Continuing Education Opportunities at Duke (including Research, Technology and Statistical Training; Clinical Research/Regulatory Affairs; Grantwriting and Scientific Writing; Project Management and Leadership)

  • The Duke Employee Tuition Assistance Program provides tuition reimbursement for full-time employees with at least two years of continuous full-time service for classes taken at Duke (or any other higher educational institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools with a physical presence in North Carolina). Courses must be related to the employee's current job or continued career growth at Duke.
  • Special Employee Tuition Rate for Duke Classes: Staff and faculty may take courses at Duke at a special tuition rate that represents a savings of more 80 percent off regular tuition. As part of the program offered through Duke Continuing Studies, employees working at least 20 hours per week can take an undergraduate course for academic credit for $975; the normal rate for the fall semester is $5,287. Or, employees can audit a class for $100 instead of the regular $514 audit fee. A maximum of two courses can be taken per semester through the program; one per summer session. The program is independent of the Employee Tuition Assistance Program offered through Duke Human Resources. However, staff and faculty may use the tuition assistance program to be reimbursed for courses taken for academic credit, as long as tuition assistance eligibility requirements are met. Employees who complete a for-credit course can receive a Duke transcript showing the grade. Employees can use the transcript to apply for a transfer of credit if they choose to apply later for a bachelor's degree program at Duke or if they enroll in a degree program at another higher education institution. The Special Duke Employee Tuition Rate program applies only to undergraduate classes from Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Duke Marine Lab and Sanford School of Public Policy. Courses and programs not eligible for the special tuition rate include: music lessons, physical education courses, study abroad, courses at the Pratt School of Engineering and classes numbered 700 or higher. For more information, visit the Continuing Studies website.
  • Auditing Classes: Duke employees and members of the community with appropriate academic background are eligible to audit certain Duke University courses – primarily undergraduate – numbered from 001 to 699. Auditors have an official relationship with the University, although they do not receive academic credit.  Auditors, however, are entitled to request and receive a Duke transcript at the end of the academic term.  Permission to audit is granted (or not) by the instructor of the course.  An auditor is counted among those registered for the course, and therefore there must be space available in the class in order to register as an auditor. Persons who would simply like to "sit in" on the course should contact the instructor to ask for permission.

Research, Technology and Statistical Training

  • Research Support from Duke Libraries: Duke Libraries offers workshops, webinars, and subject specialists on topics including data consulting and visualization, publishing, copyright, and responsible conduct of research.
  • The Innovation Co-Lab Roots Program is a series of workshops and lectures on technology topics, open to anyone in the Duke Community. Through these events and online platforms, students, faculty or staff of any skill and confidence level can comfortably start to gain an understanding of how to make use of a variety of tools and technologies. Workshops are offered on topics like web design, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, research computing, 3D modeling and fabrication, and many more.
  • Duke Office of Information Technology (OIT) Training--OIT provides free technology training to Duke students, staff and faculty, including hands-on training seminars, OnDemand training for Duke-specific tools and services, monthly brown bag sessions, and online training tutorials.
  • Learning and Organizational Development (L&OD) Computer Technology--Computer training from beginning to advanced levels.
  • Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) workshops help instructors find innovative ways to use technology to achieve their teaching goals.
  • LinkedIn Learning through OIT: LinkedIn Learning provides over 13,000 courses covering business, technology, and creative topics, free to Duke employees.
  • Duke Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) workshops and seminars are free and open to the Duke community.

Professional Development

  • Duke Postdoctoral Services Workshop and Seminars--Check out our events calendar for upcoming professional development workshops and seminars.
  • Duke Postdoctoral Services YouTube Channel--Videos of professional development seminars on topics including the academic job search, the non-academic job search, grantsmanship, and more.
  • Duke Learning and Organization Development (L&OD)--L&OD offers classes in computer technology, management/leadership development, and work skills development.
  • Duke Continuing Studies--Community members may take graduate and undergraduate courses for credit on a nondegree basis or on an auditor basis.
  • Teaching IDEAS Workshops (Instructional Development for Excellence And Success): This annual workshop series is open to Duke faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students. Speakers will draw upon their experience to address topics relevant to classroom teaching, dealing with students, or faculty life and career paths.
  • Writing Pedagogy Opportunities for Postdocs - Postdocs across the disciplines are often tasked with assigning, responding to, or grading student writing. And because undergraduate institutions usually include the development of writing skills as a key goal of their undergraduate programs, new faculty are increasingly being expected to help students develop these skills. Because training in writing pedagogy is beneficial on the competitive academic job market, it is useful to have a way to document such training and to be able to speak effectively about one's experience with and interest in student writing. The Thompson Writing Program Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching Writing in the Disciplines provides a framework for acquiring basic knowledge of writing pedagogy and demonstrating that knowledge in job applications and during interviews. To allow participants to obtain the certificate in the way that best meets their needs and schedules, core workshops are offered at least once annually. While it will be possible to meet the certificate requirements in a single year, most students will complete the requirements over a two- or three-year period.
  • Free Online Courses through Coursera for Duke: Coursera for Duke gives Duke students, staff, and faculty free access to 54 Duke-created Coursera courses and 3 specialization certificates. These co-curricular digital courses include Programming Fundamentals, English Composition, Statistics, Big Data, Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Advertising and Society, Challenges of Global Health, Nanotechnology, and many more.  The Duke community can enroll at any time and learn at their own pace, with no grade, and no additional academic pressure.

