Overview
Great Questions courses center on discussion-based exploration of transformative texts, works, and ideas—rather than textbooks and instructor-delivered lectures and assessments. ACC offers two types:
- HUMA 1301: The Great Questions Seminar — taught from a common syllabus and meets the College’s Student Success Course requirement.
- Great Questions Journey courses — designed by instructors in their home disciplines and taught with the same student-centered, discussion-based approach to help students explore core human questions through disciplinary texts.
Introduction to Great Questions Pedagogy
An introduction (or rediscovery) of discussion-based learning through the HUMA 1301: The Great Questions Seminar curriculum. Completing this program is required to teach HUMA 1301 and is the first step toward the Great Questions Journey Fellowship.
Note: This fellowship follows a different schedule. Applications open in the spring. For questions, contact Keri Pope at [email protected].
Outcomes
Upon completion of the Introduction to Great Questions Pedagogy training, participants will be able to:
- Discuss transformative texts with peers representing diverse academic disciplines.
- Apply discussion-based pedagogy in your own courses.
- Formulate engaging, student-centered study and discussion questions related to a core transformative text in your discipline.
- Create a project or group-based activity centered on a core transformative text in your discipline.
- Hours: 24 total (12 in-meeting across six meetings; 12 in preparation)
- Stipend: $600
Completion places candidates in the selection pool for the Great Questions Course Redesign Workshop Fellowship.
Faculty who have completed the Introduction to Great Questions Pedagogy
View List
To date, 91 faculty members have completed the equivalent of the Level 1 training described above. The following individuals are prepared to enroll in the Great Questions Course Redesign Workshop.
| Samantha | Ackers | Student Development |
| John (Jack) | Austin | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Jordan | Barry | Mathematics |
| Sherry | Blum | Philosophy |
| Jill | Bosche | Composition & Literary Studies/Student Development |
| Stephen | Bosworth | History |
| Sarah | Bowman | Humanities |
| Cynthia | Brewer | Developmental Reading |
| Laura | Brown | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Joseph | Bullock | Philosophy |
| Marilyn | Burke | INRW |
| Diane | Caddell | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Lydia | CdeBaca | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Jeffrey | Chan | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Spencer Wayne | Coffey | Humanities |
| Carla | Coleman | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Linda | Cox | Philosophy |
| Kate | Dean | Integrated Reading and Writing |
| Meaghan | Dinan | Foreign Language |
| Patricia | Dungan | Integrated Reading and Writing |
| Kasina | Entzi | Foreign Languages |
| Vanessa | Faz | Government |
| Charlotte | Fiehn | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Aimee | Finney | Communications Studies |
| Michael | Finney | Business, Government, and Technical Communications |
| Anne | Fletcher | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Val | Flint | Psychology |
| Stephanie | Frausto | Integrated Reading and Writing |
| Beth | Fry | Integrated Reading and Writing |
| Russ | Gardner | Government |
| Aran | Gharibpour | Philosophy |
| Zachary | Goldberg | Humanities |
| Sabryna | Groves | Office of Experiential Learning |
| Gretchen | Harries | Comm |
| Patricia | Hatcher | Humanities |
| Claire | Hendren | Art |
| Deborah | Hoag | Government |
| William | Hoppe | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Tao | Huang | Government |
| Lillian | Huerta | Humanities/Student Development |
| Michael | Hydak | Foreign Language |
| Michelle | Iskra | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Arun | John | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Mieca | Johnson | Adult Education |
| Carrie | Kaplan | Drama |
| Andrew | Keese | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Alana | King | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Barbara | Lane | History |
| Jean | Laure | Humanities |
| Michelle | Lischka | Composition & Literary Studies/Developmental Writing |
| Jessica | Listi | Adult Education |
| Linda | Mackey | Religion |
| Julia | Maffei | ESOL |
| Melissa | Markham | Humanities |
| Jay | McCullar | Humanities |
| Katie (Katherine) | Megear | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Katherine | Meyers | History |
| Alexander | Misthos | Philosophy |
| Samuel | Myung | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Shellee | OBrien | Government |
| Rachel | Ozanne | History |
| Ann | Palmer | Integrated Reading and Writing |
| Ursula | Parker | Integrated Reading and Writing |
| Charles | Pisaruk | HUMA |
| Andrea | Pittard | Humanities |
| Kerri | Pope | Humanities |
| Grant | Potts | Philosophy |
| Kathleen | Reeves | Composition & Literary Studies / Humanities |
| Bryan | Register | Philosophy, Religion, Humanities |
| Hillary | Reyes | Composition & Literary Studies/Developmental Writing |
| Greg | Romero | Drama |
| Joseph | Ruf | HUMA |
| Sadaf | Sajjad | Psychology |
| Jennifer | Sapio | Composition & Literary Studies |
| James | Shaw | Psychology |
| Sara | Shippey | Communications Studies |
| Gaye | Shook-Hughes | Psychology |
| Carrie | Simpson | Humanities |
| Ewa (Eva) | Siwak | Foreign Languages |
| Rebekah | Starnes | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Sarah | Stayton | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Laura C. | Trellue | Integrated Reading and Writing |
| Daniel | Usera | Communication Studies |
| Kathryn | Van Winkle | Drama |
| Amy | Velchoff | Sociology |
| Desiree | Ward | Humanities |
| Lauren (Lola) | Watson | Composition & Literary Studies |
| Julie | Wauchope | Integrated Reading and Writing |
| Christopher | Whalin | Philosophy |
| Connie | Williams | Student Development |
| Debbie | Wing-Chi Lee | Humanities |
Great Questions Journey Course Redesign Workshop
A small-group workshop with Great Questions faculty to redesign at least 40% of a course around project and discussion-based study of core and transformative texts that meet Great Questions Journey Course Guidelines.
