New student to CofC Graduate PD OR student who has not enrolled in a graduate PD cours within the last two semesters.

1. Use the link below to create an account and password
2. Check email
3. Login to Portal - Under Education - start application
4. Under New Application choose "Professional Development"
5. Select Term
6. Complete Graduate School Professional Development Application
7. Select your Program - Education - Professional Development
8. Press "Continue" after each section
9. Complete Application and Upload Documentation (transcripts are not required unless you do not have a teaching certificate)
10. Review and submit application
11. Graduate School Reviews and accepts application
12. Register for course(s):  Go to OPDE Registration

Click here for a printable flowchart of directions: Graduate_PD_Application_Registration_Flowchart

For technical issues, please contact the Graduate Office at gradadmissions@cofc.edu

Completed a Graduate PD course within the last two semesters or completed the application form prior to registration (New or returning students.)

1. Use the link below to complete the OPDE Registration Request Form
2. Participant Information
3. Semester Selection - Select up to four courses
4. Payment and Certificate Information
5. No need to send copies of teaching certificate and driver's license unless expired.  If expired please send to: OPDE@cofc.edu
6. Before submitting, please make sure your email address is correct.
7. Complete form and submit
8. After submitting you will receive a verification of registration via email
9. OPDE reviews and processes registration

Click here for a printable flowchart of directions: Graduate_PD_Application_Registration_Flowchart

For technical issues, please contact the OPDE at OPDE@cofc.edu. 

NEW for FALL!

EDPD:  Educating Gen Z: Student Development and Wellbeing in the Digital Age

Course Description

This NEW graduate professional development course examines the developmental, emotional, social, and educational experiences shaping Generation Z learners in contemporary digital environments. Participants will explore how smartphone-based childhoods, social media ecosystems, artificial intelligence, and digital culture are influencing adolescent wellbeing, identity development, attention, belonging, motivation, and student engagement.

Participants will critically examine current research and public discourse surrounding youth mental health, digital culture, and educational outcomes while developing practical, school-based approaches to support students in today’s learning environments. Throughout the course, participants will connect research to their own educational contexts and design concrete strategies that promote healthy digital-age learning environments.

Special Note

We are excited to share this new course with as many professional educators as possible. Participants will complete an end-of-course survey to provide feedback and identify desired next steps in the development of understanding of the Gen Z and beyond.

Please note: This course is expected to fill quickly.

Dates of course:  To be determined

Zoom Schedule within the course: To be determined

Type of course: Online - includes both synchronous and asynchronous sessions

3. Pay  with a credit card at https://secure.touchnet.com/C20590_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=687
4. The last day to register is  TBD

Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies: https://soe.cofc.edu/opde/student-information/index.php

Registration not yet available.

Course Description:

This introductory professional development course equips K-12 teachers with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and supports them in integrating AI responsibly and effectively into instruction. Participants explore key AI concepts, ethical considerations, classroom applications, and AI literacy skills aligned with the South Carolina AI Framework.

Teachers engage in hands-on exploration of AI tools, examine pedagogical implications, practice prompt engineering, and design an AI-supported instructional activity or lesson for classroom use.

Special Note

We are excited to share this course with as many professional educators as possible. Participants will complete an end-of-course survey to provide feedback and identify desired next steps in the field of AI in education.

Please note: This course is expected to fill quickly.

Dates of course:  Sept 8-Oct 27

Zoom Schedule within the course:

- September 8 5:00-PM-6:00 PM
- September 22  5:00-PM-6:00 PM
- October 6  5:00-PM-6:00 PM
 -October 20  5:00-PM-6:00 PM
- All work due by October 27.  

Type of course: Online - includes both synchronous and asynchronous sessions

3. Pay  with a credit card at https://secure.touchnet.com/C20590_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=687
4. The last day to register is  

Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies: https://soe.cofc.edu/opde/student-information/index.php

Registration not yet available.

This graduate-level professional development course equips educators with advanced training in implementing MTSS for behavior, emphasizing tiered interventions, PBIS, and emerging models such as trauma-informed practices, restorative approaches, and inclusive behavioral frameworks. Participants will analyze behavioral data, design school-wide systems, and integrate SEL into sustainable behavior supports.

