Focus
Faculty Renewal Leaves—Faculty members, who have indicated that a “lack of time” is one of their most significant concerns, are given an extended period of time for personal enrichment, reflection, writing and retooling. This restorative experience ultimately contributes to higher teaching quality and enhanced communal learning.
Summer Stipends—Faculty members are provided with time and resources to focus on the research and development of innovative teaching methods, evaluations, and assessments. This support fosters the integration of new technologies, the creation of new courses, and the nurturing of international and multi-cultural interests for the promotion of educational exchange.
Faculty Enrichment Sessions—Faculty members are provided with the opportunity to refresh their personal and occupational focus in the areas of the integration of faith and learning, active learning, social computing, etc. These sessions encourage scholarly reflection on diverse educational initiatives.
Mini Grant—Faculty members are supported in their creation of workshops and presentations that promote University-wide teaching excellence and intensify the Adams Center’s focus on comprehensive faculty enrichment through the exchange of individual expertise.
Course Load Reduction— Faculty members receive course load reductions in the Adams Center primarily through the Scholar-in-Residence and Researcher-in-Residence. The Adams Center’s resident scholar receives a half-time course load reduction while the researcher-in-residence receives a quarter-time reduction. These programs provide participants a unique level of collaboration with the Adams Center staff and provide extra time to devote to cross-discipline faculty engagement, departmental responsibilities, and the pursuit of topic-specific scholarly research focused on innovation and leadership in teaching and learning.
Nationally Recognized Speakers— Faculty members benefit from exposure to and interaction with some of the nation’s foremost educational authorities on topics such as faith and learning, learning communities, active learning, social computing, etc.
Grants—The Adams Center provides a number of grants to support faculty members in the development of innovative educational pursuits that contribute to a higher quality of student learning and comprehensive faculty enrichment through the attainment and exchange of individual expertise. Grants available in the Adams Center include the Summer Stipend, the Mini-Grant, Presidential Funds, and the Faculty Renewal Leave. The Adams Center partners, supports, and encourages the efforts of faculty members seeking other grants around the nation, as well.
Leadership
Leadership Mentoring Program—First-year faculty members are quickly acculturated into the ACU community with the help of an experienced faculty mentor outside their discipline who leads them from the periphery of the ACU community to a position of central engagement with that community, enabling them to effectively fulfill the University’s teaching mission.
Assist Tenure and Promotion/Portfolio Development—Faculty members are given the opportunity to receive resources during the creative phase of a tenure and promotion portfolio. These resources include direct interaction with the Tenure and Promotion Committee during a special luncheon session, access to the library of portfolio examples and access to historical tenure and promotion University documents. These resources contribute to a portfolio that showcases teaching effectiveness; scholarship; creativity; collegiality; and service to the University, church and community.
Social Opportunities—The Adams Center facilitates a variety of faculty focused social events such as Faculty Fusion, Cup O’ Soup, and other specialized meetings. These exciting and entertaining events are designed to nurture interdisciplinary relationships and ultimately strengthen the unity of the ACU community.
Reports—Faculty members receive a platform to report on the scholarly work they are doing, sharing individual expertise for the betterment of the ACU community. Individual research and development funded by the Adams Center is always shared for the purpose of comprehensive faculty dialogue and enrichment.
Learning Commons—Faculty members will find state-of-the-art educational technology and a comfortable and inviting atmosphere in the Learning Commons. The Adams Center houses the ACU Faculty Commons that provides a facility for faculty member’s scholarly presentations, social opportunities, and dialogue. The mission of the ACU Learning Commons is to provide faculty and students an inviting and supportive environment that facilitates academic work and helps create community. Other partners in the Learning Commons include: The Brown Library, Starbucks Coffee, Alpha Academic Services, Department of Art and Design, Department of Communication, The Writing Center, The Copy Center, Technology Support, etc.
Faculty Fusion—The Adams Center kicks-off each new school year with a celebratory faculty event that includes live music, food, high-interest educational sessions, and all out faculty fun. Some call it the “one-day-version of Welcome Week for faculty.”
Innovation
Instructional Design—Faculty members have access to guidance from an instructional design expert in the process of designing, revising and developing new academic programs. Consultations with an instructional designer help make certain that revised or newly developed programs undergo the extensive amount of preparation necessary to ensure the maximum degree of educational effectiveness.
Faculty Consultation—Faculty members are welcome to seek advice or counsel from the Adams Center staff on any issue concerning teaching, learning and technology. Our staff remains up-to-date and highly trained in the latest technological innovations.
Best Practices—The Adams Center spurs on opportunities for innovation, focus, and leadership within the community of leaders and emerging leaders among ACU faculty members. Rather than functioning as a remedial center, the Adams Center provides highly qualified faculty members with tools and services for the propagation of teaching excellence.
New Faculty Orientation—New faculty members are quickly acculturated to Abilene and the ACU community and acclimatized to their new roles within these communities as they are presented with a clear picture of the environment, mission and expectations of the University and provided with essential resources for teaching effectiveness.
Technical Infrastructure
• Lab training—Faculty members are given the opportunity to receive extensive technological training in an environment that encourages the exploration of innovative teaching methodologies.
• Technology Support—By resolving technological difficulties promptly and effectively, technology support creates an environment in which faculty members are free to innovate with limited risk.
• 674-NEED—Faculty members are provided with emergency classroom support.
• Educational Technology –Faculty members have access to our expert, resident Educational Technologists. The Adams Center remains a leader in technological innovation relating to teaching and learning.
Syllabus Resources—Faculty members are supported in the creation and maintenance of syllabi, in which instructional techniques, policies and specific goals maximize the potential for teaching excellence and conform to the overarching purpose of the University.
Social Computing—In response to the rapidly growing universal interest in social interaction online (i.e. Facebook), the Adams Center has committed to explore the implications and educational opportunities of social computing especially in relation to social learning theory.
Literature—Faculty members have access to an extensive variety of periodicals and publications relating to best practices in teaching and learning. As a Learning Commons partner, the Adams Center houses all faculty-specific books within the Brown Library. Faculty members can search on the Brown Library Site for “The Adams Center for Teaching and Learning" to find the valued collection.
Colleague Support Teams—Interdisciplinary groups of faculty members are assembled to exchange specific teaching goals. This communal exchange of expertise contributes to the fulfillment of both individual and University-wide teaching excellence.
