
Monsters around the World: Expanding Students’ Cross-Cultural Competencies
by Alex Watkins, Adjunct Professor, Composition and Literary Studies How do you condense 300 (or more) years of literature into sixteen weeks? This is the… Read More

The Global Stage: Performance as Protest, Protest as Performance
by Carrie Kaplan, Adjunct Professor, Literary Manage Austin Department of Drama, Tutor IV Shamshow, grandstanding, devolving into theater, playing to the crowd, play-acting, mere theater,… Read More

Global Microfinance Practices – a Study in Contrast for Small Business Financing
by Courtney Ahrenholtz, Associate Professor, Finance and Marketing Small business financing in the United States generally refers to the ways in which an entrepreneur obtains… Read More

Recentering ARTS 1301: Moving Art Appreciation in a More Global and Gender Inclusive Direction
by Dawn E. Hewitt, Adjunct, Assistant Professor, Art Department Coming in to teach ARTS 1301 can be a little daunting. There is a… Read More

Global Connections Education in Teacher Certification
by Lisa T Brown, PhD, Adjunct Instructor Continuing Education, Teacher Certification Austin Community College Continuing Education has a growing program that certifies teachers for Texas… Read More

The Digital Divide: A Global Perspective
by Katherine Susman, Associate Professior Computer Science and Information Technology I am currently completing my second-year teaching information technology at ACC after… Read More

Case-Based Global Learning in Human Growth and Development
by Dr. Nancy Ejuma, Adjunct Associate Professor, Psychology As a newer adjunct psychology professor, I viewed the Global Education Faculty Learning Community… Read More

Global Gender and Inclusion in Math
by Hoda Tavakoli, Adjunct Associate Professor, Mathematics I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in the Faculty Learning Community for the year… Read More

Gender Studies in Human Growth and Development
by Sadaf Sajjad, Adjunct Associate Professor, Psychology There is some misconception among non-gender specialists about gender research topics. They have a greater tendency… Read More

Cinderella Stories and the Feminine Ideal
by Lauren Elander, Adjunct, Assistant Professor, Composition & Literacy Studies With the disruption of the Western Literary Canon, literature courses can include dynamic texts that… Read More

Global Citizenship in the Operating Room
by Susan Diamond, Surgical Technology Faculty As a surgical technology instructor, I am privileged to team teach with a talented and encouraging group in a… Read More

Women and the Musical Canon
by Sami Froncek, Adjunct Professor of Music “Are there any girl composers? Why? When I grow up, I’m going to be a… Read More

Globalizing the Foreign Language Classroom: Moving Beyond “Us” and “Them”
by Kasina Entzi, Ph.D., Associate Professor of German The foreign language classroom may seem like an inherently cosmopolitan learning space, but even after years of… Read More

Gender Bias in Healthcare Research
by Daira Wilson, Ph.D., RN, Professor of Nursing Nursing is rooted in delivering care based on “evidence-based practice.” We follow the science to make sure… Read More

Global Gender and Womens Studies: Indigenous Women in Politics
by Vanessa L. Faz, Adjunct Professor of Government During the academic year of 2020-2021, I had the pleasure and opportunity to be a participant in… Read More

Centering Erasure: Talking About What We Don’t Talk About
by Ruth Friede-Cornell, Adjunct Professor of Communication Studies I admit that I entered into the Global Gender and Women’s Studies Faculty Learning Community (FLC) with… Read More

U.S. Government 2305 Simulation Project: Femicide in Juarez, Mexico
by Celeste Rios, M.A., Adjunct Professor of Government My experience as an academic professor has taught me that bringing awareness is key to understanding… Read More

Globalizing in Psychology Teaching
by Sadaf Sajjad, Associate Professor of Psychology It was an immense honor and pleasure for me to be selected to the Faculty Learning… Read More

Contextualizing Growth Mindset and Grit
by Sarah Porter, Ph.D., Professor of Student Development and Completion Counselor During a year marked by remote work, physical distancing, “smooth brain”… Read More

Trigger Warnings, Content Advisories, and Alternative Assignments
by Sarah Lynne Bowman, Ph.D. Trigger Warnings Most of us have experienced trauma at some point in life from painful situations. Examples of events… Read More

Helping Students through their Communication Apprehension
by Dr. Tasha Davis When I began my sabbatical last fall, I could never have imagined I would be returning to a virtual… Read More

Exploring Identity through a Global Lens
by Sharon Goh, Professor of Student Development / ESOL / Adult Education Participating in the Globalizing Curriculum Faculty Learning Community (FLC), run by ACC International… Read More

Taking “Interdisciplinary” to a New Level: Composition and Nursing Collaboration
by Shelley Mitchell, Professor of Nursing I approached our first regular meeting of the Faculty Learning Community on Global Gender and Women’s Studies with excitement… Read More

Nursing Around the World
by Daira Wilson, Professor of Nursing Teaching students to become “citizens of the world” is necessary in nursing education. However, it is often easy to… Read More

The World from Six Feet Away
by Ryan Davidson, Adjunct Professor of English Perspective has always been an essential aspect of individual growth. Learning leads to empathy which leads to understanding… Read More

From ACC Faculty: Virtual Whiteboard Solutions
We understand that teaching virtually is not the same as walking around the classroom, and writing on a whiteboard or even a chalkboard (yes there… Read More

Top Benefits of the Global FLC Model
ACC International Programs partners with the University of Texas-Austin Hemispheres Consortium to host two Faculty Learning Communities (FLC) each year to engage a… Read More

Expressing Humanity through Storytelling
by Brinda Roy, Professor of English It would be an understatement to say I was excited to find out that I was selected to participate… Read More

My Experience in a Faculty Learning Community
by Rebel Sanders, Associate Professor of Biology My experience in the Globalizing Curriculum FLC has been informative, motivating, and given me a sense of community… Read More

Globalize Your Curriculum, Globalize Your Thinking
by Margarita Burciaga, Adjunct Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management Getting selected/being able to participate in the Austin Community College (ACC) 2019-2020 Faculty Learning… Read More
Create Lectures with Impact through Reflection Practices
by – Kelly Stockstad When students hear the word “lecture,” they may think of a professor going on and on (and on and on and… Read More
From Sage on Stage to Active Learning Facilitator
by – Iris Diamond, PhD Most material was taught by lecture when I started elementary school, and more of the same continued all the way… Read More
Pre-learning with videos for less lecture
by – Cynthia Vega This past year I have focused on ways to decrease the traditional lecture style and increase student engagement in classroom… Read More
Practice What We Preach
by – Amy Velchoff Project ACC was founded on the belief that Active & Engaged Learning is important, which I can affirm from my… Read More
Practice What We Preach
by - Amy Velchoff Project ACC was founded on the belief that Active & Engaged Learning is important, which I can affirm from my own personal learning experiences. Yet, implementing such practices in the classroom can be challenging. For my Faculty Fellows project, I wanted to work on team building in the classroom, and I chose to focus on EDUC 1301, Introduction to Teaching. This course is intended to be the first course for students who are interested in pursuing the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT), and who are potentially going to be future teachers. In general, it is important for students to learn how to collaborate effectively, skills that will come in handy for any future profession, but it is especially important to model to these future teachers the types of pedagogies we hope that they will use in their own classrooms. As a secondary focus, I really wanted to work on implementing skits in the classroom. Read More
Relational Repair in the Classroom
by Hilary Lynch Besides teaching course subjects, professors also manage the relational climate in their classrooms. One session at the Lilly Conference in January 2018 emphasized how professors can better manage these relationships, especially when stress creeps into the classroom. Dr. Pamela Szycygiel, Assistant Professor of Social Work at UNC Pembroke, shared how relationships are main catalysts for change, and our academic environments “have a lot of relating going on.” People learn, grow, and change in the “context of interpersonal and person-to-environment exchanges.” We will work with students who have had negative and unrepaired relationships with authority figures. Some students need to “work on new relationships” and have new positive experiences with those in supervisory roles. As we teach academic subjects, we can also teach students how to repair working relationships when tensions and anxieties surface. Read More
One Question, Much Discussion
by - Mary Havens In a classroom in Austin, a group discussion over plagiarism took place. An EDUC 1300 class of juniors and seniors from Garza High School thoughtfully discussed the topic. It was awesome. Read More
Student Learning Through Writing
by - Suzanne Wilson Summers At this year’s Lilly Conference, I attended a session on “Encouraging Student Learning Through Formal Writing: Notes and Future Practice” put on by G. Kevin Randall from Sam Houston State University. The session focused on best practices for designing formal writing assignments to promote deep learning. Read More

Nursing from a Global Perspective
by - John Nation MSN, RN As a participant in this year’s Globalizing Curriculum Faculty Learning Community, I have had the opportunity to attend fascinating lectures on a wide range of subjects and collaborate with colleagues at ACC on how best to incorporate global perspectives into our courses. As a nursing instructor, a great deal of my teaching focuses on the nursing management of diseases and health promotion in our community and in the United States. While participating in the Globalizing Curriculum Faculty Learning Community, I’ve been able to spend more time considering global issues in health care and nursing. Additionally, the monthly lectures by University of Texas at Austin professors about major global issues have been fascinating and thought-provoking. Read More

