Partner Information

The Office of Professional Development provides professional development courses developed with schools, districts, and other agencies throughout the state of South Carolina. Working with Professional Development coordinators, we design quality, graduate-level professional development courses that best meet the needs of each organization.   

Our Cohort program differs in that we offer specific catalog courses to meet the needs of districts across the state. These are catalog courses that will, upon successful completion, lead to certification or endorsement in a critical needs area. Catalog courses also count toward a degree program, if desired.

Additional Information

Read through the information below to learn more about the adjunct instructor approval process, course and syllabi development, and our cohort programs.
  • Adjunct Approval Process

    The course approval process for adjuncts consists of several parts and must be emailed to tannerdb@cofc.edu. Please remember that the transcript is sent from the terminal institution directly to tannerdb@cofc.edu. Copies will not be accepted.

    Proposed adjuncts must have a Master’s degree or above, 18 or more graduate hours of verifiable experience in the area they will be teaching and/or related experiences that can be documented.

    Adjunct packet must include the following:

    • Terminal original transcript sent directly from college/university to tannerdb@cofc.edu.
    • Current resume (sample resume)
    • Two current professional letters of reference (signed and include phone number and email address)
    • Self-letter (sample) explaining specialized training and experience beyond the graduate degree which qualifies the instructor for teaching a specific course, should be described in detail
    • Copy of South Carolina Teaching Certificate and driver's license
    • Complete and sign the Personal Data Sheet
    • Complete Disclosure and Authorization Form which is submitted online. Please send an email to tannerdb@cofc.edu verifying your completion of the form.

    Mailing address:

    Diane Tanner, Office of Professional Development in Education

    School of Education, College of Charleston

    66 George Street

    Charleston, SC 29424

    Email: tannerdb@cofc.edu

    The proposed adjunct's credentials are circulated to the Administrative Council for approval. If the instructor is not approved, they may submit additional information for reconsideration. 

    NOTE: Course and instructor materials are subject to review and approval/disapproval by the members of the Administrative Council. This review can be initiated by the Dean, Assistant Dean or Department Chair.

    In a course where Master Teachers work with the course instructor, the syllabus should indicate the amount of participation from the Master Teacher. The course instructor is the person responsible for facilitating learning in the course and should work alongside the Master Teacher.

     

  • Adjunct and Course Fee Structure

    Cost per hour of course if Instructor Paid by Course Initiator

    A course with the instructor being paid by the course initiator (not the College of Charleston) has the following per student fee schedule:

    • $150.00 per student for a 3-hour course

    • $100.00 per student for a 2-hour course

    •  $50.00 per student for a 1-hour course

    Differential Fee: This fee is assessed to any student who does not hold a SC Teacher License and/or is not a SC resident.  The assessments are: one credit hour=$80; two credit hours=$160; and three credit hours=$240 (see below)

    Price Comparison Chart

    Class hoursInstateOut of State feesTotal Cost
    1 Hour$50 plus $80 (differential fee)$130
    2 Hours$100plus $160 differential fee$260
    3 Hours$150plus $240 differential fee $390

     

     

    A course whose instructor is paid by the College of Charleston will require the course initiator to cover the direct cost of the instructor's salary plus an administrative fee as noted below:

    CourseAdjunctFeesTotal Cost
    1 Hour$933$1,250$2,183
    2 Hours$1,866$2,500$4,366
    3 Hours$2,800$3,750$6,550

    Instructor With Terminal Degree Paid by CofC

    CourseAdjunctFeesTotal Cost
    1 Hour$966$1,250$2,216
    2 Hours$1,932$2,500$4,432
    3 Hours$2,900$3,750$6,650


    The differential fee is assessed to any student who is NOT a South Carolina resident. The assessments are:

    • one credit hour = $80

    • two credit hours = $160

    • three credit hours = $240

    Incentive Plan

    Teach three courses that are managed by the College of Charleston OPDE. A fourth course will be facilitated without a per participant fee assessed if the following conditions are met:​

    • All courses to be counted toward the incentive must be ones for which the educational funding agency pays a per participant rate.​
    • All courses to be credited in the incentive plan must have a minimum enrollment of 20 students or average of 60 students over the three fee payment courses in one session/semester​
    • If an instructor's salary is assessed for the free course, the responsibility of the salary will rest with the contracting school, district, or agency. The College of Charleston will absorb the per participant cost only. Maximum enrollment may not exceed 25 students per class in free incentive courses. ​
    • The school district or agency must use the incentive course(s) immediately within 12 months of having earned the free course

  • Course Development

    Course Approval Process

    The course syllabus is developed by the initiator and adjunct with input and assistance from the OPDE Director and the Assistant for Administration and Public Relations. Much care should be given to the development of a meaningful, rigorous course containing specifics and details of expectations. An assessment rubric for each graded assignment is required.

    • All syllabi of proposed OPDE courses are reviewed by the Assistant for Administration and Public Relations and the Professional Development Director for essential components and adherence to policies outlined above.
    • Once the standards of the initial review are met, the syllabus is reviewed by the SOE Administrative Council, which is made up of the Associate Dean and Chairs of each department in the School of Education.
    • All syllabi are requested to be submitted electronically via e-mail to tannerdb@cofc.edu
    • The Administrative Council reviews syllabus and instructor approvals on the first and third Thursday of each month.
    • The Administrative Council examines the course description, purpose, objectives/standards, content, learning activities, assessment, rubrics, and grading to determine whether graduate professional development credit will be awarded.

    Class Size

    • The minimum class size shall be 10 students.
    • The maximum class size shall be twenty-five (25) unless approved by OPDE. A second section can be added if needed.

    Credit Hours

    • EDPD courses can be designed for one, two, or three hours of graduate credit.
    • The minimum number of class instructional contact hours for 1 credit is 15 hours.
    • The minimum number of class instructional contact hours for 2 credits is 30 hours
    • The minimum number of class instructional contact hours for 3 credits is 45 hours.
    • The course syllabus must specify the dates and times of class meetings. 

    Guidelines for Syllabus Development

    The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (S.A.C.S.) requires that all syllabi of proposed courses be reviewed for the essentials. Based on the review, a decision will be made about whether graduate credit should be awarded for the proposed course, how many hours of graduate credit should be awarded for the proposed course, and whether a grade will be awarded or pass/fail will be assigned for the proposed course.

    The Office of Professional Development in Education offers a syllabus template found on the link below. The template guides the instructor through the syllabus creation process.

     

    Syllabus Template
  • Course Differentiation

    Catalog Courses (EDFS and EDEE)

    Catalog courses offered by the Department of Teacher Education are those that have been approved as a part of a course of study in a CofC graduate-level program. The regular graduate school tuition fees are applicable to catalog course offerings.  Catalog courses may receive a letter grade or a P/F grade.  If a course is P/F, it carries zero (0) quality points and thus cannot be converted to a letter grade.

    Catalog Course Fee:The regular graduate school tuition fees will be applicable with catalog course (EDFS and EDEE) offerings.

    Professional Development Courses (EDPD)

    Credit for a course of this type does not count toward completion of a C of C catalog program or a Master's Degree. However, credit can count towards recertification, a Bachelor's +18 hours, and/or a Master's +30 hours.

  • Cohort Programs

    We offer a varied choice of cohort programs. More information can be found on our homepage under "cohort program."