ACUE Focus: Julia Ramey

More than 153 UA - Pulaski Technical College faculty have improved their teaching practices through a program with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). This rigorous, evidence based, 25-week course engages instructors with independently validated research to improve student achievement and close equity gaps. ACUE Focus is a question and answer series where faculty share their experiences with ACUE.

Julia Ramey
Assistant Teaching Professor of Psychology

1. Which ACUE course did you complete?

Inclusive Teaching for Equitable Learning professional development and Student Success thru Exceptional Teaching professional development courses.

2. How would you describe the ACUE experience to a colleague?

The courses were thorough, informative, and engaging.

3. Why did you initially enroll in the ACUE course? And what was your experience completing the course?

Initially, I enrolled in the Student Success course because it was required but I was happy to have completed the course and have new learning techniques to apply to my courses.

4. Was completing the course worth the time and effort you invested? Why?

Yes, completing the course was worth the time and effort because I walked away with new teaching and learning techniques that could be applied to on-campus or online courses.

5. Can you describe a specific teaching practice or positive interaction you had with students as a result of your learning in the ACUE course? What did the student(s) say or do?

We learned about using exit tickets as a way of ending class and keeping students engaged during class time. I had a positive response from my students when implementing the exit tickets and still use them occasionally.

6. As you know, each module in the ACUE course asks participants to implement practices in the classroom and then reflect on that implementation. Could you talk a little about what it felt like to try new things with your students?

It was fun and challenging to implement new practices to change things up in my classes. I’ve been teaching for over 20 years and really enjoyed trying new things and getting the students’ feedback.

7. Now let’s think about the actual implementation experience. Could you talk a little about the first time you implemented a practice in your course? What was that experience like?

Implementing a new practice in my class was challenging yet fun.

8. How did your students respond?

The students responded positively to every new practice.

9. How did seeing your students’ responses encourage you to try additional practices?

Some of the new practices really increased student participation in the classroom and encouraged me to keep using those practices in the future.

10. Why do you think it is important to view teaching as a lifelong skill that you continually refine?

Because the student experience and learning preferences change over time. Keeping the students engaged is super important to improve learning, success, and retention.

11. What’s one word you would use to describe your experience in the ACUE course and why?

Engaging – both for me as a participant in the course and for the students in the classroom as I tried new teaching practices.