Contextualizing Social Issues as Human Rights Issues
by – Jackie Burns, PhD I recently had the privilege of participating in the Globalization of the Curriculum Faculty Learning Community. It was an extended… Read More
Building Community
by – Blanca Alvarado Building community is an important component of my teaching. I use various methods in my teaching that allow students to interact… Read More
Practice What We Preach
by - Amy Velchof Project ACC was founded on the belief that Active & Engaged Learning is important, which I can affirm from my own personal learning experiences. Yet, implementing such practices in the classroom can be challenging. For my Faculty Fellows project, I wanted to work on team building in the classroom, and I chose to focus on EDUC 1301, Introduction to Teaching. This course is intended to be the first course for students who are interested in pursuing the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT), and who are potentially going to be future teachers. In general, it is important for students to learn how to collaborate effectively, skills that will come in handy for any future profession, but it is especially important to model to these future teachers the types of pedagogies we hope that they will use in their own classrooms. As a secondary focus, I really wanted to work on implementing skits in the classroom. Read More
Group Exams
by - Kathy Frost While at the Lilly Conference 2018, I had the opportunity to learn enough details about offering group exams that I was able to pilot this learning method during the spring semester. The group exam experience aims to foster deep and durable learning using collaboration – students discussing, questioning, critiquing each other – as well as memory retrieval practice at work when testing oneself (e.g., the “testing effect”). Read More
Students Ready to Learn: Chapter Preparation Assignments
by - Barbara Orr, Ph.D. How many of your students have read their textbooks and readings before entering your classroom? Are students ready to learn when they walk in the door? If you find yourself answering “no” to these questions, you are not alone! It was reported by the Lilly Conference presenter, Dr. Lynn Gillette,from Nicholls State University, “A key component for student success comes down to students showing up for class prepared to do the work…Students, in class and prepared to learn, is a fundamental challenge in essentially every educational program at every educational institution” (Gillette, L., March 15, 2018). A student‘s success begins with the knowledge of effective preparation prior to attending class and is NOT homework! One strategy to support students’ active reading skills and support transfer of knowledge from short term to long term memory, is the skill to read a chapter and make notes of the key concepts prior to class for a robust class discussion. Read More
Student Creative Videos as a Collaborative Learning Strategy
by - Kim Taylor After attending the Lilly Conference I became intrigued to learn more about Cognitive Load Theory and how to support our students through reduction of extraneous load through our presentation techniques and instilling more creative interactive collaborative learning activities. Read More
Building Construction in Parallel with Student Learning
by - Joyce Tolofari MSN, RN Structures such as bridges, roads and skyscrapers are ubiquitous. Construction workers, like anyone are required to be physically fit to enable them operate heavy duty equipment like cranes, tractors. They break structures down with heavy equipment, dig holes, engage hammers to create holes, ditches or stabilize a structure. Most of the time, large scale-projects are broken down into small scale structures. Building Construction is a hands-on career where workers use most of their hands, mental stamina, and wits to construct a building that will withstand winds, rains, sun, storms and many other weather conditions for days, months and years to come. The construction worker creates huge structures like skyscrapers, from a mere sand. Workers also need to have good communication skills in collaboration with colleagues to balance structures together to coordinate building safely. Read More
Asking Students for Insight
by - Kelly Stockstad Like many professors, I felt aggravated this semester because my students were coming to class completely unprepared. Not only had most of them not read, many of them didn’t bring anything to class – not their text, not materials to take notes, and, in one case, not even a cell phone. I am accustomed to having some students who don’t prepare for class, but my usual experience was that 10-20% of the students in the class would come unprepared. This semester, only 5-10% of the class members seemed to be prepared for each class meeting. Read More
Social Entrepreneurship as Action Based Learning
Interested in attending the upcoming Lilly Conference? Visit our website to learn about conference scholarship opportunities. by – Dr. Jackie Burns The Austin 2018 Lilly… Read More

Globalizing Curriculum: Inspiring Creative Action
by - Rebekah Starnes As an English professor, students sometimes ask me, “Why is everything we read so dark?” I respond that literature reflects history, which is often depressing, that it’s a way for people to process trauma or comment on social problems. I focus on literature’s transformative function as well—how authors use the power of literature to change the world for the better. Read More
Making Non-fiction Believable
by - Amparo Garcia-Crow I teach in two departments: Drama and Creative Writing. Where the two areas meet (in the way that I teach both courses) is in the introduction of “the Heroes Journey” as described by Joseph Campbell in his book, “The Hero With a Thousand Faces.” Read More