District Designed Professional Development

CMU wants to be your higher education partner!

Professional development programs offered by your district focus on the skills and abilities you want your educators to gain. Let Central Michigan University, through the District Designed Professional Development (DDPD) program, add university credit for your professional development.

Collaborating with CMU offers districts these benefits:

  • University credit for educators and administrators seeking certificate renewal and step advancement
  • Revenue return to the district
  • Partnership with higher education

  • Your own local content experts as the instructor

Designing and submitting your course

    Create your syllabus using the guidelines below.

    Syllabus Guide

    Identify the Instructor of Record and collect credentials. Credentials needed include your resume, and a transcript showing a minimum of a Master degree.

    At least six weeks prior to the start date of your course, complete and submit the Course Submittal Form. If you are seeking college conversion SCECHs, please submit eight weeks in advance

    Course Submittal Form

    Submit your syllabus, Course Submittal Form, and instructor of record credentials electronically via e-mail. If you are not able to submit the information electronically you may also fax or send via U.S. Mail.

    Submit Credentials

    Approving the course for academic credit
    After we receive your Course Submittal Form, Course Syllabus, and Instructor of Record Credentials, the information is forwarded to the appropriate CMU academic department for review and approval for academic credit.

    Receiving course confirmation and registration materials:
    Course Confirmation
    After your course has been approved for academic credit, you will receive an email from CMU. If for some reason your course was not approved, CMU will communicate this to you, along with feedback received regarding why the course was not approved. You can then revise the syllabus to incorporate the feedback and send it to CMU, where it will be re-submitted for review to the appropriate academic department.

    Registration materials
    Within two weeks after your course has been approved, registration forms and information will be sent to the Contact Person listed on the Course Submittal form.

    ​Helping your educators register for a DDPD course
    The first class session:
    • Provide registration packets to educators who indicate they are interested in receiving graduate credit.
    • Distribute the class roster provided with registration materials and ensure all educators who are interested in receiving graduate credit fill in their information.
    • Inform educators that they must complete the steps to register for credit by the third class session.
    After the first class session:

    Send the class roster to CMU via fax to 989-774-1188 or scan and email it to provdev@cmich.edu. 

    By the third class session:

    Remind educators to return Credit Registration forms to CMU using the return envelope provided in the Credit Registration packet.

    After credit registration forms are received:

    CMU processes admissions and registrations. CMU will contact educators directly if there are any details to resolve regarding admission and registration.

    Completing the course:

    At the end of the course:
    • CMU sends the grade list to the Instructor of Record
    • Instructor of Record documents grades issued and signs the grade list
    • Instructor of Record faxes or e-mails a copy of the grade list to CMU within 5 business days.
    • Instructor of Record returns the original of the grade list to CMU via US Mail.
    • CMU processes and finalizes grades
    • CMU processes payment to DDPD partner according to the financial arrangement with the partner
    If you have any questions please contact Central Michigan University at profdev@cmich.edu or (989) 774-4477.