Welcome

Expert faculty expects quality faculty development. Like colleges and universities across the nation, the Alamo Colleges District has launched a framework for providing centralized, faculty-driven programs that support and enhance faculty and student success. 

This page is designed to be a centralized hub for all developmental programs and resources for faculty across the Alamo Colleges District. Our goal is to create a supportive and encouraging environment for faculty members to grow professionally.

Whether you are looking for a single course or interested in working towards a certificate program, you can begin exploring the pages below.

Certification Programs

Master Teacher Certification

The Master Teacher Certification Program, established in 1998, is designed to provide quality learning experiences for new and experienced faculty members to actively engage in reflective and creative exercises and dialogues to enhance teacher effectiveness and student success. This collaborative program provides enriching learning opportunities through face-to-face discussion across disciplines, online content, discussion and exploration of educational technology.

New Faculty Institute 

The New Faculty Institute (NFI) is a unique, full academic-year professional development experience designed to help orient incoming faculty. More importantly, you meet other faculty members across the Alamo Colleges District and begin to develop a network of support through a cohort model.

Adjunct Faculty Certification

The Adjunct Faculty Certification Program offers adjunct faculty the opportunity to receive high quality and effective educational enrichment opportunities. Adjunct faculty apply to the program and are recommended for participation by their home college. The program focuses on the meta-professional of teaching and other skills needed to become a "Certified Adjunct."

Faculty Leadership Development Program- Summer Faculty Leadership Program

To create and sustain resources and opportunities aimed at engaging faculty in -- and empowering faculty through -- leadership training. The Faculty Leadership Senior Certificate is geared for faculty that desire to move from the classroom into an administrator/leadership career position.

Back to Top

Course Offerings

Courses are designed to provide faculty with unique opportunities to work with colleagues, engage in meaningful discussion about learning-centered topics and develop strategies to create an effective learning environment for face-to-face, blended and online classes. Please take a look at our courses available:

Promoting an Atmosphere of Academic Success & Growth

The following courses are designed to help you enhance discipline-specific learning to promote lifelong academic and professional growth in your students.

• A Growth Mindset
• Compassion in the Classroom
• Pathways
• Facilitating Content with a Critical Eye

Dignity, Respect & Belonging 

The following courses are designed to help you construct and implement learning opportunities that acknowledge, draw upon and are enriched by student diversity while promoting a commitment to equity, respect, and inclusion in all learning environments.

• Compassion in the Classroom
• Fostering Cultural Responsibility
• Teaching Diverse Student Populations
• Managing Controversial Topics
• Teaching Across Generations: Overview
• Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
• Best Practices for working with Military-Connected Students
• Best Practices for teaching Dual-Credit Students
• Service Learning and Civic Engagement in the Classroom
• Teaching Diverse Student Populations

Learning Outcomes-Centered Practices

The following courses are designed to help you design curricula and teaching practices that facilitate student learning and growth towards the achievement of student learning outcomes and objectives.

• Embedding SLO's in Lesson Planning
• Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
• Rubrics I - Understanding and Designing Rubrics
• Rubrics II - Construction, Context and Model
• Student-Centered Learning (Part 1)
• Student-Centered Learning (Part 2)
• Validation of Assessment Strategies: Internal and External
• Strategies for Activating Student's Prior Knowledge

Professionalism & Scholarship: Teaching, Learning, and Disciplines

The following courses are designed to help you continuously examine the effectiveness of your teaching and student learning and continuously improve your knowledge and skills to apply the broader environment.

Student Learning Assessment

The following courses are designed to help you facilitate student success through effective formative and summative learning assessment practices to inform instructional curricular improvement. 

• Bloom's Taxonomy
• Classroom Assessment Techniques
• Strategies for Activating Student's Prior Knowledge
• Rubrics I - Understanding and Designing Rubrics
• Rubrics II - Construction, Context and Models
• Tech Tools for Assessment
• Norming
• Writing as a Tool for Learning

Student-Centered Teaching and Learning Strategies

The following courses are designed to help you implement various teaching and learning strategies that accommodate the diverse learning styles of students and promote the acquisition, understanding, and application of knowledge, skills, and values.

