Fast-Track Your Use of New Teaching Techniques at the Cross Academy Website

For many faculty, training in teaching was limited, so we often find ourselves building our pedagogy knowledge and repertoire of teaching techniques on the job. We are always here to support you in advancing your teaching knowledge and skills and share resources you may find helpful. One such new resource that may help fast-track your use of research-based and effective teaching techniques is the K. Patricia Cross Academy website and related resources. 

The K. Patricia Cross Academy is a non-profit program named after the innovative and award-winning professor and author K. Patricia Cross and sponsored by The Social Good Fund. In creating this website, "they are dedicated to supporting faculty (particularly new, junior, and adjunct college teachers) by offering free instructional videos and downloadable resources that clearly outline how to: 1) Implement high-impact, evidence-based teaching techniques that improve students' learning; and 2) Document student learning in ways that provide the information teachers need to improve their teaching as well as assist them in their efforts for hiring, tenure, and promotion." (About KP Cross Academy) 

At the core of the website are 50 research-based teaching techniques, each explained with a short video and a detailed instructor guide (a folder for download containing worksheets, assessment rubrics, and step-by-step instructions on how to execute the technique). A video on how to adapt the technique for online teaching is also provided. Though the content is expansive, it is easy to navigate with a filter option that allows you to search for techniques based on your teaching environment or modality, the activity type, the teaching problem addressed, or the learning level you hope to achieve (Fink's taxonomy of significant learning). In addition to techniques, the website provides articles and a blog with resources on teaching topics.  

Lastly, the website links to an affiliated book on teaching by Elizabeth Barkley and Claire Howell, Major: Engaged Teaching: A Handbook for College Faculty. The book is available for purchase and is also one I recommend for faculty interested in understanding more of the research and theory behind the teaching techniques.  

Cross the Academy website to see what is there and what might be useful to you. We hope you find new ideas as well as the guidance you need to try a new technique in your classes.