Clinical Research/Regulatory Affairs

  • Duke Office of Clinical Research (DOCR) offers virtual training courses in clinical research for Duke investigators, clinical research coordinators, financial and research study staff. In addition, there are monthly seminars including Research Wednesdays that provide research personnel opportunities to gain insight into Duke clinical research practices, regulations and guidelines, and other facets of clinical research including administration and management strategies. DOCR also offers onboarding and training online modules for new clinical research hires. These include an overview of clinical research roles, regulations, and workflows specific to each clinical research role.
  • The Duke Research Professionals Network (RPN) was established to provide an opportunity for faculty and staff in Duke Health to enhance their contributions to the clinical research community through educational and networking opportunities. Interested research professionals can join our listserv at docr-rpn@dm.duke.edu to receive meeting invites.
  • The Duke Office of Postdoctoral Services is approved as a remote site for the Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research course offered by the NIH Clinical Center. This course is open to all Duke postdocs, graduate students, faculty and staff. The course runs from September through March each year.
  • Duke Office of Regulatory Affairs and Quality offers the Regulatory Affairs Training Program, which provides an overview of the regulatory affairs profession and offers an in-depth look at premarket regulatory work related to drugs, biologics, and medical devices. The program is open to all interested individuals and is free of charge. ORAQ also offers educational seminars aimed at bringing together academic researchers, industry, and regulatory experts to discuss ideas, lessons learned and develop strategies for navigating the complex regulatory pathways that accompany translational research.

Grantwriting and Scientific Writing

  • Interested in finding funding? Through the Duke Office of Research Support, postdocs can set up a COS PIVOT account. PIVOT maintains a database of grants, fellowships, and other funding information from public and private, domestic and international sources. Though the name refers to holdings on science funding, this service also offers a wealth of information on social sciences, humanities & community outreach funding. This valuable tool can also help you make connections within Duke University with its database of Duke faculty and postdocs. Creating a PIVOT COS email alert is an invaluable tool for researchers investigating funding options. Please note: You must use your Duke email address when creating your COS PIVOT account. ORS also provides help with other funding search tools, including Foundation Directory Online and internal funding opportunities.
  • The Duke Office of Campus Research Development provides toolkits focusing on either a specific federal funding agency or a specific funding program within a federal funding agency. These toolkits include templates and guidance documents to help write proposals. You can access any of the toolkits with your Duke NetID. OCRD also holds regular grant-writing workshops and info sessions.
  • Duke Foundation Relations helps researchers understand how foundations work and how you might work with them, including a Guide to the Funding Process and a Grantwriter's Toolkit.
  • NIH F Award and K Award resources from myRESEARCHpath
  • The Duke Office of Research Initiatives helps members of the Duke research community find grants, fellowships and other funding opportunities and collaborations.
  • Facilities and Research Repository (boilerplate language) from myRESEARCHpath
  • Effective Communication Series byDr Joanna Downer, Duke School of Medicine Associate Dean for Research Development.
  • Duke Graduate School Online Scientific Writing Course
  • Duke Postdoctoral Services NIH F32 and K99 Grantsmanship Series
  • Presenting Clinical and Translational Science (PCATS) Video Series: The PCATS series focuses on principles and techniques for developing and delivering effective scientific presentations.
  • NIH Grantwriting YouTube Channel, including NIH Fundamentals, Apply for Grant Funding, and Advice for New and Early Career Scientists.
  • NIH Grantwriting Resources from NIH NIAID, including sample applications, application tips, and budget planning resources. Useful for anyone writing an NIH grant.
  • NIH offers Virtual Grants Conferences each year, with archived sessions from previous conferences.
  • NSF offers Virtual Grants Conferences each year, with archived sessions from previous conferences.
  • The Science of Scientific Writing by noted Duke professor George Gopen.
  • Scientific Writing Resources compiled by Duquesne University
  • Resources from the National Association of Science Writers
  • Wiley Researcher Academy is a free, modular, self-paced online learning program for early career researchers who wish to develop their expertise and understanding of the scientific publishing process. It consists of 14 interactive learning paths that individuals can complete at their own pace. Topics include:
    • Funding the research project
    • Selecting an appropriate journal
    • Best practices in writing scientific articles
    • Post publication activities and driving visibility
    • Becoming a peer reviewer

