Faculty Academy Explores New Ways to Reach Students

SUNY Oneonta faculty members representing a variety of academic disciplines participated this week in a Faculty Academy professional development program focused on inclusive pedagogies.

The four-day workshop and training was led by award-winning educator Dr. Paul Hernandez, author of “The Pedagogy of Real Talk: Engaging, Teaching and Connection With Students At-Promise,” which asks faculty to share conversations with students and connect with them through universal themes. This is the second cohort of faculty members to participate in the Faculty Academy, which was first introduced in August 2022 and aims to create more inclusive classroom environments.

Creating a Sense of Belonging for All

Gathered in the university’s Center for Racial Justice and Inclusive Excellence (CRJIE) with Hernandez facilitating, this year’s 12 participating faculty members engaged in discussions and brainstorming sessions focused on embracing and encouraging vulnerability in the classroom, with one ultimate goal: to build better connections with students.

Three members of the first Faculty Academy cohort – Assistant Professor of Media Studies Dr. Chelsea McCracken, Assistant Professor of Elementary Education & Reading Dr. Suriati Abas, and Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Trudy E. Thomas-Smith – served as leads this year.

“This is a rare opportunity for different faculty across campus to get together and have discussions on teaching in an incredibly focused way,” McCracken said. “Listening to and learning others’ stories, focusing on moments of vulnerability in the classroom, and active learning helps create a sense of belonging for us all. Paul Hernandez offers a solid foundation, and then cohorts continue to meet all year long, taking his ideas and applying them in a concrete way in hopes of changing the classroom climate.”

“Innovation with Equity at the Center”

Hernandez’s approach is adaptable, so faculty members with different teaching styles, different levels of experience with inclusive pedagogical techniques, and various fields of expertise can adopt it to deliver course content in a way that relates to students’ real-world experiences.

“I often hear higher ed discussions about innovation, and it’s a great discussion, but my challenge to us is how do we do it,” Hernandez explained. “It’s the application where the challenge comes in. Here, I have a group of people who are living and modeling what innovation looks like in the classroom – innovation with equity at the center. After I leave this week, they will develop and continue to evolve this work, and that’s exciting for me.”

It's beneficial to hear from colleagues across disciplines “to see what inclusive pedagogy looks like in different fields,” Thomas-Smith said. “I see it from a chemistry perspective, but seeing it in other areas like communication, library studies, etc. and recognizing how much commonality there can be is powerful.”

Seated next to each other during a breakfast breakout session, Assistant Professor of Fashion and Textiles Dr. Jody Aultman and Assistant Professor of Secondary Education & Educational Technology Dr. Gina Solano, members of the new cohort, agreed that it’s inspiring to discuss a pedagogy that’s rooted in vulnerability and focused on building relationships.

“It’s important that students know they matter to us,” Solano said, “and know that they belong.”