Faculty CRAM Session 2017, Event Results

CRAM stands for “Celebrate, Resources, And Meetup!”

Initiated by the Faculty Senate, and in collaboration with other faculty association leadership, on August 25th the Teaching & Learning Excellence Division (TLED) hosted ACC’s first-ever Faculty CRAM Session. Faculty from across the district gathered at the Highland Campus for this “drop-in” development day designed to support faculty as they prep for the start of the Fall semester.

Faculty worked with Instructional Designers in the ACCelerator, participated in roundtable discussions on teaching & learning, and attended a Chalk Talk demonstration. Thankfully the rain was kept at bay as three local Austin food trucks ( Kebabalicious, Emojis Grilled Cheese, and Slab BBQ ) rolled in during lunch. A Faculty Happy Hour at Black Star Co-op perfectly wrapped up this CRAM Session by offering time for faculty to network outside their discipline and say “cheers” to the start of a new semester.

Mark Butland, incoming Faculty Senate President, noted that “The faculty had a blast at the first ever CRAM Session. Folks found what they wanted. Some just needed to hammer out their syllabus or set up Blackboard. Others found that they needed the help of the Instructional Designers that were roving around the ACCelerator. Lots got done, but I also saw a lot of old friends and new acquaintances, vigorous conversations, and sharing of ideas happening as well. I think this event was so wildly successful because of its simplicity: Hey, come cram in what you need to be ready for class Monday, and the TLED staff will be here to help if needed. I think next year’s CRAM will be even bigger, better, and simpler!”

Beth Frye, one of the lead planners for this event, remarked “In our continuing quest to promote faculty engagement, the Teaching & Learning Excellence Division (TLED) and the Faculty Senate Convocation committee collaborated on our first ever CRAM Session during Fall in-service. Our goal was to provide last minute support for faculty who were developing their Fall courses, opportunities for faculty to share ideas with each other, and spaces for us to network and connect socially with our colleagues. As a participant, I was pleased to be part of several conversations about teaching and learning, meet colleagues from across ACC’s many campuses, and share this day with them. I encourage faculty to look for this next Fall. We would love to continue the momentum and build on this year’s success!”

This event is one of many initiatives to come that is the product of a strong relationship already forming between TLED and faculty leadership.

Photos from the event can be viewed online.

Evaluations for the event were sent out to all participants on September 6, 2017. The survey was closed on September 22, 2017. We received a 34% response rate. A summary of participant comments about the event can be found here.

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