Who are we?


I established Academity, an online learning community, to fulfill a gap in services. Well-designed courses with a strong pedagogical and research background, which also fulfills the basic requirements of educator training in gifted education are near non-existent. Academity's learning experiences incorporate my sense of humor, beautiful design, well-written content and multimedia, and are firmly based in contemporary research and best-practices in gifted education. 

The company vision, "everyone deserves to learn something new every day," guides my coursework. It is quite common in public education for students with high-ability to languish and their fullest potential and talents to go underdeveloped. My hope is that through my engaging stories, writings, and content, I can broaden the view of gifted education so that more hidden gems are found and less talent is left on the table. 
 
Students who may not look like the "typical" gifted student deserve teachers trained to understand their nature and needs. They deserve to have their eccentricities, ideas, cultures, and intensities honored and respected. And like other special populations, they deserve to have their special educational needs met.

Thanks for visiting. Let me know if I can do anything for you.

Sincerely, 

MeredithMeredith AustinFounder

What makes Academity different?

  • Flexible, yet attentive

    While the courses are asynchronous in nature, the type of tasks and coursework *are* interactive. Every course requires a Capstone submission that is authentic and pertinent to educators' lives. This submission is reviewed by the Academity team with feedback offered. There is also a built-in community that any educator may become a part of, to keep discussions and input lively.

  • Well-designed & engaging

    Academity coursework is varied in formatting to include podcasts, interactive videos, texts, and presentations. The courses are also developed to present information that is up to date with best-practices, is culturally relevant, and frankly, is pretty. Our designer has an eye for making things look nice. We consider this an important quality.

  • Trying to do good

    Operating primarily as a collective also helps keep the costs down for individual educators who are "paying their own way." We will accommodate any educator who cannot pay the full price with a "make your own offer" and will enroll for free any students currently working on an education degree or alternative certification. Teacher preparation in gifted education is extremely limited, so the more educators that can be trained early on, the more kids will get the chance to learn something new, every day.

  • Affordable

    Because Academity operates primarily as a collective, costs are lessened. We also keep our catalog small to ensure a high-quality product.

Want to keep up to date?

Add your email to the mailing list to get the latest updates.

Thank You