PD Anywhere is a professional development provider that specializes in offering research-based micro-credentials on topics proven to increase student achievement. Kathy McConnell Fad, Ph.D. is the principal of PD Anywhere and we have other team members that support our work. We are seasoned educators with advanced degrees in both general and special education. Among our team, our experience includes roles as teacher, district level administrator, college professor, independent consultant, author, and instructional coach. Throughout our careers, we have remained committed to equity and excellence for educators and students.

No. PD Anywhere provides competency-based micro-credentials. Unlike online courses, educators take as little or as much time as they need to fulfill completion requirements. Each micro-credential PD Anywhere has a wealth of resources available to support learning, including articles, books, videos, blog posts, and original content. Educators have the flexibility to choose the resources that meet their needs.

Sometimes, educators select the topic they want to study. In other situations, a campus or district leader will select topics for an individual learner or a group based on their needs, experience, and professional responsibilities. If a campus or district has contracted with PD Anywhere, we may make suggestions based on information provided but always support their priorities. We are committed to personalizing the learning experience.

Yes. Teachers receive digital badges to show successful completion of micro-credentials. These badges can be shared with districts and campuses as proof of completion. Many states have already approved our micro-credentials for CEUs or other professional education hours that count toward certification. Educators can also work with their own human resource departments to gain continuing education approval. Some topics have also been approved for graduate credits.

There is no set timeline for completion of a micro-credential. Each educator works at his or her own pace to demonstrate competency. Most micro-credentials can easily be completed within a few weeks. PD Anywhere works with districts to determine the timeline for micro-credential completion. Comprehensive resources are provided for each micro-credential and, while we recommend that learners access all of them, some educators may have background knowledge that enables them to complete a micro-credential more quickly that a less experienced learner.

Yes. Some schools choose to have on-site training as a supplement to micro-credentials. Our program is flexible and can be designed to meet the needs of large and small campuses, groups of teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, or individual teachers. Sometimes, after teachers have completed their micro-credentials, districts may want follow-up coaching and on-site support. We provide PD for individual campuses, PLC teams, and administrators on a variety of topics. Contact us and we will work with you to create a custom program.

PD Anywhere designs micro-credentials that include a variety of content sources, some original and provided only by us. For example, our Strategy in Action guides give learners a handy reference for each topic. Educators can also use these guides to share information with a whole campus or for grade level or content area PD. At PD Anywhere, we also create easy-to-use forms so that completing a micro-credential is simple. No one has to guess about expectations, which are clearly defined. Our micro-credentials are rigorous and learners need to demonstrate mastery of competencies, but we know that is the way to improve instruction and raise student achievement. We also know that educators value these high expectations.

Technical assistance is available through a help page on the user platform that has questions and answers about common issues. Users can also access a “Chat” button for individual real time support with technical issues. Support with questions regarding submissions and content are addressed in discussion rooms as well as through a private messaging feature. When questions about submissions arise, the PD Anywhere team will respond and coach learners until they succeed. The PD Anywhere team is made up of experienced educators committed to the educators we serve. We are here to help.