Outcomes
- Identify at least one core/transformative text (to be read in full) in the teaching discipline and create comprehensive, student-centered study and discussion questions.
- Identify selections from other core/transformative texts and create study and discussion questions for those selections.
- Develop one or more project or group-based activities centered on transformative texts that collectively account for at least 15% of the course grade.
- Design a syllabus in which at least 40% of course material centers on core/transformative texts, qualifies for a Great Questions Journey course note in the schedule, and meets stated requirements.
- Hours: 30–50 (based on level of redesign)
- Stipend: $1,200
Application
The application deadline has passed.
Completion places candidates in the selection pool for the Great Questions Faculty Fellowship.
Faculty who have completed the Great Questions Course Redesign Workshop
View List
Jordan Barry, Mathematics
A Mathematician’s Lament, Paul Lockhart and A Mathematician’s Apology, G.H. Hardy
(Math 1332: Contemporary Mathematics)
Lydia CdeBaca-Cruz, Humanities
With His Pistol in His Hand: A Border Ballad and Its Hero, Americo Paredes
(Humanities 1305: Introduction to Mexican American Studies)
Aimee Finney, Communications
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As told to Alex Haley
(Speech 1311: Introduction to Speech Communication)
Gretchen Harries, Communications
The Peloponnesian War, Thucydides
(Speech 1315: Public Speaking)
Deb Hoag, Government
The Texas Constitution and Ire’ne Lara Silva’s Cuicacalli/House of Song
(Government 2306: Texas State and Local Government)
Lillian Huerta, Humanities
Borderlands La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Gloria Anzaldúa.
(Humanities 1305: Introduction to Mexican American Studies)
Carrie Kaplan, Drama
Everyman, anonymous and Everybody, Brandon Jackobs-Jenkins
(Drama 1301: Introduction to Theater)
Carrie Simpson, Humanities
Frankenstein, Mary Shelly.
(Humanities 1302: Renaissance to Present)
Amy Velchoff, Sociology
The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois
(Sociology 1301: Introduction to Sociology)
Alana King
Northanger Abby, Jane Austen.
(English 2323: British Literature: Anglo-Saxon Through 18th Century)
Charles Pisaruk
The Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche.
(Humanities 1302: Renaissance to Present)
Linda Cox
Tao Te Ching
(Philosophy 1301: Introduction to Philosophy)
Joe Ruff
Democracy in America, Tocueville
(Humanities 1302: Renaissance to Present)
Arun John
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Fredrick Douglass
(English 2333: World Literature)
Jeff Chan
Letter from A Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and A Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
(English 1301: Composition)
Katherine Megear
Pedagogy of The Oppressed, Paolo Friere.
(English 1301: Composition I)
Kathleen Reeves
Meridian, Alice Walker
(English 1302: Composition II)
Rebekah Starnes
The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka.
(English 1302: Composition II)
Michelle Iskra
Beloved, Toni Morrison.
(English 1301: Composition I)
Samuel Myung
Pattern Recognition, William Gibson.
(English 1302: Composition II)
Great Questions Senior Fellow
Senior Fellows help assess and communicate the impact of Great Questions classes on student success and learning at ACC and support onboarding and expansion efforts.
Outcomes
- Design, implement, and interpret faculty and student surveys.
- Communicate program impact with visually compelling data.
- Organize and conduct focus groups, coordinate video projects, and collaborate with OIRA on student success data.
- Lead efforts to expand Great Questions Journey opportunities by partnering with department leadership and shepherding courses through certification.
- Hours: 35–40
- Stipend: $1,500
Application
The application deadline has passed.
Contact us
For questions about ACC Course Redesign Great Questions Fellowship opportunities, please contact Ted Hadzi-Antich Jr. at [email protected]. If you want to receive a reminder for faculty fellowships, please subscribe here.