What is ACUE?
The Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) is an organization that offers faculty asynchronous courses on how to teach effectively in both face-to-face and online course environments. The video below describes their Effective Online Teaching Practices course:
ACUE Program Details for 2022 (Spring-Fall)
Under the direction of the Provost Office with Faculty Development, CSUN has been selected as only one of eight institutions nationwide to participate in a major study of gateway courses funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. CSUN faculty who join this Gates research study, conducted by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), will contribute to a nationwide effort to examine the relationship between evidence-based instruction in gateway courses (details below) and student outcomes.
Faculty accepted into this research study will enroll in ACUE's 25-week course in Effective Online Teaching Practices OR Effective Teaching Practices (face-to-face version) to learn instructional skills shown to improve student achievement and close equity gaps. This asynchronous course is based on current research demonstrating that effective teaching improves learning for all students. Independently validated research is demonstrating that students, particularly those who are underserved, are more engaged, learn more, and complete courses in greater numbers when taught by ACUE-credentialed faculty.
CSUN faculty who have already earned their ACUE credential have raved about the experience. More details below on what CSUN faculty shared about their experience.
Who should apply?
Applications are now closed. Please fill out our Interest List to be notified of future ACUE program opportunities.
Faculty eligibility criteria include:
- teaching a gateway courses in the spring and/or fall of 2022.
- A gateway course is defined as a course that serves as an entry point to a pathway in a major or program, a high enrollment course, a high fail rate course (i.e., courses with higher rates of DFWs than the department average) or high equity gaps (i.e., ethnicity).
- A list of identified courses is available. If you wish to make the case to add to this list, please contact Elizabeth Adams directly.
- those able to protect roughly 3 hours per week
- comfortable using Canvas
- must be employed at CSUN and teaching a course in which they can implement new strategies
- faculty at all ranks (tenure-track and lecturers) and experience level (novice and senior level faculty) are welcome to apply
- this course is for motivated faculty who are open to joining an iterative and collaborative process of taking their teaching to the next level.
Incentives
- $750 is available for faculty who complete all requirements of the study (e.g., complete all course requirements, complete all surveys; details will be provided in consent forms)
- A nationally recognized Certificate in Effective College Instruction co-endorsed by Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) and the American Council on Education (ACE) will be awarded for faculty who complete the course requirements. Teaching certificates for the higher education context are rare so this can be a useful way to demonstrate evidence of your teaching effectiveness for reappointment, retention, tenure or promotion.
- An acknowledgement letter from CSUN's leadership honoring faculty engagement in joining a student success effort intended to address inequities at CSUN.
Current & Past Facilitators
- Grishma Bhavsar, ACUE Ambassador, Associate Professor, Health Sciences
- Shadi Ganjavi, ACUE Ambassador, English
- Star Glover, ACUE Ambassador, U100/English/LRC
- Jose González, ACUE Ambassador, Assistant Professor, Recreation and Tourism Department
- Virginia Huynh, Lead Facilitator, Professor, Child and Adolescent Development
- Hillary Kaplowitz, Lead Facilitator, Senior Instructional Designer
- Susana Marcelo, Lead Facilitator, Instructional Designer
- Amber Norwood, ACUE Ambassador, U100/English
- Janett Silvers, Lead Facilitator, Instructional Designer
- Casey terHorst, ACUE Ambassador, Associate Professor, Biology
- Jenn Wolfe, Lead Facilitator, Assistant Professor, Secondary Education
Campus Project Lead: Whitney Scott, Director of Faculty Development
What have CSUN faculty shared about this program?
Showcased Example
Professor Kate Stevenson, PhD from the Mathematics Department presented at the CSU Math Council's Colloquium Series (MC^2) about some of what has been implemented with Journaling. Dr. Stevenson reports, "It includes things I have learned from ACUE (SMART Goals, Video Introductions, Building community, etc.)."
Which CSUN faculty have earned a credential ?
Arts, Media, and Communication
- Art: Owen Doonan, Katherine Laris, Julia Schlosser
- Cinema and Television Arts: Michael Johnson Jr.
