Academics Day gets under way Wednesday at Northeast Campus with some 575 faculty members from all five campuses. Sessions are being held in two locations: NTAB (Technology and Arts Building) and NACB (Academic Classrooms Building).
For the first time, the spring 2011 session focuses solely on professional development, said Anne Drake, who has coordinated the activities for NE. Divisional and department meetings usually held during Academics Day were held during the fall semester, Drake said.
Educators were able to choose from 70 topics offered during three timeframes in the categories of academics, general interest, personal enrichment and technical. “What’s Up With Blackboard” is the most popular with more than 140 attendees scheduled throughout the day. Most topics are presented by one person although some have as many as five presenters.
Other popular topics are “Adding Video and Audio to PowerPoint,” “Department Chair Training Manual and Leadership Training Academic,” “Egypt: The Sites a Tourist Never Sees,” “Social Networking as Part of Your Lesson Plan,” and “Using Humor in the Classroom.”
Academics Day is organized by the Joint Consultation Committee, comprised of the presidents and presidents-elect of the Faculty Association on each campus. The location rotates among campuses with the next one scheduled for Trinity River Campus.