Faculty Tackle Research and Student Success
By Jonathan Petty,
Director of Marketing and Communications –
The Faculty Advisory Council and Texas A&M University–Central Texas tackled questions concerning student success, academic research, and more during a Teaching and Research Summit, Friday afternoon, Feb. 6, in the Bernie Beck Lecture Hall on the A&M–Central Texas campus.
The Council, consisting of faculty and key staff personnel, met to discuss questions of interest, as well as meet with university President Richard M. Rhodes, Ph.D. and Provost Clifton T. Jones, Ph.D. The day ended with poster presentations of faculty research.
Discussing Student Success
The initial session focused on student success and brainstorming ideas that the university could implement to better assist students in their academic journeys. Participants broke into small groups discussing writing skills, mental health support, community connections, media literacy, online learning issues, reading comprehension, time management, and balancing family and job obligations.
Ideas that came out of the discussions included things like working with students to better plan their calendars, setting aside appropriate amounts of time for academic study outside of the classroom, and making sure students have a firm grasp of what’s expected so they don’t overschedule themselves. They also discussed the importance of faculty being aware of additional demands on students’ time. Peer groups were another topic of conversation in dealing with several focus areas, along with deadline flexibility. Other discussion ideas covered service-learning opportunities, gamification of online engagement opportunities, and finding better avenues of communication to avoid email bloat.
Questions for Administration
The President and Provost then answered questions about the types of faculty research and the expectations for faculty to conduct research and what kind of support they have from the university. Faculty also asked about new degree programs coming online, where artificial intelligence fits in the academic mix, and where does the university leadership stand on competency-based education.
Dr. Jones gave updates on the Doctor of Education and Doctor of Business Administration degrees that will tentatively be ready to go in the fall of 2027. The university is also working on a BAAS in advanced manufacturing, and a degree in logistics and supply chain management will soon start enrolling for the Fall 26 term. The Master of Nursing Administration degree is enrolling its first students, and the Master of Social Work program is finalizing the approval process and will hopefully be ready to go before too long. The Master of Public Administration program, which began in 2025, is already growing.
The Importance of Faculty Research
Research is becoming increasingly important for faculty, and The Texas A&M University System is hoping to see more of its institutions increase their research standing. A&M–Central Texas is also looking into competency-based education which allows skilled laborers to test out of academic requirements if they show competency and understanding of the knowledge and skill being taught. This could significantly cut the amount of time it takes to earn a degree.
The afternoon ended with a poster session where faculty talked about their research projects. Twenty-one faculty members presented on projects like “Automated Mapping of IoT Policies to State Cybersecurity Laws Using Ontology Reasoning,” “Should Students Use Audiobooks, Text Only, or Reading While Listening,” “From Real-World Data to Fictional Firms: Leveraging Generative AI for Innovative Case-Based Learning,” and “Mixed-Gender Workplaces and Social Cohesion: Evidence of Prejudice Reduction Among Male Workers.” Other research projects explored a wide range of topics in psychology, aviation, nursing, teacher education, and more.
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