University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Grainger College of Engineering

Professional Development

Teaching

The Academy for Excellence in Engineering Education (AE3) offers programs for faculty that promote high-quality teaching and act as catalysts for innovation in education.

  • Collins Scholars Program
    The Collins Scholars Program for new engineering faculty and instructors exists to help get their careers off to an efficient and productive start. The program provides a culture of support for teaching, research, and service in a relaxing and collegial environment.
  • Teaching Professionals Program (TPro2)
    The Teaching Professionals Program (TPro2) works to build community and formalize the career objectives of the participants by hosting meetings that provide professional development, facilitate sharing of ideas, and allow general discussion. All specialized teaching faculty are welcome!
  • Strategic Instructional Innovations Program (SIIP) Grants
    SIIP competitively awards education-innovation grants to faculty teams using a model similar to research-grant funding. The motivating vision for education innovation is to teach like we do research, meaning that teaching can and should involve collaboration, creativity, excitement, measurement, perseverance, and continual improvement, as do high-quality research programs at Illinois.

Research

  • Grainger Engineers Accelerating Research (GEAR)
    The GEAR (Grainger Engineers Accelerating Research) Program helps tenure-track and specialized faculty new to Grainger Engineering launch their research through in-person meetings covering topics that are important for success. 
  • Grainger Engineers Accelerating Research (GEAR) + Cohort to DC
    GEAR also includes a Grant Writing Workshop by an external expert and the Cohort-to-DC where participants identify and meet program managers that align with their research. 
  • NSF Career Program
    Every year, workshops are offered to faculty eligible for the prestigious NSF CAREER Program for early career faculty. 

Leadership

  • The Engineering Faculty Leadership Forum (EFLF)
    is a year-long professional development program that supports and expands the leadership skills of a mid-career faculty cohort through guided discussions, readings, and reflection.
  • Academic Leadership Management Institute (ALMI)
    The Illinois Academic Leadership and Management Institute (ALMI) consists of individual and group exercises, lectures, case studies, and discussions designed for any junior faculty member who conducts group-based research* in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences or the Grainger College of Engineering.
  • Excellence in Academic Leadership (EAL) at NCPRE
    EAL is a professional development program tailored to develop the skills needed to survive and thrive while navigating the special challenges of the academic environment.