Registration: EDPD 829 A – Driving Positive Behaviors: MTSS, PBIS, and New Approaches - Class size is limited to 25 participants. The cost for the three hours of graduate professional development credit through the College of Charleston is $325. 

Dates of course:  Course will run TBD

Type of Course:  Online (Synchronous and Asynchronous components)

1. Please note:  Registration directions have changed!
   
   New students to the College of Charleston will first complete a CofC graduate school application. Once created, your application is active for two “semesters” before becoming inactive. New students (once application is submitted) and returning students willl complete course registrations within the OPDE online form. Our office will process your registrations, and if necessary, will contact you with any questions we may have. Please reach out with any questions or concerns to: opde@cofc.edu
   
   
   There are two options: 
   - New Students - complete the step for application (New or returning after at least 2 semesters)
   - All students (returning and new) complete the OPDE Registration form.
   
   - Directions and link to appropriate form are found below
   • Returning and New Students: Register for courses.
   • New Student Application

3. Pay $300 with a credit card at https://secure.touchnet.com/C20590_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=687
4. The last day to register is TBD

Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies: https://soe.cofc.edu/opde/student-information/index.php

Fall 2026 Self-Paced Professional Development Course for Three Hours of Credit 

Increase your pay with a Master’s plus 30 

EDPD: 826 Z60 Managing the Post-Pandemic Classroom 

This course is designed to provide teachers and administrators with an understanding of the negative impact of the pandemic on both students and teachers.  Academic, social, and behavioral support to ensure students' success in the school environment differs from previous endeavors before the pandemic. Students and teachers require a new understanding of the post-pandemic classroom. This new understanding will be examined through learning about trauma and stress related to the pandemic, as well as programs developed to provide a structure for identifying and managing behaviors, instructional and management strategies, and support systems to ensure teacher and student success. 

The course begins on October 18 and ends on November 29. Managing the Post-Pandemic Classroom is an online course comprising nine sessions, spanning six weeks. Starting on Sunday, October 19, participants will be emailed a detailed assignment that includes a written lecture on the topic, numerous websites to visit and read, specific textbook pages to review, and an application assignment.  After completing the session and submitting the assignment via email, the instructor will evaluate it and assign a grade. A new session will be emailed. This self-paced process will be repeated until all nine sessions have been completed. The last assignment is due on November 29. Request a syllabus for more details at fbouknight65@gmail.com   

Topics Addressed 

Understanding the effects of trauma during the pandemic on teachers and students, the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), classroom management strategies for the whole classroom, addressing challenging behaviors using MTSS, addressing disruptive behaviors using MTSS, developing a system of support (parents and administration), engaging students during Instruction, and creating an effective classroom management system in the post-pandemic classroom 

The class size is limited to 30 participants. The cost for the three hours of graduate professional development credit through the College of Charleston is $350.  

To register: 

• New Student Application
• Returning and New Students: Register for courses.

Pay $350 with a credit card at the CofC Marketplace Payment Portal

The last day to register is Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies.

EDPD 828 Q: The Charter School Movement in South Carolina: Past, Present, and Future

The course is designed for teachers (K-12, all areas of certification), administrators (K-12), school board members, and others seeking to understand the charter school movement in South Carolina. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an in-depth examination of the national charter school movement, the charter school movement in South Carolina, the Charter School Act, charter school sponsors, charter school funding, the application process, teacher benefits and rights, management companies, charter schools vs. traditional schools, athletics and extracurricular activities, virtual charter schools, and the future of charter schools in SC. Upon completing the course, students will be well-informed about charter schools in South Carolina. Students will understand the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges facing charter schools.

This self-paced online course comprises nine sessions over six weeks (August 30-October 11). Beginning on August 30, participants will be emailed a detailed assignment that includes a written lecture on the topic, numerous websites to visit and read, specific textbook pages to review, and an application assignment. After completing the session and submitting the assignment via email, the instructor will evaluate it and assign a grade. A new session will be emailed. This self-paced process will be repeated until all nine sessions have been completed. The last assignment is due on October 11. For more information, request the syllabus from fbouknight65@gmail.com

Registration: EDPD 828 Q: The Charter School Movement in South Carolina: Past, Present, and Future

The cost for the three hours of graduate professional development credit through the College of Charleston is $350.