Technology and System Operations

The following courses are designed to help you enhance your teaching and learning environment by leveraging technology to support student success.

• Presentation Advantage
• Quality Matters
• Quality Matters II
• Social Presence
• Staying Connected Outside the Classroom: Using Social Media and Tips for Online Office Hours
• Teaching with Simulations and Games
• Tech Tools for Instructional Design and Delivery I
• Tech Tools for Instructional Design and Delivery II
• Technology in the Classroom

Back to Top

Special Events

Upcoming Events

• Convocation Events: Convocation is an all-college event for faculty and staff. It is designed to re-affirm our commitment to excellence and putting students first in all that we do. During Convocation, leaders from various departments share their vision and provide insight on past successes and future goals. Each college also holds its own convocation ceremony and activities designed for faculty by faculty teams from their respective colleges.

• New Faculty Orientation: New Faculty Orientation (NFO) is a two and one-half day event offered each Fall and Spring semester. It is designed to connect faculty with peers, faculty leaders, and the Alamo Colleges culture. At the orientation, new faculty members learn about the expectations, processes, procedures, important dates, technology and resources available to help them have a successful start to their teaching role.

• 8th Annual Pedagogy Conference: The Northeast Lakeview College hosts an annual Pedagogy Conference. The theme and presentation vary each year. This conference is FREE and open to all elementary, middle school, high school, and college faculty as well as college students interested in the teaching field. One of the conference goals is to foster a learning community that supports the Texas P-16 Initiative focused on preparing all students for college education. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about innovative teaching activities that encourage student success during the transition from high school to college-level coursework.
• Technology Conference: Technology has transformed the way we teach and learn. In this conference, faculty will learn about the updated technology available to engage your students, ease some common tasks and responsibilities associated with teaching applications and explore other educational tools that will enhance your lessons. Faculty and industry experts will share their best tricks and tips to spice up your classroom.

• Dual-Credit Conference: Dual credit programs involve collaboration between high schools and colleges and result in high school students enrolling in and earning credit for successful completion of college courses. As its rise continues, the need for professional development and continued collaboration between the college and high school faculty increases. In this conference concurrent and dual enrollment professionals will come together to exchange ideas about the latest innovations and practices in the field, share cutting edge research and learn about how the national trends and latest legislation impacts today’s college classrooms.

• Adjunct Professional Enrichment Experience Summit: The Adjunct Professional Enrichment Experience Summit (APEX-S) is an annual conference designed specifically for Alamo Colleges adjunct faculty in mind. This conference will feature several adjunct and full-time faculty and will share best practices in teaching, motivating and engaging students. The conference theme, topics, and presenters vary annually.

Specialized Learning Opportunities

• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program: The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program (EIP) is a six-week long training that provides a supported environment to learn a proven framework to foster a business idea and pitch it to potential investors. The highly experiential boot camp, led by the Department of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, involved working in teams consisting of faculty, staff, and students from around the Alamo Colleges District. Throughout the program, teams learn skills like ideation and human-centered design along with tools like the Business Model Canvas. Upon completion of the program, each start-up team pitches their work to the Learning Company Board for suggestions as well as access to funding.

• International Education- Study Abroad Program: The Alamo Colleges District is on a path towards internationalization. Efforts include supporting faculty in integrating global dimensions into the curriculum and advancing global understanding beyond the classroom. We seek to provide faculty the support to develop a world-wide perspective with affordable options to engage internationally with their peers. Consider bringing the world to your classroom. A faculty-led study abroad course is a for-credit course or courses taught in another country providing students educational and experiential learning opportunities not offered on campus. Faculty-Led programs are usually two to six week in length and may be developed at any time during a given fiscal year.

• International Education- Faculty Development Program: The International Faculty Development Programs entails travel abroad experience for faculty and adjunct faculty interested in the internationalization of the curriculum.

Back to Top

Remote Teaching Resources

Remote Ready Teaching Checklist (PDF) Keep Teaching Website

Back to Top