The K. Patricia Cross Academy

For Faculty • For Free • For the Future of Higher Education

The K. Patricia Cross Academy is an investment in the future of higher education named to celebrate and preserve the legacy of K. Patricia Cross. Founded by Elizabeth Barkley and Claire Major, the academy was originally established as a nonprofit program of the The Social Good Fund, it is now endowed in perpetuity to the University of Alabama. We are dedicated to supporting faculty by offering free instructional videos, downloadable resources, and CrossCurrent articles that clearly outline how to:

1

Implement high-impact, evidence-based teaching techniques that improve all students' learning; and

2

Document student learning in ways that provide the information teachers need to improve their teaching as well as assist them in their efforts for hiring, tenure, and promotion.

The K Patricia Cross Academy has been a valuable resource for me, especially as a first-time instructor. This semester is my first time teaching a class all by myself, and I have been using 3-2-1 Activity to assess student’s engagement in class and further answer any questions they may have about the content. We only did the activity two times since it is the beginning of the semester, but I already see its usefulness. I am excited to utilize other activities featured on the website in future classes.

Teaching Assistant

The Cross Academy is a resource every teacher should utilize.  The ideas and information create engaging opportunities for students and are easy for teachers to adapt to their lessons. After Dr. Major's class I shared this resource with my mom, an educator of 40 years, who loves the ideas and has implemented a few in her high school classroom.

Museum Director

I included the [K. Patricia Cross Academy] website in the facilitated online workshop I created for faculty to help them move to online teaching. The gratitude for sharing this site with faculty has been overwhelming! They are finding it so very helpful! We have even linked it to our Faculty Toolkit web page through Faculty Professional Development. 

Faculty Member

This website is invaluable for new and seasoned educators alike. I have already implemented some of the techniques into my classroom and have really enjoyed the reflective feedback I have received from my students.  Highly recommend!

Instructor/Academic Advisor

I really liked the design of the website. It was very easy to navigate, and I appreciated how all the different teaching techniques were right alongside each other. Believe it or not, I utilized some of these techniques as both a student, and as a teaching assistant. Overall, I think the website is a wonderful reference for both teachers and students in terms of expanding their learning capabilities! 

Teaching Assistant