Maroon Academy

Maroon Academy for Teaching Excellence

Purpose

The Maroon Academy for Teaching Excellence is a certificate program for faculty in university teaching.  This four-course certification represents Mississippi State’s highest level of commitment to teaching and provides teachers with evidence-based practices to improve course outcomes, promote student engagement, foster an inclusive course environment, and support student learning.  Each course is taught asynchronously online and supported by MSU faculty; the classes are designed to assist participants in building practical resources for their courses. 

Content and Schedule

There are four courses in the Maroon Academy for Teaching Excellence. These five-week, summer classes are delivered asynchronously online, but also require implementation of practices during a regular semester. Each course culminates with a final self-evaluation and reflection useful for demonstrating teaching effectiveness.

1. Intentional Course Design and Assessment, taught by Dr. Stephanie King
2. Active Learning for Student Engagement, taught by Dr. Nicole Miller
3. Inclusive Teaching to Welcome All Learners (Coming Summer of 2024)
4. Supporting Student Learning in Class and Online (Coming Summer of 2024)

Recognition of Faculty Support

Eligibility

Individuals who hold academic status as Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor are eligible to apply.

Please note, at this time lecturers are not eligible for this particular program. We welcome your participation in our other events, workshops and programs.

To maximize the impact of the program, the application review committee will give special consideration to the following:

• Applicants’ teaching loads and class sizes
• Applicants’ class levels and course requisite standings
• Applicants’ course loads including classes that have traditionally had high DFW rates

Each cohort is limited to 30 participants. A new cohort will be accepted each year of the program; the certificate takes two years to fully complete.

Application and Deadline

Proposals must be submitted as a PDF document to the Center for Teaching and Learning by email to help@ctl.msstate.edu by Friday, April 28^th; Participants will be notified by May 5th.

Download Application Application for Maroon Academy

Incentives and Recognition

Participants will receive a stipend upon completing Course 1 and 2 in the amounts below. It is anticipated that there will be additional stipends for Course 3 and 4.

• Course 1: $250
• Course 2: $500

Note: Stipends will be dispersed after implementation in a regular semester.

In addition, a badge micro-credential will be awarded for each course completion and a certificate will be awarded upon completion of the program. Certified teachers will also be recognized in the following ways:

• Recognition at the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
• Identification on the Center for Teaching and Learning website
• Formal written documentation of completion (copied to the Department Head).