Page 21 - Center for Faculty Development and Learning

Interviews with One of our ADU CDLI College

Coordinators: Dr. Daniela Coelho

Dr. Daniela Coelho is an Assistant Professor of Education. She com-

pleted her master and doctoral studies in the field of Teacher Edu-

cation, Language Pedagogy and Curriculum Development and has

20+ years of experience teaching in higher education in a variety of

countries, such as Canada, England, Finland, Portugal and the United
Arab Emirates. Her research interests include plurilingual peda-

gogy, intercultural competence, teacher education
and curriculum

development. She has co-authored an EFL book and published sev-
eral articles, chapters and a book in the field of plu rilingual peda-
gogy, language education and teacher education in r eputable jour-
nals and publishers.

▪ As a college coordinator, how do you de- discussions often reveal further training re- 9
fine your role in bridging the gap between quirements, which I subsequently communi-
your college and the Center for Faculty De- cate to the CDLI when the CDLI Director is
velopment and Learning Innovation? preparing the annual training agenda.
My role primarily involves keeping my col- Throughout the year, I also provide topic sug-
lege informed about initiatives led by the gestions based on the information collected
Center for Faculty Development and Learning within the college, ensuring the training
Innovation (CDLI), encouraging active partici- agenda aligns with faculty needs and priori-
pation in these initiatives, and collaborating ties.
with the College Professional Development ▪ What are the key areas of focus for profes-
Committee to identify training needs that can sional development in your college, and how
be supported by the CDLI. do you prioritize them?
▪ Can you describe the process of identifying The key areas of focus for the College of
and coordinating professional development Arts and Sciences are likely similar to those of
needs for your college? other colleges. At the university level, it is
The identification of training needs is car- common to hire faculty who are experts and
ried out in collaboration with the Professional experienced researchers in their specific
Development (PD) Committee. For instance, fields but may lack the pedagogical and in-
in 2023, the PD Committee Chair and I con- structional skills necessary for teaching en-
ducted a faculty-wide survey to gather input gaging lessons using active learning ap-
on training needs directly from faculty mem- proaches or for designing effective assess-
bers. Additionally, informal meetings and ments, such as exams or rubrics.

19