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ACCE Webinars

The ACCE webinar series is made possible thanks to the generosity of ACA faculty. These regular webinars—designed by ACA folks and intended for ACA folks—concern timely and relevant professional development topics for faculty and institutional leaders of all ranks. These accessible presentations are recorded and made available. 

If you work at an ACA institution and would like to share your expertise, please connect with us. We would love to consider your work!

Breathing is a Brain Massage: Tools for Compassionate Cognition

In this workshop, led by Jonna Kwiatkowski, Professor of Psychology at Mars Hill University, faculty explored breathing, meditation, and other self-care techniques. We covered how they work and what research tells us about them, including how to modify them for specific circumstances.

Resources from the event:

Improving Inclusive Teaching with Neuroscience

Neuromyths, commonly held misconceptions about the relationship between the brain and educational practices, negatively affect students’ learning. Using an evidence-based approach, Drs. Chris Cain and Ben Van Dyke debunk common neuromyths and explore their implications for educators, students, and support staff to ensure we are making informed decisions that enhance and contribute to more effective outcomes for all students.

Webinar resources:

Pedagogy as A Two-Way Street

Designed specifically for new faculty, Dr. Carey Ruiz (ACCE Co-PI and Associate Professor of Sociology at Campbellsville University) considered how understanding the background of some of our students (i.e., First generation, Appalachian, Pell eligible) can help us be more effective educators both in and out of the classroom. 

Webinar resources:

Research on Repeat

Dr. Jennifer Brigati, Chair for the Division of Natural Sciences and a Professor of Biology at Maryville College, challenged participants to think about the current status of their research, envision where their research could be, and strategize how to get from here to there. Strategies for maintaining, re-starting, or shifting gears in research were discussed when researching in a resource-limited environment, where both time and money may be scarce.

Resources from the event:

Mentoring Undergraduate Research

Shinjini Goswami, Associate Prof. of Biology and the Assistant Dean of Natural and Health Sciences at Lees-McRae College, shares ways supporting your undergraduates who are excited to conduct research and the collaborative network of small and medium sized institutions from across central and southern Appalachia that aims to facilitate collaborative undergraduate research opportunities!

Webinar resources:

On the Path to Promotion

During this hour long webinar, faculty from ACA institutions joined Dr. Jeffrey Perry, Associate Professor of History and Chair of Faculty Affairs at Tusculum University, to discuss strategies for successfully navigating the promotion and/or tenure process and the unique challenges faced by female faculty and those from underrepresented groups and recommended ways to remove obstacles on their paths to tenure and promotion.

Webinar resources:

The Road to Funded

Natalie Sweet, Executive Director of the Office at Research, Grants, and Sponsored Projects at Lincoln Memorial University, shares a primer on beginning your next grant search. Learn how to locate grants that fit your project, know what sponsors are looking for in your application, and demystify some of the common lingo found in grant applications. 

Webinar resources: