The Professional Development Centre (PDC) is an innovation of BRAC University dedicated to promoting excellence in education through shared understanding and best practice. The centre was previously known as the Teaching & Learning Centre, opened in 2006. The PDC strives to build a creative environment of pedagogical development and research that fosters innovation across the University in collaboration with faculty and administrative staff. The focus of the centre is to keep the campus community updated with pedagogical developments, coordinate academic resources, support professional development and contribute to successful student learning. From group events to personalized attention, the PDC supports measurable effectiveness in faculty development, course instruction and assessment, scholarly research, and innovation in education technologies. Our expanding activities and services include orientations, workshops and seminars, individual consultations, pedagogical research, teaching courses and programme design.

Vision

The PDC of BRAC University will be a dynamic platform for promoting best teaching/learning practice, effective educational leadership and management, inclusion and social justice in higher educational institutions of Bangladesh, South Asia, and beyond. The centre will develop processes by which both local and global experiences of academic and professional development are explored. Simultaneously, it will enjoy the full capacity to facilitate research-informed, sustainable and innovative continuing professional development schemes for pre- and in-service academic and administrative staff of higher educational institutions. Whereas university academics will be the primary beneficiaries of the centre, the greater stakeholder community will include students, management staff and anyone interested in education industries.

Mission

The core mission of the centre is to assist BRAC University and other local higher educational institutions in evaluating and embracing effective modes of teaching practice that deliver excellent educational experience to students. The centre works with academics across disciplines in designing and re-designing academic programmes through realistic considerations of content, pedagogy, assessment, student management, mentorship and supervision, and impact/target review. The issues related to diversity, learner autonomy and voice along with the transferability of learning to workplaces, people and society are also the priorities of the centre. Additionally, in order to create a transparent and active professional development environment, the centre is maintaining an effective communication link within and among departments along with intra- and inter- universities.

In the near future, the PDC is keen on exploring, designing and implementing professional development programmes for research and management staff of BRAC and other public/private universities.