- Communication Studies: Darla Anderson, Jessica Baty-McMillan, Michele Mega, Scott Wolfe
- Journalism: Gretchen Macchiarella, Tammy Trujillo
Business and Economics
- Accounting and Information Systems: Monica Gianni
- Business Law: Nanci Carr, Suyan Zheng
- Economics: Francisco Beltran Silva, Leah Marcal
- Finance, Financial Planning, and Insurance: Yanbo Jin
- Management: Daniel Degravel, Diane Flannery, Nathalie Virem
- Marketing: Violet Christopher, Ning Fu, Joy Griffin, Sean Keyani, Dong Liu, Qin Sun, Na Wen
- Systems and Operations Management: Amir Gharehgozli, Tao Eric Hu, Kunpeng Li
Education
- Deaf Studies: Lissa Ramirez-Stapleton
- Educational Psychology and Counseling: Joannie Aguayo, Denise Emmerling-Baker, Hillary Kaplowitz, Shyrea Minton, Jennifer Pemberton, Ellen Stohl, Dana Stone
- Elementary Education: Minsung Kwon
- Secondary Education: Jenn Wolfe
- Special Education: Samantha Toews, Connie Wong
Engineering and Computer Sciences
- Electrical and Computer Engineering: Ruting Jia
- Civil Engineering and Construction Management: Tzong-Ying Hao, Ricardo Medina
- Computer Science: Kyle Dewey, Wen Chin Hsu
- Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management: Bingbing Li
- Mechanical Engineering: Peter Bishay, Vinicius Maron Sauer, Shadwa Oddino
Health and Human Development
- Child and Adolescent Development: Tissyana Camacho, Kandice Grote, Virginia Huynh, Nicole Webb
- Communication Disorders and Sciences: Amanda Miller
- Environmental & Occupational Health: Veronica Becerra
- Family and Consumer Sciences: Joyce Marie Brusasco, Rosalia Garcia-Torres, Hessam Ghamari, Dena Herman-Mendes, Kristin King, Uma Krishnan, Yoko Mimura, Shirley Warren
- Health Sciences: Crystal Adams, Grishma Bhavsar, Lisa Chaudhari, Robin Edmonds-Yeager, Joo Kim, Tanya Wicks
- Kinesiology: Wendy Hassenpflug, Danielle Jarvis, Yeonhak Jung, Christine LaMonica, Raquel Lenhart, Vincent Martinez, Shabnam Islam Parasiliti, Rebecca Pena, Konstantinos Vrongistinos
- Nursing: Laurie Gelardi
- Recreation and Tourism Management: Heekyung Sung
Humanities
- American Indian Studies: Nicole Blalock
- Asian American Studies: Derek Tang, Maria Turnmeyer
- Central American Studies: Susana Marcelo
- Chicana/o Studies: Alicia Estrada, Melisa Galvan, Carlos A. Hernandez, Theresa Montano, Vilma Villela
- English: Dylan Altman, Scott Andrews, Jon Beadle, Stacey Bieber, Kimmerly Brady, Azure Star Glover, Emily Havey, Andrea Hernandez, Santosh Khadka, Kelan Koning, Noreen Lace, Stephanie Lim, Jacqueline Meisel, Amber Norwood, Trista Payte, Sean Pessin, Kathleen Roman, Maseri Kisa Schultz, Nicole Solis, Rebecca Spitler-Lawson, Patricia Swenson, Audrey Thacker, Kimberly Wells, Beth Wightman
- Gender and Women's Studies: Marie Cartier
- Liberal Studies: Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam
- Linguistics/TESL: Anne Crawford, Shadi Ganjavi, Vasiliki (Bessie) Karras-Lazaris, Hyung-Jo Yoon
- Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures: Gabriela Aprato, Ane Icardo Isasa, Axel Montepeque, Svetlana Tyutina
- Philosophy: Sarah Hansen, Weimin Sun
Science and Math
- Biology: Cindy Malone, Sean Murray, Jeremy Yoder
- Chemistry/Biochemistry: Michael Eller, Kayla Kaiser, Grazyna Orzechowska, Rashid Syed, Li Ye
- Mathematics: Michael Crosswhite, Kellie Evans, Beverly Gunderson, Nafiesh Khoram, Katherine Stevenson
- Physics and Astronomy: Debi Prasad Choudhary
Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Africana Studies: Sheba Lo, Janice Robinson, Monica Turner
- Anthropology: Gisela Lanzas, Christina Von Mayrhauser
- Criminology and Justice Studies: Cecillia Barron, Marc Glidden, Jordan Grasso, Beth Jakubanis, Julio Lima, Katherine Lorenz, Nayan Ramirez, Anastasiia Timmer, Jaycynda Trifone-Woodruff
- History: Natale Zappia
- Political Science: Linda Alvarez, Maria Garcia-Acevedo, Gloria Guevara
- Psychology: Nancy Blum, Bruno Gamboa, Richard Hurtado, Debra Berry Malmberg, Alexandra Schmitt, Ariana Solis, Gidget Viani, Essence Lynn Wilson
- Sociology: Moshoula Capous-Desyllas, Monicka Guevara, Stacy Missari
Student Success
- University 100 (many of these faculty teach in more than one department)- Conchita Battle, Stacey Bieber, Anne Crawford, Azure Star Glover, Shadi Ganjavi, Rebecca Splitter-Lawson, Colette Claire Meade, Audrey Thacker
How can faculty who complete this program share this accomplishment?
ACUE has a website with instructions on how faculty graduates can download and share digital badges, share on social media and add to a resume/CV.
What are the program goals?
In this program you will learn about and implement new evidence-based teaching practices. The unique part of this program is that it will demonstrate how to apply each teaching practice in both an online and face-to-face environment. Aligned with the latest research in cognition and adult learning, ACUE’s program address over 200 evidence-based teaching practices, covering how to design an effective course, establish a productive learning environment, use active learning strategies, promote higher order thinking and utilize assessments to inform instruction and promote learning.
Topics include:
- Creating an Inclusive and Supportive Online & Face-to-Face Learning Environment: Embracing Diversity; Checking for Student Understanding; Providing Useful Feedback; Helping Students Persist; Engaging Underprepared Students; Promoting Learning Environments
- Promoting Active Online & Face-to-Face Learning: Developing Effective Modules and Microlectures; Teaching Powerful Note-taking; Using Groups to Ensure Active Learning; Using the Active Learning Cycle; Planning Effective Discussions; Facilitating Engaging Discussions
- Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners: Motivating Students; Providing Clear Directions and Explanations; Integrating Visualization Tools; Using Data and Feedback to Improve Teaching; Using Advanced Questioning; Self-Directed Learners;
- Designing Student-Centered Online & Face-to-Face Courses: Establishing Powerful Learning Outcomes; Aligning Assessments with Course Outcomes; Developing Fair, Consistent, and Transparent Grading Practices; Developing and Using Rubrics and Checklists; Preparing an Effective Syllabus