Project Management and Leadership

  • Duke Project Management Community of Practice ( PMCoP): a professional network of current and aspiring Duke project managers. The Duke PMCoP is a home for all at Duke and the Durham VA Health Care System who are passionate about helping achieve project goals, whether through the formal or informal use of project management best practices. Our membership is broad – many of our members are certified Project Management Professionals (PMPs), many are not, and we work in a variety of fields — but we are all committed to ensuring that our projects are on track, on budget, and on time and that they meet exceptional quality standards. If you want to learn about project management, contribute your own knowledge, and interact with others who share your interests and professional responsibilities, this is the group for you!
  • Duke PMCoP Developing Project Management Trainees (DEVELPMNT) Program: The purpose of DEVELPMNT is to introduce trainees to project management (PM) as a career and skill set. All participants are welcome, but the target audience will focus on undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. Our program is partnered with known project management groups, university programs, and companies in an effort to build upon already well-established programs, network, and launch with a solid foundation. We aim to provide participants with project management training ahead of entrance into the workforce and familiarize them with foundational knowledge to prepare for internships and employment.
  • LinkedIn Learning Project Management Courses: LinkedIn Learning provides over 13,000 courses covering business, technology, and creative topics, free to Duke employees. Project Management courses include Project Management Foundations, Project Management Simplified, Project Leadership and many more.
  • Project Management full-day course offered by Duke Learning and Organizational Development: Project Management is a universally recognized discipline that encompasses the application of skills, knowledge, tools, and processes required to meet the expectations and needs of key stakeholders. This full-day course is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of the project management discipline. It will facilitate learning through a healthy combination of lecture, assessment, and hands-on exercises where participants can immediately apply useful lessons learned.
  • Project Management Fundamentals 6-week course offered by Durham Tech: Master the essentials of project management with an experienced Project Management Professional as your guide. This course provides the concepts you need to plan, implement, control and close any type of project. n this course, an experienced Project Management Professional will help you master the essentials of project management. You will become an indispensable member of your project team by discovering and mastering the critical concepts you need to plan, implement, control and close any type of project. You will learn about project politics and ethics, project measurements, and project closure. You will be able to develop all sections of a project plan, you will become comfortable with the project management body of knowledge, and you will develop a variety of powerful techniques to generate project ideas. If you're new to project management, this course will provide you with the essential information you will need to prepare for and complete your first project. This course and its follow-up (Project Management Applications) also include essential information that will help you prepare for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® and the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) exams offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI)®. Certification Magazine recently identified PMP certification as "the highest-paying certification" of the year.
  • Dimensions of Management for Successful Leaders 2 day course offered by Duke Learning and Organizational Development: This workshop focuses on the development of leadership and management best practices that will enable you to improve performance of employees and teams.
  • Transformational Leadership course offered by Duke Learning and Organizational Development: As a Transformational Leader you are using an approach that capitalizes on the unique strengths, values, and aspirations that people bring to their workplace by leading in a way that transforms individuals and organizations.
  • Managing Multiple Priorities course offered by Duke Learning and Organizational Development: Improve your ability to manage competing demands for your attention and effort. Discover practical tools for meeting your goals in today's ever-changing work environment. Gain and enhance skills for mastering expanding workloads and tight timelines and for managing increasing uncertainty.
  • Conflict Resolution course offered by Duke Learning and Organizational Development: Since conflicts are inevitable, learning to deal with them in a healthy, respectful, and positive way is crucial. Successfully managing conflict ultimately strengthens the bonds between people, helping maintain and enhance your relationships.
  • Crucial Accountability 2-Day Virtual Course, Duke Learning and Organizational Development: This two-day course teaches a straightforward, step-by-step process for identifying and resolving performance gaps, strengthening accountability, eliminating inconsistency, and reducing resentment. It uses video, group discussions, skill practice, and real-life application to make the course both entertaining and engaging.
  • Crucial Conversations 3-Day Virtual Course, Duke Learning and Organizational Development: We all face tense situations where saying the right thing is crucial. Whether you are approaching a supervisor who is breaking their own policies, critiquing a colleague's work, or talking to a team member who isn't keeping commitments, keeping the conversation productive can be very difficult.
  • Managing from the Middle Virtual Course, Duke Learning and Organizational Development: This session focuses on how to communicate effectively with those in higher levels of the organization to ensure the best results for all members of the Duke community. We will explore the many competencies required in the art of persuading others to follow your lead.
  • Navigating Challenging Personalities Virtual Course, Duke Learning and Organizational Development: In every workplace, you're likely to encounter some challenging personalities. The first step in dealing with a possible conflict situation is to determine if and how you might be contributing to the situation. This course will identify four types of conflict, how to defuse emotionally charged situations, and how to identify and deal with negative behaviors.
  • Personality and Effective Communication Virtual Course, Duke Learning and Organizational Development: Using social capital as a focusing concept, the class highlights the importance of communication for building positive and productive working relationships. At the end of the course participants will be able to recognize patterns of communication, identify strengths and weaknesses of current communication practices, and develop new or improved communication strategies with coworkers and those in other departments.