and needs encompass a wide array of issues. As a competency-based professional association, we have intentionally designed our courses to meet these seemingly divergent needs.
Almost all of our courses are short, lasting one week; they open on a Friday afternoon and close on Sunday evening 10 days later. Every course is designed to be completed in what we call an “asynchronous but paced” manner in about 4-5 hours total over the course of those 10 days. This time frame includes both weekend and weekday time to ensure that participants can complete the assignments at the times their schedule permits.
In practice, this means that each course targets a specific aspect of one of the competencies Academic Leaders need to grow to help their schools thrive. While the overall topic may seem quite large, once inside, participants will find a highly-curated selection of resources that target the objectives of the course.
Just because the courses are short does not mean they are completed in isolation. We ask that participants plan to pace themselves by including time to interact, not just consume the course material. Each offering is led by one of our highly knowledgeable facilitators, who provides feedback to participants’ submissions and questions. In addition, participants are encouraged (expected) to engage with one another in making meaning from the course material though our discussion assignments.
The conversations don’t end when the course is completed and the badges awarded. We provide opportunities to continue the connections made in our courses in our members-only discussion areas in our online portal.
Almost all of our courses are short, lasting one week; they open on a Friday afternoon and close on Sunday evening 10 days later. Every course is designed to be completed in what we call an “asynchronous but paced” manner in about 4-5 hours total over the course of those 10 days. This time frame includes both weekend and weekday time to ensure that participants can complete the assignments at the times their schedule permits.
In practice, this means that each course targets a specific aspect of one of the competencies Academic Leaders need to grow to help their schools thrive. While the overall topic may seem quite large, once inside, participants will find a highly-curated selection of resources that target the objectives of the course.
Just because the courses are short does not mean they are completed in isolation. We ask that participants plan to pace themselves by including time to interact, not just consume the course material. Each offering is led by one of our highly knowledgeable facilitators, who provides feedback to participants’ submissions and questions. In addition, participants are encouraged (expected) to engage with one another in making meaning from the course material though our discussion assignments.
The conversations don’t end when the course is completed and the badges awarded. We provide opportunities to continue the connections made in our courses in our members-only discussion areas in our online portal.