PL Call to Action
June 21, 2025 | EDLD 5389 | Summer 2025
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
The Why: Backstory and Motivation
As someone who works in higher education, I’ve witnessed firsthand how traditional professional learning (PL) often misses the mark. Much of the PL offered to faculty and staff is passive, disconnected from our day-to-day work, and lacks meaningful follow-up. It's usually a one-size-fits-all model that doesn’t take into account our specific institutional needs, job roles, or long-term growth. This disconnect has motivated me to rethink how PL is approached—not just for compliance or content delivery, but for real transformation.
Throughout my graduate program, I’ve been introduced to the power of constructivist, learner-centered practices like the COVA model (Choice, Ownership, Voice, and Authentic learning). These concepts have reshaped how I view learning—for students and professionals alike. I realized that if we truly want to support student success, we must start by equipping educators, advisors, and staff with professional learning that is relevant, ongoing, and empowering. We must model the same kind of learning culture we hope to see in our classrooms and campuses.
This presentation was born from that conviction. It’s not just a call to change what we do in PL—it’s a push to change why and how we do it. If we don’t evolve our professional learning models, we risk becoming stagnant, disconnected from our students, and unable to meet the demands of a rapidly changing academic environment.
To bring my vision to life, I created a presentation titled “Evolving Professional Learning in Higher Education: Why the Change is Urgent.” This multimedia piece is structured using Duarte’s storytelling arc and is aligned with the five key principles of effective professional learning. The presentation is designed as a conversation-starter—not a formal training—so it can be easily adapted for faculty meetings, departmental retreats, onboarding sessions, or future PL planning discussions.
The content starts by painting the current landscape of professional learning in higher education—highlighting the challenges of outdated, one-off approaches. It then contrasts that with a vision of what professional learning could look like: meaningful, relevant, and rooted in sustained growth. Each slide builds on the previous one, guiding the audience through not just what effective PL entails, but why it’s essential to shift now.
Throughout the deck, each of the five key PL principles—duration, implementation support, engagement, modeling, and specificity—are contextualized for higher education settings. The visuals are intentionally minimal and clean, in line with Presentation Zen design principles, keeping the focus on the message rather than clutter. Speaker notes are embedded throughout to provide deeper narrative guidance for whoever is presenting it. I’ve also included current research from Darling-Hammond, Desimone, and Gulamhussein to ground the content in evidence-based practice.
This presentation isn’t just an academic assignment—it’s a tool I genuinely plan to use in professional spaces. It’s also easily revisable, which allows me to adapt it as institutional needs evolve or when different campus audiences require slightly different framing.
The What: The Presentation Product
The How: Creative Process and Execution
Creating this presentation was both a reflective and strategic process. I began by outlining the core message I wanted to convey: that professional learning in higher education must shift from performative to purposeful. Using Duarte’s “what is vs. what could be” structure, I mapped out a story arc that would build urgency, present a solution, and end with a call to action.
To ensure alignment with best practices, I revisited key readings like Darling-Hammond et al. (2017) and Desimone (2009), using them as anchors for each of the five principles of effective PL. I then translated those ideas into accessible language, imagining myself speaking directly to campus stakeholders—faculty, staff, and department leads—who may be resistant to change but care deeply about student success.
Visually, I kept the design minimal and clean to reflect principles from Presentation Zen. Instead of overloading slides with bullet points, I used brief, impactful phrases that could support a conversation rather than dictate it. The slide deck was created using Microsoft PowerPoint and formatted with consistent fonts, color accents, and white space to enhance readability. Speaker notes were added to each slide to guide the delivery and emphasize key points.
I also made sure the presentation is modular and reusable. Whether it's presented in full or broken into segments for training modules, its structure allows for flexibility. The final product was exported as a .PPTX file and can be embedded into a digital portfolio, used during professional development sessions, or submitted alongside program materials as part of a capstone showcase.
Creating this project helped me practice what I preach—designing with authenticity, voice, and intentionality. It’s not just about checking a box; it’s about modeling the kind of learning culture I want to help build in higher education.
References
Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective Teacher Professional Development. Learning Policy Institute.
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Desimone, L. M. (2009). Improving impact studies of teachers’ professional development. Educational Researcher, 38(3), 181–199.
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Fullan, M. (2016). The New Meaning of Educational Change (5th ed.). Teachers College Press.Guskey, T. R. (2002). Professional development and teacher change. Teachers and Teaching, 8(3), 381–391.
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Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Developing Significant Learning Environments. https://www.learningspaces.org
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning. Prentice-Hall.
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054.
Steele, G. E. (2016). Technology and Advising. NACADA Clearinghouse.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society. Harvard University Press.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice. Cambridge University Press.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (Expanded 2nd ed.). ASCD.