Request a syllabus for more details at fbouknight65@gmail.com 

To register: 

1. To register: 

   Please note:  Registration directions have changed!
   
   New students to the College of Charleston will first complete a CofC graduate school application. Once created, your application is active for two “semesters” before becoming inactive. New students (once application is submitted) and returning students willl complete course registrations within the OPDE online form. Our office will process your registrations, and if necessary, will contact you with any questions we may have. Please reach out with any questions or concerns to: opde@cofc.edu
   
   
   There are two options: 
   - New Students - complete the step for application (New or returning after at least 2 semesters)
   - All students (returning and new) complete the OPDE Registration form.
   
   - Directions and link to appropriate form are found below
   • New Student Application
   • Returning and New Students: Register for courses.

   Pay $350 with a credit card at the CofC Marketplace Payment Portal

   The last day to register is Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies.

EDPD 829 C60:  Teaching Children to Think Through Conflict: Communication, Mediation, and Problem-Solving in the Classroom 

Course Description:

This course equips educators with a practical, developmentally aligned framework for teaching communication and conflict-resolution skills to children. Grounded in the Addressing Basic Conflict (ABC) model, it shifts the role of educators from problem-solvers to facilitators of student reasoning, reflection, and thoughtful choice-making.

Rationale for the Course:

Classrooms today require explicit instruction in communication, reasoning, and problem-solving. Research in SEL, neurodevelopment, and mediation demonstrates that proactive conflict-skill instruction improves learning, emotional regulation, and classroom climate. This course provides structured, research-aligned tools to support that work.

.

Dates and Times of the Course: TBD

• Synchronous sessions 
• Asynchronous - Models released weekly

Registration: EDPD829 C: Teaching Children to Think Through Conflict: Communication, Mediation, and Problem-Solving in the Classroom

 The class is limited to 25 participants. The cost for the three hours of graduate professional development credit through the College of Charleston is $150. 

To register:

1. Please note:  Registration directions have changed!
   
   New students to the College of Charleston will first complete a CofC graduate school application. Once created, your application is active for two “semesters” before becoming inactive. New students (once application is submitted) and returning students willl complete course registrations within the OPDE online form. Our office will process your registrations, and if necessary, will contact you with any questions we may have. Please reach out with any questions or concerns to: opde@cofc.edu
   
   
   There are two options: 
   - New Students - complete the step for application (New or returning after at least 2 semesters)
   - All students (returning and new) complete the OPDE Registration form.
   
   - Directions and link to appropriate form are found below
   • Returning and New Students: Register for courses.
   • New Student Application

Payment: Pay $150 with a credit card at the C of C Marketplace payment portal 

The last day to register is TBD

Click here for College of Charleston withdrawal and refund policies.

A fantasic opportunity but limited (10) in number!  This is a hybrid course (Face-to-Face as well as asynchronous components.) Designed for K-12 educators who live in the Charleston, SC area.

 Course Number:  EDPD 828- I

 The Charleston Library Society is pleased to offer a one-hour credit Professional Development course entitled “Shakespeare: Books and Screens.” Taught by Dr. Kay Smith (Professor Emerita at the The College of Charleston), the library will offer a hands-on learning opportunity for area secondary school educators, including English, theater, history and science teachers. This course, offered through the College of Charleston’s School of Education, will guide teachers in creating lesson plans and assignments that will link their teaching of Shakespeare and his era in their classrooms to the resources of the Igoe Shakespeare Collection and CLS, including the CLS collection of Shakespeare-related visual arts, and films. Participants will learn more about the library’s history, the collections (with particular emphasis on the Igoe Shakespeare Collection), and will visit the Bindery for a workshop during one of their sessions. Classes will meet at the Charleston Library Society on select days from June 9-22, 2026. Teacher-participants will be encouraged to share their experiences with the Igoe Collection either through field trips or in their class instruction. With a generous donation from the Igoe family, the course is being offered for $50 per teacher. Additionally, the Library Society will provide free one-year memberships to course participants. Class Size is limited to ten teachers. Parking vouchers will be provided for nearby garages, though the availability of parking spaces cannot be guaranteed.